Collection number: MC 263
Size: 4 boxes
(1.20 cu.ft.)
About Ernie Spence
Born in 1925, Ernie Spence grew up in Milton, MA. After graduating from Milton High School, he enlisted in the US Navy AirCorp where he served from 1943 to 1946 as an Aviation Ordinanceman Second Class. He attended Boston University, graduating in 1950 with a BS in Education and in 1951 with an M.Ed. While at school, he met Joan Harlan and they were married in 1952. In 1954, they moved to Reading, MA where three years earlier Ernie had begun his 35-year career in the Reading School system, teaching science at Parker Junior High. In 1957, he became the first principal of the newly opened Birch Meadow Elementary School, and in 1960 he became an assistant principal at Reading Memorial High School, where he remained until his retirement in 1986.
From the time he met Duke Miller in the late 1940s at Sargent Camp in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire, Ernie became a fixture on dance floors all over New England. He and Joan made regular trips from the Boston area on weekends to dance to Duke's calling in Fitzwilliam, NH. Many dancers, callers, and musicians credit Ernie with introducing them to contra dancing.
In his later years, Parkinson's disease forced Ernie to cut back his dancing to just one or two nights a week. Even though his mobility then limited him to a much smaller space on the dance floor, Ernie was still among the best dancers to be found, never at a loss for a partner. David Millstone, a caller and dance historian, said of Ernie: "I loved watching his graceful carriage, his exquisite timing, the attentive smile bestowed on his partners, and the omnipresent twinkle in his eye." Ernie died aged 85 in March 2011.
Ernie Spence was a NEFFA executive board member from 1977-1984 and a founder member of the Thursday Night Dance Committee. He was also an avid photographer and took hundreds of images of dances over the years. His collection, which includes over 1000 slides, 80 prints, film and video material, as well as nearly 200 audio recordings, as well as paper materials, including NEFFA Executive Board minutes, posters, flyers, dance periodicals, was donated to the University of New Hampshire in 2011.
About the Ernie Spence papers
The Ernie Spence Papers consists of various organizational materials relating to Ernie Spence's service on the board of NEFFA from 1977-1984 and miscellaneous papers. As an avid photographer his collection includes over 1000 slides, 80 prints, film and video material, as well as nearly 200 audio tapes.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
This collection is open.
Copyright Notice
Contents of this collection are governed by U.S. copyright law. For questions about publication or reproduction rights, contact Special Collections staff.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], [Folder], [Box], Ernie Spence Papers, 1955-2004, MC 263, Milne Special Collections and Archives, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, NH, USA.
Acquisitions Information
Donated: Jean D. Spence, 2011 (Accession number: 2011.33)
Collection Contents
Series 1: Miscellaneous papers, correspondence, dance notation, 1960-2006
| Box 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Box 1, Folder 1 | Correspondence to Ernie Spence from:
Florence Block, 1972 (1); Larry Jennings, undated (1); James Kennedy (includes press release announcing the 1974 debut in Fitzwilliam of "promising young caller" Tony Parkes), 1971-1974 (3); Mel King, director, South End House, Boston, 1961 (1); Dudley Laufman, 1978-2003 (3); Kathie Leitz, 1975 (1); Duke Miller, 1960-1970 (6); Robin Tranove, 1970 (1); Ed Wilfert, 1971 (1); Gene and Betsy --?, Westborough MA 1969 (1) 1969-1972 | |
| Box 1, Folder 2 | NEFFA Exec. Board Minutes, 1977 | |
| Box 1, Folder 3 | NEFFA Exec. Board Minutes, 1978 | |
| Box 1, Folder 4 | NEFFA Exec. Board Minutes, 1979 | |
| Box 1, Folder 5 | NEFFA Exec. Board Minutes, 1980 | |
| Box 1, Folder 6 | NEFFA Exec. Board Minutes, 1981 | |
| Box 1, Folder 7 | NEFFA Exec. Board Minutes, 1982 | |
| Box 1, Folder 8 | NEFFA Exec. Board Minutes, 1983 | |
| Box 1, Folder 9 | NEFFA Exec. Board Minutes, 1984 | |
| Box 1, Folder 10 | Event Fliers: NEFFA and others | |
| Box 1, Folder 11 | Newspaper Articles, 1972-1973, undated | |
