Helen was my idol when I started watching the Buddy Deane show with my sister in 1958. I was 10 years old and I just adored this dancer with the neatest DA haircuts. Her hair color and styles changed very often, of which I later found out that her Dad was a major hairstylist in Baltimore.
Helen, in my opinion was one of the best dancers ever, on the Buddy Deane Show. She was sort of a rebel with her hair but was one of the kindest people that I had ever met. When I met her in 1984, I remember telling her how she was my idol and she was so embarrassed and very humble.
She ran into Joe Swift at one of our dance reunions and they started dating, then married soon after. To many of us, just to see her so happy again was a great feeling. She and Joe left Baltimore to retire in Rhode Island and sadly left us in 2007.
Helen's daughter Heather posted a beautiful tribute to Helen on You tube. Please click on Helen's name below to view the video.
Helen Swift
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Addition to Frani's post about Helen: Helen and I became best friends when we got on the Buddy Deane Show at the age of 12 (please don't do the math -- suffice to say that was a LONG time ago! - and yes, being on the show was so important, we lied about our age, as did others.)
ReplyDeleteI ran into Joe Swift in 1988 when I went to his restaurant, Captain Red's, in South Baltimore. Thinking he and Helen would be a great match, I played Cupid. It only took one meeting for them to hit it off, and they enjoyed almost twenty happy years, until Helen's sudden passing. Joe still lives in Rhode Island and manages a large memorial park.