Tag: World War II

Can a Legend Be Forgotten? Keep Flippo’s Memory Alive
Marshall Flippo · My Books · My Thoughts · My Writing

Can a Legend Be Forgotten? Keep Flippo’s Memory Alive

Larada Horner-MillerLeave a comment
Marshall Flippo - legend

Can a legend be forgotten in five years? Can a square dance legend’s name be erased from the memory of dancers? Only if we let that happen, and I will not let it happen as long as I can sit at a computer and type!

What attributes identified this legend, Marshall Flippo to me?

A Larger Legend than Square Dancing

A young Marshall Flippo in the Navy - legend

For one thing, when we met face-to-face the first time in Tucson, Arizona on October 27, 2017, Flippo spoke of his family then immediately told me about quitting school his senior year and joining the Navy at seventeen. His Navy career spanned four years in the South Pacific. After hearing his vivid description about the end of the war and all his experiences, I realized he had given the reader in this book a sizable birds’ eye view of what happened.  

Texan Twang

Because I knew him later in life, his raspy Texan twang identified Flippo to me. When I wrote the book, I tried to capture his language for the reader because it certainly added a flair to the telling. Listening to his earlier recordings, Flippo had a clear, identifiable voice.

Sense of Humor

Often at a dance when we visited him, I enjoyed his outlandish sense of humor. In fact, when I was writing his biography, I can’t tell you how many people told me their favorite “Flippo Story,” and often it included humor.

While researching his biography, we only met face-to-face twice. I had forty hours of recorded interviews with Flippo. Often “our date” was on Tuesday at 1:00 PM. Lin, my husband, has said he knew I was talking to Flippo because of the laughter.

In fact, he wanted to start his book with a variety of different pieces. We finalized on a tribute to those who had helped him get started with his calling—and then his dirty joke a caller’s wife told him. When he shared it with me, Flippo chuckled and said, “Now you clean it up so we can add to the book.” So, I did!

This Legend Loved After Parties

If you attended any After Party at a dance festival where Flippo called, you experienced another demonstration of his sense of humor—hilarious skits! He loved to take on a persona and play it up to the max! You can see it in the following pictures:

Marshall Flippo in skits - legend
Flippo in a skit!
Flippo on a skit!

Here’s a link to a trailer of his skits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8u90uFCL4w

One of my favorite song he pantomimed was “I Don’t Look Good Naked Anymore.” How hilarious and fun!

Flippo’s Calling Expertise

Looking back over his many recordings, his amazing choreography and calling entertained thousands of dancers. When I was writing the book, I shared a chapter with my writing group one Monday. Marty, an astute writer asked, “Does Flippo do his own choreography?”

Shocked, I sat for a moment and replied, “I have no idea.” Flip (a nickname for him) and I had our weekly interview date on Tuesday, so I asked him the next day. This opened up a gigantic discussion, and he told me how he choreographed “The Auctioneer,” his premiere hit. He spoke with enthusiasm and joy! It was quite a feat—want to know how he did it? His choreography became a whole chapter, Chapter 20—Flippo’s Choreography.

Listen to a sample of The Auctioneer!

After all his involvement in CALLERLAB, he received six awards for his calling and participation in this organization he helped start!

So, have you forgotten him? Has this legend died in your area? Your square dance club?

Released the book in 2020—the Pandemic Hit

Just Another Square Dance Caller - legend

Before the pandemic, I had lots of pre-orders for the book, Just Another Square Dance Caller: Authorized Biography of Marshall Flippo, but square dancing stopped in 2020. Festivals were canceled—places I planned on selling his book—Indio, California. CALLERLAB convention canceled

In 2021, specifically, I thought our festival in Albuquerque, Hot August Nights, was a go, so I loaded up on both formats—hardbacks and paperbacks. BUT IT WAS CANCELED! So, I ended up with surplus inventory!

A Legend Forgotten – 2023

In 2023, I went to the CALLERLAB convention in Reno, Nevada to sell his biography. I can’t tell you how many younger callers when asked if they knew Flippo, said, “No, who was he?”

Because Darryl Lipscomb helped at a booth next to mine, he retold a sad conversation with Flippo after he retired. Flippo told Darryl that once he retired, dancers and callers would forget him in a short time, three or four years. He retired in 2016. By 2023, it had happened. Therefore, I sold very few books there, so disappointing!

A Legend Still Forgotten – 2024

Being the eternal optimist, I returned to the CALLERLAB convention in Dallas, Texas the next year. Okay, Texas was Flippo’s home state, so come on—wouldn’t he still be known. Yes, more people knew him there, but still a vast majority had no interest in him, his book or the history this book chronicles.

