El Chicano, Colton Courier, Rialto Record

Senior center dance honors the fallen

2 min read

4 years ago Ricardo Tomboc

Photo Ricardo Tomboc: Veterans paying tribute to the fallen heroes (from left) Jim Snow, Danny McCabe, Bill Davis, Richard Rivera, Charletta Campfield, Reuban Boyce, Pete Lopez, Herm Schumann, Ed Bougie, Bernard Wayne Moore, Satastian Sehan, Art Cooper, and Doug Sloney.

On Saturday, May 29^th, the Highland Senior Center Dance Group (HSCDG) honored those in the military service that had paid the ultimate price for the freedoms we now enjoy. It was an exciting moment for the veterans at the senior center as they gathered around an American Flag paying tribute to the fallen.

A group of about 45 Country Western and Ballroom Dancers met at the Highland Senior Center for some much-needed social interactions and dancing, yet many still maintain COVID-19 precautions. Some dance only with their partner the entire time, but others will dance with other friends as well. Many used gloves, masks, and shields during the event. Bottles of hand sanitizers were placed on each table, and everyone urged to use the sanitizer after each dance.

Marilyn Stello, 90, from Rancho Cucamonga lost her husband in the Korean War in 1950’s while serving in the Coast Guard. Marianne Reich lost three cousins on the Arizona during the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941. Marianne wasn’t even born yet, but remembers her father taking her to the Pearl Harbor Remembrance Days in Hawaii; where she was able to see her cousins’ names inscribed on the memorial plaque honoring the men who sacrificed their lives.

Yvonne Danduran has been promoting and hosting Ballroom Dance events for several decades in the Inland Empire and also put together the HSCDG. Yvonne was the CEO for the AARP Chapter 224 Ballroom Dancing group which held most of its dancing events at Patton State Hospital. Yvonne does it for the love of dancing and for all her friends

The Highland Senior Center dances are held every Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Art Cooper & Company Band plays live for the dancers. The Highland Senior Center is located just inside the Patton State Hospital grounds, 3102 E. Highland Ave., Highland, CA 92369.

Ballroom Dancing classes will be starting soon and will be held on Tuesday nights at 6:30 p.m. Not all the activities are currently available, but you can call the office at 909-862-8196 for more information.