11th CALLERLAB Convention 
Milestone Award
Presented by Frank Lane
In referring to an individual as being a “caller’s caller” is not to infer any lack of appeal for the general dancing public. It acknowledges him as being a caller-among-callers, an individual much looked up to and admired, one who set standards for others to follow in years to come.
Such a person was Jim York.
Jim started calling in Los Angeles area in 1947. He passed away just 10 years later but, within that single decade, he left an indelible mark on the world of square dancing.
Together with his wife, Jeanne, the Yorks averaged about 21 calling nights per month. Jim recorded on the Sets in Order and Sunny Hills labels and during his lifetime he composed many of the favorite patter calls of the day including Suzie Q, Driftwood, Trailing Star, York’s Double Cross, Double Whammy, and many others.
In the May 1980 issue of Square-Dancing Magazine, guest writer Les Gotcher had this to say about Jim and his contributions: “When I first met Jim I immediately recognized that this mas was one of the best callers it had ever been my pleaser to meet. Jim soon became one of the most popular callers in his area. He did not travel, calling only to local dancers, but he made quite the name for himself, not only in Los Angeles but all over the nation, by writing advanced but excellent material. Jim York’s genius cast a reflection onto the future of square dancing as time had proven. He was ahead of his time.”