What About 2024 and 2025?

Sadly, I have put out several major sales on his book over the last two years, and the response has been stunning—no sales! Some people buy his book on Amazon, but I’m talking about the copies I have.

So, here I am continuing to honor Flippo. When we started this project, he had one major request, “Don’t make me a hero!” This humble stance is exactly who he was! He never saw his position in the square dance world of mentoring many of our fine callers today. When the CALLERLAB began, Flippo was one of the original eleven, and he repeatedly supported the organization his whole career. Also, he began calling in the heyday of square dancing and continued into his late 80s, moving from live music, to recorded music to using a computer! So, this biography stands as a history book, too.

Finally,

If you haven’t bought a hardback or paperback copy of his biography, now is the time. If you already have a copy, how about buying one for a friend. I have a special offer going on right now—

Got a Friend Who’d Love Marshall Flippo’s Story?

If you already know how captivating Just Another Square Dance Caller is, here’s your chance to share that experience! I have a limited surplus of Marshall Flippo’s authorized biography, and I’m offering the first 10 buyers an exclusive deal:

✓ 25% OFF both hardback and paperback editions

✓ FREE SWAG included with your order

✓ Perfect gift for square dance enthusiasts, music lovers, or anyone who appreciates American folk traditions

Whether it’s for a dance partner, family member, or friend who’d appreciate Marshall’s incredible journey, this is your opportunity to spread the story at a significant discount.

Limited to first 10 orders only. Easy payment through PayPal or Square.

Ready to share Marshall’s legacy? [Order now at laradasbooks.com or contact me at larada@laradasbooks.com before these discounted copies are gone!

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Flippo Wanted a Hardback Version!
Marshall Flippo · My Thoughts · Self-publishing · square dance

Flippo Wanted a Hardback Version!

Larada Horner-MillerLeave a comment
Just Another Square Dance Caller: Authorized Biography of Marshall Flippo hardback cover
Hardback cover

Yes, hardback copies! When I was writing Marshall Flippo’s biography, he emphatically wanted a hardback version, so this is how I did it and the state of my supply now of hardbacks!

I had previously published my four books as paperbacks and e-books with kdp.com, an affiliate of Amazon. Originally it was called createspace.com. So far, I have been happy with their copies and production. Before changing to kdp.com, they provided some marketing and editing services I used and liked. They no longer do that.

When Flippo said “I want a hardback version,” I didn’t panic because I had already researched this possibility. IngramSpark.com, another self-publishing site, did hardback copies, so I published Flippo’s biography as a hardback, paperback and e-book with them.

Also, I published a paperback and e-book on kdp.com. That may sound crazy, but look at the price below—it costs me nothing to do it. Both companies offered different market focuses, as seen below. Also, I love having it on Amazon immediately, so I published with kdp.com first, then with IngramSpark.com.

Here’s the difference between kdp.com and IngramSpark.com:

 KDP (Amazon)IngramSpark
FeesFree upload; free changes$49 upload fee; additional charge for change
Available FormatsPaperback and e-bookPaperback, hardcover, and e-book
ReturnsNo returnsCan make books returnable
DistributionsBetter for Amazon and online saleBetter for bookstores and libraries
Proof and Author CopiesProof copies only before pubAuthor copies available before pub

https://www.bluepenbooks.com/2022/08/ingramspark-vskdp#Quick_Comparison_of_IngramSpark_vs_KDP

Since this table was creating, Amazon does print a hardback version, but it was after I released Flippo’s biography.

When my first shipment of the hardback version arrived in May 2020, I had a disaster—IngramSpark messed up the covers! They had not centered Flippo’s iconic picture on the front; therefore, everything else on the front and back was off. I chatted with IngramSpark, and they sent me new covers in twenty-four hours. But, I had to fold each cover for each book.

Then I realized it was the way they were folded. I still have to refold or replace the covers for most of them because they haven’t gotten it right!

Yes, I fulfilled Flippo’s request, and he died before I published the book, which broke my heart. He so wanted to read this book about his life and see how I organized it, and I wanted to see the look on his face when he saw the cover and opened it to read about his life. I have a hard copy on my shelf for him I can see daily.

So, the sad part for me is I self-published Flippo’s biography in May 2020 after the pandemic hit. At that point, we did not know how long it would last. The sales had boomed until then because I hadn’t taken pre-orders, but because all the major dance events stopped for a couple years, the tidal wave of enthusiasm has waned for all versions.

