Linda Ingalls
1954-2025
Written by Rick Archer
August 2025
Linda
Ingalls is the lovely young lady in the leotard. As one
can see, Linda was very beautiful.
Linda
was a student at SSQQ during the Eighties.
She
was also my long-time friend. For that reason, I am very sorry
to report her recent death.
On July
16, 2025, Linda died alongside her husband Stephen in a
tragic head-on collision. The accident took place on a
highway in Wyoming.
I will
share the details of the accident at the end of my story, but first a look
back at Linda and her importance to my former dance studio,
SSQQ.
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Rick Archer's
Note:
Linda
Ingalls became my friend during the second stage of my dance career.
This took place in the early Eighties.
My dance career began
in 1978 with Saturday Night
Fever. I worked at a place called 'Stevens
of Hollywood'. The Disco Era lasted
two years.
Urban Cowboy was responsible
for creating the studio's Western Era at the start of 1980.
In September 1980, I moved my dance program to a jazz/ballet studio named 'Dance Arts'.
It was located
on Bissonnet Street in Bellaire.
Dance
Arts had plenty of unused space, so we quickly made
ourselves at home. We were fortunate to
discover a giant honky-tonk called the 'Winchester Club'
just a mile down the street. The Winchester was
where we would often go dancing after class to practice. The combination of
Dance Arts and the Winchester Club catapulted my dance
program into a huge growth spurt. Two
exciting things happened. My studio got its name,
SSQQ, short for slow slow quick quick, the rhythm of
the Texas Twostep. And during this time SSQQ became the biggest Western
program in the city.
Linda
Ingalls was a big part of this exciting time.
Some students take a few months of classes and move on.
However, Linda was hooked on dancing. Like many of the
friends she met in dance class, Linda wrapped her
social life around the studio and after-class dance activities. Wherever the gang went, Linda went too. She
danced the Twostep at the Winchester Club. She loved
our annual Halloween and Sock Hop parties.
Linda went skiing with us. Another time she
joined our big summer trip to the Bahamas. During the
times when
she was not taking classes, Linda made sure to periodically drop by for
one of our monthly parties. Linda was SSQQ true blue,
a 'Lifer' so to speak.
There
is a very interesting story behind Linda's picture with Juan
Meza and Bill Stumph. As we liked to say at SSQQ, 'Slow
Dance leads to Romance'. For example, Juan met his
future wife Julia Olkin at the studio. Bill Stumph met
his future wife Diane Huber at the studio as well.
As for
Linda, I knew little about her personal life. I think she dated Bill, but whether she did or didn't
is unimportant to our story. Bill Stumph and his best friend Jim Garrison were the SSQQ Waltz Kings. Jim and Bill were
the first men during the Western Era to recognize the
amazing 'Power of the Waltz' as a potent way to enchant
women.
Guess
which lady LOVED TO WALTZ? Yes, you are correct.
Linda Ingalls. There is something else you need to know
about her. Linda was very outspoken. If there
was something Linda was unhappy about, she would invariably
head straight to me and tell me to do something about it.
And that brings us to our story.
One night in May 1983 Linda complained that not enough men
at SSQQ knew how to Waltz. In Linda's words, "Rick,
you need to do
something about it."
And so I
did. I announced that our June 1983 studio dance party
would feature six Waltzes. In addition, we would
conduct a Waltz Workshop before the party to train a new
generation of male Waltz dancers to keep Linda happy.
Unfortunately, the Crash Course was a major flop. Only
three men and nine women signed up. Although I did not teach
the class, I was very sorry to see
it poorly attended.
Afterwards, Linda was mad at me. "Rick, why didn't you
teach the class? If you had taught, I bet we would
have had more students."
"But,
Linda, you know that I don't know how to Waltz. I look
terrible when I Waltz and I don't want to embarrass myself in front of my
students. Looking good on the dance floor is how I make a living, so I prefer to
avoid ridicule at all costs."
Linda
wasn't buying it. She didn't believe a word I said, so she gave me a dirty look. Just
then I was interrupted by another student, so that's where we left it.
The time had come to start the party and that is where our story begins.
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THE STORY OF THE JUNE 1983 SSQQ WALTZ
PARTY
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Rick Archer's Note:
The
following tale is an except from my book 'The
Mystery of the Texas Twostep'
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At 9 pm it was
time for the Waltz dance party to begin. I was DJ for
the three hour event. That gave us time for 40-45
songs. Ordinarily at the Winchester Club,
two, maybe three Waltzes would be played per night. I
promised to play six. The rest of the music was
Country-Western, Swing, and Whip (a version of West Coast
Swing).
Jim and Bill were
in rare form tonight. As well they should be. As
the studio's reigning Waltz Kings, this was their night to
shine. To my surprise, they both showed
up in tuxedos. These guys were serious! In
addition, they informed me early in the evening they expected me
to stick to my promise to play six Waltzes tonight. I
told them not to worry. Even though the Waltz Crash
Course had bombed, they would get their music.
Here at the Dance Arts studio party, Bill and Jim used
their status to persuade one woman after another to join
them for one of
the six Waltzes. Like spinach to Popeye,
the Waltz was their secret weapon. Any time I noticed Jim or
Bill talking animatedly to some lady, I knew what was coming
next. Sure enough, once Bill or Jim felt he had made progress with some lady, he would promptly come over
ask me to play the next Waltz. Good grief, these guys
were ruthless. They knew full well the promise of a Waltz
rendered
women susceptible to their charms.
I spent the
night watching eager women buzz around the Waltz Kings.
Bill and Jim had their choice of countless ladies. But here was the
strange part. There
were about thirty other men who refused to Waltz. They loved
to Twostep and Polka, they would dance East Coast
Swing and Whip, but they insisted on skipping the Waltz. What was wrong with these guys? I
assumed they
were smart enough to realize the Magic of the Waltz would
give them the same magnetism as our lady
killers, but I was wrong. For some
reason, they just didn't get it. When a Waltz was
played, all 30 men would sit down on the folding chairs.
For the entire song they would stare glumly as the Waltz Kings
treated their helpless Waltz admirers like a personal harem.
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I refused to
dance the Waltz. Why? Because I needed this time
as my only chance to get some rest. During a three
hour party, I danced practically every Twostep, Polka, and
Swing. