Living here in Warren County, we our fortunate to be between the two larger cities of Dayton and Cincinnati. This allows us to not only share in both of these city's accomplishments but in their residents. The people who helped shape our country and our world. And believe it or not, one way of learning about these people can often be found in one of the historical cemeteries located in southwest Ohio.
Dayton, Ohio's Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum, which is one of the oldest garden cemeteries in the United States, is filled with history. And, this being the month of April, the WarrenCountyPost.com has been given the privilege to publish a piece from Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum about Jeraldyn Blunden.
In 1948, Jeraldyne Blunden’s mother was raising two daughters who were itching to dance.
“Back in those days it was hard,” said Jeraldyne’s sister, Carol Ann. “The only dance studios were white. And everybody [the studios] said the typical: ‘There’s no room, our classes are closed.’”
Undeterred, a group of Dayton mothers went to see the Schwarz sisters. Founders of the second oldest ballet company in the United States, the sisters had operated a studio in Dayton for several decades.
“Miss Jo [Schwarz] told them, ‘We’d love to teach your children. But I’m sorry to say they can’t come to our school. If they do, we’ll lose business. We can’t afford to lose business. You find the place, and we’ll come there.’”
The Schwarz sisters saw that Jeraldyne had the talent and dedication to become a professional dancer. They encouraged the young Jeraldyne and helped to secure scholarships for her to attend summer programs hosted by the American Dance Festival in Connecticut. Jeraldyne's experiences outside of Dayton helped to shape her vision and dreams for the future.
While still a high school student, the Schwarz sisters asked Jeraldyne to assume the role of director of the Linden Center dance classes. With Jeraldyne at the helm, the student population grew too large for the Linden Center space, so the classes relocated to the basement of St. Margaret's church.
In 1968, Jeraldyne Blunden founded the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC), so that her students would have more opportunities to perform. Although Jeraldyne knew the obstacles of being a second dance company in a city as small as Dayton, she tenaciously pursued her dream.
“She planted her feet here, the roots here, and she saw no reason why a company of this caliber could not exist in [Dayton],” Debbie Blunden-Diggs, Jeraldyne’s daughter says.
Jeraldyne Blunden died on November 22, 1999 at the age of 58. Jennifer Dunning from the New York Times described Blunden's legacy as a beloved leader in the dance world, stating, "That no-nonsense approach to life was mixed with steely determination, a great personal warmth and humor and an unsentimental humanity that made her a much-loved figure on the national dance scene."
Her legacy is still carried on today by her daughter Debbie Blunden-Diggs and granddaughters Alexis and Lyndsey Diggs.
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