A couple years ago when the pandemic seemed to subside, I thought we would host our annual Hot August Night’s dance, so being the optimistic person I am, I bought more copies to sell to those enthusiastic readers I envisioned clamoring for this outstanding book. We canceled the event because fear of COVID still ran high among the dancers because of the proximity of our activity. And I still had all those books.

As a result, I have a storage shed with shelves of over a hundred paperbacks and almost a hundred hardbacks. I thought callers and dance enthusiasts would want a hardback copy to place on their bookshelf along with other great square dance history books because it’s about more than Flippo’s life—it’s the history of square dancing from the mid-1950s to when he completely retired on New Year’s Eve, 2017. He saw so many changes through those years and realized the impact!

This weekend I sold my books at a square dance festival in Albuquerque, NM, where I live, and the attendees were mostly older dancers. Again, I thought I would sell a stack of books—I sold two paperbacks. This makes little sense to me. Yes, I wrote it, but it’s about the most famous square dance caller in the world!

Finally,

This is a brilliant book with lots of marvellous stories about square dancing and Flippo’s life.

Marshall Flippo's Navy picture

Did you know he enlisted in the Navy at seventeen years of age?

Nudist Colony - Hardbback cover

Have you read about him calling at a nudist colony? Yes, these stories and more are in this book.

Have you bought your copy yet? If not, why not? Go to my website, https://laradasbooks.com and buy from me directly so I can reclaim shelves in my storage shed, but more so than anything, to get Flippo’s biography and amazing life out in the world.

News, News, News!

All available at my website: laradasbooks.com or Amazon.com

~For me, it’s Christmas all year long! Here’s a variety of Christmas greetings from Flippo & Neeca, featuring his song, “When It’s Christmas Time in Texas”: https://youtu.be/mpJCUGffU3A

Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? meme
Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy a chapter!

~My new book, Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? WON the 2022 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards in the Body, Mind & Spirit Category. Have you bought your copy yet? Vist my website: laradasbooks.com or at Amazon.

Just Another Square Dance Caller: Authorized Biography of Marshall Flippo meme
Baby, it’s cold outside! Read about Flippo inside where it’s warm!

~Have you bought a copy of Flippo’s biography yet? Believe it or not—it’s been three years. Go here for your hardback or paperback: https://www.laradasbooks.com or at Amazon.

Are You a History Buff?
Marshall Flippo · My Books · My Thoughts · square dance

Are You a History Buff?

Larada Horner-Miller3 Comments
Collage - history pictures

History fascinates me—I love to read about what has happened in the past with well-known characters and events. When I wrote Marshall Flippo’s biography, Just Another Square Dance Caller: Authorized Biography of Marshall Flippo, I knew without a doubt; it stands as a history book of square dancing and so much more.

When I first interviewed Flippo, I heard stories about his growing up in west Texas in Abilene. He enjoyed his teachers and his education and had a favorite story about ink wells and the ink used in them. Family meant the world to Flippo.

World War II

Marshall Flippo in the Navy. History
Marshall Flippo in the Navy

Laced into those first few interviews, Flippo identified his patriotism with World War II raging in the background of his teen years. His older sister, Helen June, had already enlisted, so it seem natural for him to join up, but he was only seventeen years old. That felt so young as he described the process.

When I referenced his enlisting in the navy, I had a major misunderstanding about that event. Originally, I thought he said they had faked his enlistment papers, but he vehemently corrected me. His dad had to sign for him; patriotism ran strong in the whole family.

So, World War II became a significant topic in his biography, with him spending four years in the navy. He spent two years at the end of the war, going to Japan twice. He described being onboard ship, observing Iwo Jima as an eyewitness.

When Flippo described his last two years in the navy, I laughed out loud in amazement. No one could have guessed what he did those last two years. He enjoyed a dream post—playing baseball for the navy overseas and then in San Diego, California.

Square Dance Caller Career

After the service, Flippo returned to Abilene, Texas, married Neeca and embarked on a career that would change his life forever—square dance calling. He stood as a bridge in the history of square dance calling between an influencer like Dr. Lloyd “Pappy” Shaw, the person credited for the square dance explosion in the late 30s and 40s, and all those who followed him. Flip never met or trained under Lloyd Shaw, but Bob Osgood and Betty Casey did and, in mentoring Flippo, Shaw’s influence carried over to him through those two people. Learned more about Lloyd Shaw at https://squaredancehistory.org/exhibits/show/lloyd-shaw

With his career spanning sixty years, he followed those influencers and became a mentor to many callers over the years, carrying on Shaw’s legacy. As one of the original eleven founding fathers, Flippo helped start CALLERLAB, the international organization for callers that changed the direction of square dancing in the 70s. He continued attending this annual convention throughout his career, going to his last one in 2018 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where I spent 4-5 hours with him, interviewing him for his biography.

