Henry “Buzz” Glass—
The Birth of the Folk Dance Federation

Interview with Laila Messer

This article is the result of a series of mail, phone and email interviews, questions and responses between Laila Messer and Henry “Buzz” Glass, wife Frances and daughter, Linelle Glass. The writing is theirs, the arrangement and removal of actual questions is Laila's. We thank all concerned for this glimpse into the life of one of folk dancing’s premier people. —Editor

How did the Folk Dance Federation of California get started? Whose idea was it? Where was it started? When?

The answers to those questions have to do with Henry "Buzz" Glass and his wife, Frances. The two met when Buzz hitchhiked from San Francisco to Lodi to interview for a teaching position in the Lodi School District. Frances was the secretary to the Assistant Superintendent who was to interview Buzz. "My office was next door to his office. The wall between the two rooms did not go to the top," she explained. "I could hear everything. I just knew he'd get the job."

And he did. He was assigned to teach a 5th grade in the Needham Elementary School. His salary was $1300. The year was 1939.

Henry, the youngest of seven children, was born September 7, 1915 in San Francisco. The arranged marriage of his parents did not work well and the father left. It was not easy to survive without the safety nets available today. Life was a struggle. Hard labor was no stranger to the Glass family. All the Glass children worked hard. Nevertheless, education and reading were always prized.

He is always called Buzz. That's how he likes it. "I can't remember a time when anyone called me Henry," he said. As a kid, he was called Buster. One of his idols was Buzz Arlett, (he can't remember the spelling) who was a great hitter for the Oakland A's. "I liked the name so much I put it on my T shirt. It made a hit with the customers on my paper route." The change from Buster to Buzz was an easy slide.

As a youngster, Buzz had a lot of jobs. He boxed groceries, worked at the zoo and picked grapes. At age 19 he sailed aboard a Grace Lines ship as wiper in the engine room. The ship made a long round trip through the Panama Canal to New York City and back again.

After that he went to college, first in San Francisco State and then to UC Berkeley. He decided to become a teacher and returned to San Francisco to get his teaching credential from SF State (now SF State University).

He started folk dancing in 1937 when his older sister, Marge, invited him to go with her to a dance sponsored by the San Francisco Recreation Department. The dance was held in a portable building, the music was played on a phonograph, the records were 78s. The group was led by a lady from the Croatian community. The dances were simple group dances so all could join in without instruction. Buzz enjoyed the evening very much. He was impressed by the camaraderie, the sharing and sense of belonging.

He saw a flyer for a folk dance to be held on Columbus Avenue. Because of the warmth and sense of community he had experienced at his first folk dance, Buzz anticipated another pleasant evening. He told everyone he didn't know any dances, but they all were welcoming and encouraging. Soon after, that group became Changs International Folk Dancers. Buzz became a charter member. The club still exists! (It is now the oldest folk dance club in the United States. Song Chang, the leader of the group, did not want the use of an apostrophe after his name. LM) After the night of dancing, the dancers would go down to one of the ethnic restaurants for more folk dancing. More than anything, it was the welcome, the camaraderie, and encouragement that prompted Buzz to pursue and get involved in folk dancing. . .

Read the rest in the October issue of Let's Dance!