Warren Jaquith
Warren, our beloved caller and friend, suffered a major stroke while teaching our Mainstream class Monday, February 26. Two days later on February 28, he passed away peacefully early in the morning with his partner Tom Pearson at his side. Warren was a treasured member of our club. We are stunned at this loss and extend our deepest sympathy to Tom and their family. A memorial service was held on Saturday, March 10 at the Christ Congregational Church in Silver Spring, Maryland. Consider contributions in his name to All Join Hands Foundation, the Human Rights Campaign Fund or the charity of your choice. The DC Lambda Squares is establishing a Warren Jaquith Memorial Fund.
Here's the death notice in the Washington Post and the news story in the Washington Blade.
Thoughts and Memories
Warren was perhaps the kindest and gentlest person I have ever met, and I will always value the time I was lucky enough to be with him personally. When calling or dancing, he was always rooting for the dancers. One mark of his professional dedication is that he put enormous preparation into what looked nearly effortless to us. He always put us first, even before his own dancing if he didn't think he had prepared enough for his next calling gig (Tom says he never thought it was good enough). One year when he was on staff at Rehoboth, he said, what he wrote for the weekend wasn't working with the dancers, so he threw it all out and used alternate material. In preparation for the MS class he just started, he asked lots of people for ideas about teaching order or how to teach calls, then put together his own unique combination that was beautifully integrated to get the best from each technique. He managed with just a few calls to get the class into the feel of real square dancing, speed music and all, faster than I have ever seen. He truly was modest. But it is wonderful to know that he also heard from lots of us here and many elsewhere how much we appreciated him. He did get those rewards during his lifetime. He confessed to Larry Barnes and me once (I think in genuine amazement) that at the last caller school he had been told "Don't change a thing". I'm sure we are all better for having known him, and if we are lucky, we can pass forward some of his magic. Lloyd Anderson
I got to know Warren recently, at the GCA caller school in summer 2006. His warmth and friendliness were immediately apparent. He knew a lot, and without ever showing off he shared his knowledge generously with the the rest of us. In his gentle way, he helped us all look good, never stealing the spotlight for himself. Although I only knew him briefly, I'll miss him nonetheless. Michael Maltenfort
Warren taught my Advanced class. I made it through, but I was far from an accomplished A dancer when I attended my first AC/DC fly-in. My first tip was an unmitigated disaster. For my second tip I was lucky enough to get into a square full of good dancers from our club, including Warren. Thanks only to them I survived without breaking the square down continuously, and learned I can do this after all. Last month at AC/DC I had the pleasure of dancing with Warren in a square and flashed back on that first AC/DC. I am grateful that I had the chance to tell Warren that story and to thank him for helping me along. He just smiled that wonderful smile. Because he has been such an integral part of our success during the past 25 years, right now it seems inconceivable to envision Lambda Squares without Warren. It helps to know that as we carry on, we will continue to thrive because Warren's spirit will always be there with us. Steve Johnson
So full of life. In a mellow, understated way -- in a sweet and charming and disarming way -- just overflowing with life. Ken
Warren and I attended the very first Gay Caller's School in 1989, in New York City. I remember going up on
the train with him, doing the homework that Anne U. had assigned to the class (unbeknownst to us, it was for
the "experienced group" but how were we to know that, we were going as beginners)... to write a full
Mainstream sequence from "at home" to the "allemande left, bow to your partner." While Warren had already
been calling for about 25 years (at least) before that time, he felt he needed to update his style, and come
into the modern western calling arena. For those of you who wouldn't know, his style was from the old-tyme,
no-list, no-muss-no-fuss era of square dancing common in the early 1960's. I remember in the Caller's School
(since we were in the beginner group) he picked up the microphone to take his first shot at "calling" and
absolutely set Anne U. back on her heels!! Warren had clearly been calling for a long time, and knew the
tricks of the (old) trade. I'd venture to say she was most surprised and pleased to find such a gem in her
beginner callers' school class!!
Anway, we completed this assignment, but since we had no
clue how to write a sequence (isn't that why we were going to the caller's school in the first place?) we
wrote it BACKWARDS!! Who knew! We couldn't do that today if we tried, and yet, we had a whole sequence ready
for Anne when we arrived. HA.We often laughed at that experience. That was my very first "working experience"
with Warren, and I've shared MANY more over the years. He always made me feel like I was "one of him" and a
real caller myself, even though we all know Warren was the ultimate caller. It saddens me deeply that I will
no longer have that mentorship in my life. He was the best angel when I learned to dance, and the best mentor
as I picked up the mike to be a caller in my own right. He took my C1 class about 2 years ago, but his calling
was working with the beginners, as he became more involved with the DCLS club in teaching and calling. My hat
goes off to him in more ways than one.