In organizing this book, Flippo immediately let me know he wanted to tell stories about callers and cuers who influenced him. He so much wanted to honor those who were deceased; we created a tribute to them at the beginning of the book. Then the book ends with stories he told about other callers and cuers. I added stories callers wanted to tell on Flippo. Flippo’s humility prevailed throughout the book, and I had to ruin him in, reminding him this book was supposed to be about him!

Sadly, Flippo died in 2018 before we finished what he wanted to share. When he passed away, I had 258,000 words to transcribe from his interviews—so much information. Flippo totally involved himself in the production of his biography. Before he passed, Flip commented about the thickness of Bob Osgood’s biography, As I See It. We saw it at CALLERLAB in Albuquerque. He demanded his biography not be that thick, so I found the word count of Bob’s biography and made sure Flippo’s was less!

However, yes, this book is thick, but the following features liven it up.

Added features to this book—

  • Footnotes explaining square dance terminology—interactive in the e-book formats
  • Period pictures of Flippo, callers, cuers and dancers from Neeca’s three scrapbook/photo albums
  • Pictures from a war book about his time on the USS Lander Flippo referenced often
  • An Index at the end of the book, simply because of my commitment for it to be a history book. I wanted readers easily to cross-reference any topic identified in the book.
  • Appendices
    • Appendix A–Chronology of Marshall Flippo’s Life
    • Appendix B–Itinerary of USS Lander (one of the destroyer tenders Flippo was assigned to)
    • Appendix C–More Burma-Shave Jingles
    • Appendix D–International Tours
    • Appendix E–Chek-A-Kaller Legend
    • Appendix F–Flippo’s Recordings & Reviews
    • Appendix G–List of Callers who Attended Flippo’s Last Night, December 31, 2017
    • Appendix H–Festus Article & Letter
    • Appendix I–Glossary of Square Dance & Round Dance Terms
    • Appendix J–Additional References: books, URLs, Marshall Flippo Song Bytes, News & Websites
  • Additional resources on my website for those who buy the book in the “Members Only” section

Finally,

If you’re a square dancer, this book has so much information for you about the activity we love and the inside story of Flippo’s life. If you’re not a square dancer, the historical aspect might capture your heart about a time in our history rich with stories and people of a time gone by.

Do you like history? Do you like stories about World War II? About life in the 20s in Texas? Let me know what you think in the Comments section.

Favorite child - Happy Father's Day

~Need a Father’s Day gift for your dad or granddad? How about a bundle of my books about ranch life? Go to my Etsy Shop, Larada’s Reading Loft, for 25% discounts on three bundles!

~MY FIRST AUDIOBOOK IS AVAILABLE: Go to Audible to buy my first audiobook, Let Me Tell You a Story. I’m working on Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? but have gotten stalled with shingles.

~Do you listen to podcasts? Here are three podcasts with interviews about my new book & some Flippo stories:

Just Another Square Dance Caller: Authorized Biography of Marshall Flippo Meme

~Have you bought a copy of Flippo’s biography yet? Believe it or not—it’s been two years. Go here for your hardback or paperback: https://www.laradasbooks.com or at Amazon.

~For me, it’s Christmas all year long! Here’s a variety of Christmas greetings from Flippo & Neeca, featuring his song, “When It’s Christmas Time in Texas”: https://youtu.be/mpJCUGffU3A

Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? meme

~What happened to you in 2020-2021 during the coronavirus pandemic? Do you care? Are you on a spiritual path? Do you want to heal from the horrible effects of the pandemic of 2020? Visit my website to find out about my new book, Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? and my other five books and three cookbooks: https://laradasbooks.com

My Fifth Book: Flippo’s Veteran Story & More!
Marshall Flippo · My Books · My Thoughts · Patriotism · square dance

My Fifth Book: Flippo’s Veteran Story & More!

Larada Horner-Miller2 Comments
A young Marshall Flippo, the Sailor - fith book
Young Marshall Flippo, the Sailor

My fifth book was a book project that fell into my lap! How à propos—today being Veteran’s Day, and writing about Marshall Flippo’s biography who served in World War II.