| Box 1, Folder 12 | Copy of "Adventures in a Dance Hall: A study of contra dancing using ethnographic research methods" by Maggie Linnell, 1991 | |
| Box 1, Folder 13 | Contra Corners, Spring 1990 | |
| Box 1, Folder 14 | 10 NEFFA Programs, 1967-2006 | |
| Box 1, Folder 14 | Misc. New England Council of Round Dance Teachers Associations | |
| Box 2 | ||
| Box 2, Folder 1 | Index of Internatioinal Folk Dance Records, circa 1950 | |
| Box 2, Folder 2 | Numerical Index of Internatioinal Folk Dance Records, circa 1950 | |
| Box 2, Folder 3 | Record Catalogs, 1956-1959 | |
| Box 2, Folder 4 | Dance Notations | |
| Box 2, Folder 5 | Photocopy of article from Cape Breton's Magazine, "With Winston Scotty Fitzgerald" | |
| Box 2, Folder 6 | Photocopy of article from Yankee Magazine, "Who Still Follows The Pied Piper of Canterbury?" | |
| Box 2, Folder 7 | Misc. NECCA materials | |
| Box 2, Folder 8 | Misc. flyers | |
| Box 2, Folder 9 | Callers Clipboard, Vol. 2 no. 4-8 | |
| Box 2, Folder 10 | Square Dance Class Attendance Book | |
| Box 2, Folder 11 | Dance Gypsy 1998 Dance Planner | |
| Box 2, Folder 12 | The Four Seasons Monadnock Regionaire, 1970-1971 | |
| Box 2, Folder 13 | Music Book "Arkansas (Arkie) Woodchopper: Square Dance Calls with Music and Instructions" | |
| Box 2, Folder 14 | List of Digitized VHS Tapes by Ernie Spence | |
Series 2: Photographs and Photographic Slides, 1955-1988
| Box 3 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Box 3, Folder 1 | Unidentified Photographs: morris dancing; contra dancing; sword dancing; socializing; vendors; court dancing; jam sessions; Vermont contra demonstration; Irish dancing; exhibits; Balkan singers; clogging; Western square dancing | |
| Box 3, Folder 2 | Tray No. 1: Country Dancing. Peterborough Country Club, NH 1955; Duke Miller (caller), Aug 1967; Francestown NH, 9/7/1970; Fitzwilliam NH, 8/28/1971; 11/6/1971; 6/3/1972; 12/2/1972; 8/3/1973; 9/1/1973; 12/1977; 9/3/1977 (Tod Whittemore, caller); Dudley Laufman, caller, 11/7/1973; news articles 1973; Carlisle Dance 5/3/74; Nelson NH 5/1976; Monadnock Dancers at Peach Blossom Festival (Canajoharie, NY.) 1976; Duke Miller, caller; Common Ground 1976; Dublin NH, 3/19/1977 | |
| Box 3, Folder 3 | Tray No. 2: Country Dancing. Peterborough NH 10/4/80; Nelson NH, 1/7/1978 (Kathy Torrey, caller); CDS dance Brookline 1/1978; Harrisville NH 1/1978; unidentified wedding 5/20/1978; Tod Whittemore Halloween/birthday party dance 1980 | |
| Box 3, Folder 4 | Tray No. 3: Country Dancing. CDS Brookline 1/1978; Fitzwilliam NH, 3/31/1978; 8/1978; 8/26/1978; 9/2/1978; 9/16/1978; Concord NH 3/31/1978; Needham MA: Whittemore Halloween party 10/30/1978; Fitzwilliam NH, Kathy and Ed Kennedy wedding 9/16/78; Nelson NH, 3/3/1979; YWCA Cambridge MA, 4/12/1978; Bob McQuillen birthday party 7/1979; unidentified dance 6/17/1979; cotillion 12/15/1979 | |
| Box 3, Folder 5 | Tray No. 4: Country Dancing. Brattleboro VT, 11/1/1981 (Dudley Laufman, caller); Peterboro NH 2/6/1982 (Tod Whittemore, caller); NEFFA Festival 4/1977; 4/1978; 4/1980; 4/1981; 4/1983; Jaffrey Center NH, 5/20/1978 | |
| Box 3, Folder 6 | Tray No. 5: Country Dancing. Cotillion - Halloween - Northfield MA; Northfield MA 6/18/82 (Four Gone Conclusions, Cammy Kaynor, caller) - Halloween dance 1982; NEFFA 1983; NEFFA? 1984; unidentified dance 12/1983 | |
| Box 4 | ||
| Box 4, Folder 1 | Tray No. 7: Country Dancing. Chestnuts. Unidentified dance 1/1982, 5/21/1983 (outdoors), 7/1983 (outdoors), 5/1984, 10/1985, 11/1985 - Dover NH? 5/1986 - VFW Skyline Dancers 11/11/1982 - New England Chestnuts Cambridge River Festival MA 5/30/1981 | |
| Box 4, Folder 2 | Margaret and Steve's Wedding | |
| Box 4, Folder 3 | Dancing: Child's Play; Cotillion; Todd; Gail; Sue; Susan's Recital; 1988 | |
| Box 4, Folder 4 | -Unlabeled box of slides. Yankee Ingenuity, Childsplay 1985 - 1988 - Northfield MA 6/18/82 - Peterboro NH 10/4/1980 - Fitzwilliam NH 4/3/1977, 12/30/1977 - Jack O’Conner 50th birthday dance 5/13/88 - Brattleboro VT Dawn Dance 5/30/84 - Harvey Tolman on fiddle 1978 - Nelson NH 3/1979 - Unidentified dance 6/17/1979 - Cotillion 12/1988 1974-1984 | |
| Box 4, Folder 5 | -Kodak slide box marked “Tod”: School - Family - Church photos 1985 1988 | |
| Box 4, Folder 6 | 2 SVHS tapes:
| |
Series 3: Posters,
| Map Drawer A12 | 3 Posters promoting Duke Miller, Caller at the Fitzwilliam Summer Dances, undated |
