It is with great sadness that we advise the passing of one of our longest serving Ballet & Theatre Examiners, Miss Betty Stewart. She died peacefully in a Nursing Home on Wednesday 8th February, 2012.
Miss Amanda Letarte, Miss Margaret Gilbride, Miss Betty Stewart, Miss Desta Laiolo and Miss Helen Harris at the SDTA Dinner Dance in September 2009
A Tribute to Miss Betty Stewart
By Miss Desta Laiolo
Betty was my best friend although, she would always remind me I was her first best friend after Bette Clark. The three of us used to laugh about this often, such happy memories.
Betty trained at the Lillian McNeill School of Dancing (Clairmont Gardens,Charing Cross) and she gained great success in all dance disciplines. Her other dear friend, with whom she trained with at Miss McNeill’s, was Nancy Moore. In the early days, Nancy and Betty would always be seen laughing and chatting together.
At an early age she opened her own Dance School in Clydebank, training her pupils to an extremely high standard. Betty particularly loved her boys that she trained – John Carlyle, Ian McLeod and the Todd brothers, to name a few – who were all very close to her heart. She had such a way with them, strict but always fair in passing on her love of dance to them.
Everyone who knew Betty had a great respect for her knowledge and she was never selfish in sharing this knowledge with other Professionals, when asked. She was an ardent supporter of the Scottish and theRoyalAcademy. She was also one of the longest serving SDTA Ballet & Theatre Examiners and again her judgement was always highly respected.
Betty gave many years of her life to the Minerva and Pantheon Club, a great choreographer and producer of those wonderful shows.
In a final tribute to Betty and to the people who loved her, I must pass on a funny story from when Joe McGowan was President of theAllianceand Betty was Vice President. At the AGM, Joe asked me where his ‘little Vice’ was as he missed her cheerful smile and witty humour.
What a legacy Betty, you will be missed.
