KILGOROUND
LINDA BALLARD

"Not everybody who dances is cut out to be a teacher. You have to find joy in them learning from you," she said. And last week, Theresa Burkett finalized her forty-second dance recital, representing 42 years of teaching in Kilgore.

Theresa Burkett loves being known as the hometown girl; something her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Ellis instilled in her at an early age. Her father worked for the Kilgore News Herald after the war and he learned the love of the community and its people and watched it grow through his pencil and notebook. Later, he moved on to other career choices and retired after 35 years with Gulf Oil Distributors.

Theresa was one of the last of the babies born in the old hospital. "Since it closed shortly after my birth around 1950, it tells you how old I am," she teased although the lilt in her voice makes her far

younger than her physical age.

"My sister, Chris and I took dance lessons after school and we loved it," she said. We would go early and watch the dance instructors and after a while we became the "demonstrators" or those who helped the new students learn the techniques.

"One year our dance instructor had to quit midterm. The mothers started calling our mom and asked if we would continue giving their girls lessons. All it took was for mother to ask us and we said "sure!" So, around the age of 13 and 14, we began to give lessons out of our own studio. We didn't start counting it as teaching until the age of 16," she laughed. "Chris and I were delighted.

"Chris became a twirler and was the drum majorette in junior high, senior high and college. She was good at it. I stayed with dancing as I knew after we started teaching that was it for me," said Theresa. "Although I graduated from Kilgore High School and Kilgore College, I had no need to go father, I had what I needed."

Theresa met her husband, Keith Burkett while in high school. He played in the high school band. "I married my high school sweetheart and it's been good ever since," she said. "He and my father became my critics. It's nice to know somebody loves you enough to be truthful. And after all of these years, Keith has learned to love the dance himself - I even taught him how to waltz.

Theresa's parents have never missed a dance recital. Joe is now 90 years old. "Last year, after my recital, dad fractured his hip. He has been in and out of the hospital and rehabilitation to where I wasn't sure about this year," said Theresa. "But, when I asked him about attending last week, he said, 'Where else would I be?' It was so good to see him there and to be able to go to him for that critique."

The couple has one daughter, Monica, who is married to Chris Hachtel. They have one son, Jacob, who happened to have been chosen in the 2008 "Cutest Baby Contest." Monica followed in her mother's footsteps as she teaches dance for the Henderson Drill team and at Henderson High School.Chris, too, is totally involved in the community as one of the directors at Rader Funeral Home.

As for Theresa, what does the future hold? "I love being the hometown girl; I love my town and I love my family and I never want to give up the dancing. When I was thirty, I thought I was getting too old (to teach) and when I was forty, I thought I was getting too old, and now - now, I have helpers of my own. And as long as people keep climbing those stairs to learn to dance, I will be there. It keeps you young in spirit" she said.

Theresa Burkett, owner of Tap 'N' Toe Dance Studio, forty two years in the making.

Celebrating a birthday today is Mrs. Don Peters, Marle Sims, Mary Lloyd, Kelly Kimbrell, James Parish Jr., Evelyn Williams, Joshua Sullivan, Ross Brown, Rocco DeSantis, Sandra Waites, Jaime Veloz Jr., Treylon Stephenson.

Celebrating another year together today are Mr. and Mrs. Mike Killingsworth, Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Blackman, Richard and Mildred Patterson, Cary and Angie Handley, Ramie and Marilyn Bowman, Gary and Jeane Linthicum, Robbi and Joseph Heard.