How My Fifth Book Started

Marshall Flippo, an icon in the square dance world, was nearing ninety years old. In March 2017, a group of square dancers were sitting around after a dance weekend and Flippo’s name and age came up. One enthusiastic fan said, “Someone should write his biography.”

My husband, Lin, looked at me and said, “You’re the writer in the group. What do you think?” Nothing more was said, but the thought tumbled around in my mind. We prayerfully considered the possibility, and I decided to run it by Flippo.

In April, I called Flippo and proposed the project to him, and his swift response showed his quick wit. “Larada, no one would want to buy a book about me. But I do have a book you should write: a collection of stories of all the thangs that happen to traveling callers over the years. Wait a minute—that would be R-rated.” Another Flippoism!

At that point, he gave me no definite answer.

At the New Mexico Square Dance Festival, in May in Albuquerque, Marshall fulfilled his last calling contract in New Mexico because he was retiring. Early Friday night, while a group stood around him before the dance, Flippo brought up the topic.

“Larada wants to write a book about me.”

He continued with a humble air, “Who would want to buy that book?”

“I would,” said a longtime friend and caller, Greg Tillery.

“Me, too,” replied Jim Martel, another local caller.

“Put me on the list—I want a copy!” Ted Clements, a caller from southern New Mexico, chimed in. The chorus continued and everyone standing there raised their hands. Flippo turned to me and said, “Come over to my hotel room about 1:30 a.m. and we’ll talk about it.” The group laughed at his flirtatious nature, but he agreed to do it that weekend.

Later that year, I planned a trip to Tucson, Arizona, in October for the Women Writing the West conference. Lin and I met Flippo at the Texas Roadhouse there for dinner on Friday, October 27, 2017, to start our research. We planned to meet on Wednesday, October 25, but the Houston Astros were playing the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. Flippo, an avid fan, wanted to watch the game, so we changed nights.

When we met, he immediately started with a saucy story. “Mama said, ‘If you play with it, it will fall off.’ Ninety years later, it still hasn’t.” I had to grab my notepad and start taking notes.

The waitress hadn’t taken our orders, and Lin started the questions. Flip immediately jumped into relaying his life with the exact addresses of the multiple homes he lived in Abilene, Texas, as a child. In fact, he had trouble with only one address. I still wonder why he forgot that specific address. But he had also picked a restaurant that had TVs 360 degrees around us, and he watched the World Series out of the corner of his eye.

After dinner, we moved from the restaurant to his home to finish the first interview. We muted the TV, and he watched the game over my head as he talked. One minute he’d be sharing his life stories, the next he’d catch me off guard with a comment on a batter, “Knock the hell out of it.” He amazed me how he could be telling a Navy story about a destroyer tender he was on, then comment on what a player on TV should have done. We took brief breaks when the game took its twists and turns. During one break, he lamented, “I can’t get my mind going again.” Lin and I both assured him that his memory was exceptional.

Within that short evening, he covered many of the major topics of his life: his childhood and family, his Navy experiences during World War II and afterwards, and he ended the night with how he met Neeca, his first wife. With the flair of a master storyteller, Flippo gestured his hands like when an umpire signals the runner is safe and said, “Let’s leave it.” We watched the rest of the baseball game together.

He sent me home with seven photo albums busting at the seams with memorabilia, precious stories, and the assurance that we had embarked on an adventure.

During the next year, we spent many hours together talking over the phone, and we had one more face-to-face opportunity to compile this document. As you can imagine, it was a delightful, fun adventure.

Flippo’s Naval Career

Flippo referenced his naval service several times during our interviews. As a patriotic seventeen-year-old lad from west Texas, his life changed forever the moment he volunteered. Because the war ended soon after he enlisted, his service time took a unique twist—he played baseball for DesPac. Destroyers of the Pacific baseball team took two guys off of all the destroyers who had baseball teams and formed a team. This tells me he was an exceptional baseball player.

So, you can see where his interest in the World Series came that night we talked in Tucson.

Flippo led a large life, calling square dances all over the United States and the world. I Said “Yes!” to the project of a lifetime I will never forget. Grab the book—hardback, paperback and/or one of the popular e-book formats—to see the full extent of his amazing life.

Just Another Square Dance Caller: Authorized Biography of Marshall Flippo - fifth book

How about writing a biography, autobiography or memoir? What family stories need to be told? Leave your comments below. I’d be interested in your thoughts!

Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? fifth book

Visit my website to find out about my new book, Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? and my other five books and three cookbooks: https://laradasbooks.com