18th CALLERLAB Convention 
Milestone Award
Presented by Bob Van Antwerp
Herb began square dancing in 1937 while a high school student in Colorado Springs, Colorado. To be sure it wasn’t just any high school. It was the Cheyenne Mountain School, a one-building, kindergarten through high school establishment of learning, which was home base for Lloyd Shaw. Shaw, or “Pappy”, as students called him, was among other things, the principal of the school and dedicated of the western, American square dance. In the process of writing a book on cowboy dancing, Shaw developed a team of older students, taught them the early squares, couple, and contra dances and put on performances within the state. By 1939 the group had achieved national recognition and Herb, along with Erna, his dancing partner, were a part of the Cheyenne Mountain Dancers when they made their first cross-country tour that year. Needless to say the reactions of the viewing public and the coverage of the press had wonderous results in exciting the nation about its dance heritage. This was just the beginning of a life filled with dancing with the Egenders.
Herb started calling and teaching squares and rounds in 1941 but was interrupted by World War II. A bombardier in the Army Air Corps Herb was show down and remained a prisoner of the Germans until hostilities ended in 1945. Following the war, Herb stayed in the Air Force with a number of assignments overseas. While stationed in Taipei, Taiwan in 1953, Herb and Erna called and taught for a group of Chinese and in 1960 Herb started calling for the Hickam Promenaders in Hawaii.
Retiring from the Air Force in 1972 Herb became increasingly busy with calling and teaching. A member of CALLERLAB since 1974 he became its Assistant Executive Committee and Vice Chairman of the Board. As past Guidelines for Caller Training. He received the Chairman’s Award in 1988.
Herb and Erna were inducted into the Denver Area Square and Round Dance Council Hall of Fame in 1980 and in 1985 they received the American Square Dance Society’s Silver Spur Award for devotion to square dancing. Herb is a lifetime member and past president of the Denver Square Dance Callers Association and a lifetime member of the Colorado Round Dance Association. He served as editor of the CRDA newsletter for six years and was editor of the ROUNDLAB Journal three years. He was also a member of the Board Of Governors of ROUNDLAB and LEGACY.
His wife since high school days, Erna, passed away in 1987. In 1990 Herb married Cathy, and as Herb said in accepting the Milestone in 1991, “no person could be more fortunate than I”, having been married to two such fine ladies.