Local Hero: David Millstone

Why is David Millstone my local hero? Let me tell you the story. I am now a 'senior' (60+) TEFL Peace Corps volunteer in Hrazdan, Armenia. I have been here now for seven months.

Before leaving for Armenia I asked David to teach me to be a dance caller. I had been attending David's dances with Northern Spy in Norwich, Vermont for a few years. After spending some time with David talking over lunch about dances and calling, I thought, "I can be a caller". With David's coaching I called my first dance at the Ralph Page Weekend in Durham, New Hampshire. My dance was Galopede. David coached me in calling a dance at a few Spy dances in Norwich and then let me follow him to all of his summer camp dances in VT and NH last summer before I left for Peace Corps in Armenia.

Thanks to David, his legacy and that of CDSS now lives in Armenia as I call dances for the Armenian children here. The children are experiencing their first American dancing and music in their young lives. It is an incredible cross cultural experience for them. Requests are now coming in from other Peace Corps volunteer sites for dances in their villages in Armenia. None of this would have been possible without David's patience with me and his love of children and dancing. Thank you David for making my Peace Corps experience so meaningful and fun for the children of Armenia.

    - Submitted by Lorrie Wilkes

Lorrie and some of her dancers in Armenia

Dancing with Lorrie!