He was always at the ready with kind words, a cheery
outlook, a friendly inquiry as to my partner Linda, my family, my work. We tried to meet up for dinner every
now and then and share our life experiences "what? there's life beyond square dancing" we would often exclaim
to each other!! Warren will be so missed in this community here in DC. It breaks all of our hearts to know
he's gone, but remember: Warren went down doing what he loved the best of all: joking around, teaching
beginners how to dance with a loving and gentle touch uncommon to many callers, and making light of the world
in which we live. We will always remember him with a fond heart and a great memory. Warren, until we meet
again... yellowrocks. Sincerely, Just Ett, Hon! (Ett McAtee)
I'm stunned and almost at a loss for words about the passing of Warren. In my opinion, there is only one way to describe him and that is he was an absolute sweetheart of a guy. So gentle, So kind, So easy going. God Speed, Warren — Jeff Cranford
Warren was the kind of person you can't help but love. Cheerful, warm, and friendly, quiet and modest but totally approachable. He possessed a delicious, low-key, dry humor, as manifested in his fun, quirky idoms for calling -- "Square-through; How many?" "Four!" "Four would be about right." -- and in his music choices: "I'm too sexy for my shirt" patter. He was my Plus teacher, and did an excellent job at that. I loved that he always played Country Western in between tips. He knew Cissie and I like to waltz, and so would always make a point of playing a waltz -- he was quietly considerate in that way. It is hard to imagine DCLS without Warren, but I suppose in a sense he still very much lives through the Club. My thoughts are with you. Ann
My heart weeps. We have truly lost one of the most important, loving, friendly, and positive members of our square dancing family. I learned to dance in DCLS, and it was always comforting to have Warren in my square. He was unwavering in his support of student dancers, offering always-gentle help when appropriate, often in a way such that no one else in the square knew that he was helping. He cared about helping you feel comfortable and become a better dancer, never about showing off. He even made breaking down a pleasant experience. I will also miss his ever playful calling. There was never any "dancers vs. caller" with Warren; he was always on our "side". At Convention, as I square up to dance, I will ask Warren the question he so often asked of me: "Come here often?" I am very grateful that the answer has always been "yes", and will still be "yes" in my heart. Paul Weiss
I'm so sad that we have lost Warren. I loved his smile, his laugh, his kind and gentle spirit. Warren was always so generous and giving of himself, he always said "yes" whenever we asked him to help with a workshop, class, open house or other special calling. His calling was always fun, and I loved the phrases he would use after some calls—my favorite was "Déjà vu all over again"! Warren definitely had a sense of humor! I also enjoyed listening to him talk about the fun and interesting trips he and Tom had made. I'm fortunate to have known him, I'll always remember him. My heart goes out to Tom and to Warren's family. Larry Ferri
I can't tell you how saddened I was to hear of Warren's passing. I was at First Baptist Church, "angeling" the night he was stricken. As a fairly new MS dancer, I didn't know Warren long or well. But I must say that of the all the callers I've taken classes with—or workshopped with at fly-ins—Warren was my favorite. He was just a natural-born teacher, who had a way of explaining things that made you "just get it." I was looking forward to learning Plus from him, because I knew it would be fun and easygoing, just like Warren. My sincerest condolences to Tom and Warren's family. He will be dearly missed by all whom his life touched. Charles Taylor, "Chaz"
Warren was absolutely the best, kindest person and I will miss his gentle playful laughter and unique calling. He cared so much for the club over the years. I'm so glad that he shared with us at the recent 25th anniversary celebration and that he spent his final moments doing what he did so well—teaching and sharing the joy of dancing. I'm sure he's squaring up the real "angels" and spreading the same joyful spirit that he brought to us. Farewell friend and boom chugga-lugga, girlfriend, Lorenzo T.
Just Like Downtown I learned "A" from Warren, along with several others. Whenever we managed to stumble through something intricate like "Chain Reaction" or "Motivate", he'd genially murmur "Just like downtown." Patient, kind, generous—Warren was a class act, a class act of menshlichkeit, of humanity. Downtown's never going to be the same without him. Tim Walton
Here is Ett's "Warren's Dash" and a warming sample of Warren's Humor.