7th CALLERLAB Convention 
Milestone Award
Presented by Bob Osgood
There are those who are leaders amount us who have chosen to make their mark in the world of dance and they have done well. Others may have said “I choose to go the route of business” and some have done will in this direction. Still others have chosen adventure and have sought out new frontiers to conquer- and some of them have reached their potential.
Tonight, we honor a friend who has achieved all of these. If we were talking about football we’d refer to him as a triple threat man. If square dancing could be likened to track this man would be a decathlon winner. Let’s look at credits.
In Square Dancing he has been calling, cueing and teaching for more than 40 years and he is a member of the Square Dance Hall of Fame.
As a Traveling Caller he was one of the first. During the War he took part in daces, calling, teaching, dancing everywhere his military duty took him, in Canada, in the US, and in England. In recent years he added to this list calling in Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia to mention only a few places.
As a Recording Artist and Record Producer how far back you want to go? He did some the best on the old Windsor label: including Trade Winds, Trail of the Lonesome Pine, Back to Donegal, Old Pine Tree, and Down South, all written and recorded 25 years ago or more (1955). His most recent releases just came out this past month. In all, several hundred titles on such labels as Greene, Lloyd Shaw, SIO, and others.
In the Field of Education he has been on the staff of one of the nation’s leading universities teaching dance to future school teachers and coaches and he has been a staff member and leader of University Conferences all over the country. In addition, he has been on the staff of some of the finest vacation institutes in North America. He was also in on the ground floor of establishing CALLERLAB.
In Business he is a successful builder of homes in a number of places including Costa Rica. He has been a radio station owner here in Florida and that’s only a sample.
Adventure well if I remember correctly, he flew the first experimental jet for the United States. He was a key test pilot here in the US and Canada. At one time he owned his own flying service; he’s been checked out in many types of aircraft and is a qualified flight instructor. He’s an expert scuba diver and is at home on the floor of the ocean as he is on the dance floor,
Ladies and gentlemen, to the person we are honoring tonight all the world, it is an adventure and he has done his part in bringing the adventure of dance to many. In horning him we also honor his lovely wife, Marie, a part of that adventure. And it is with great pleasure that we present CALLERLAB’s Milestone Award to Don Armstrong.
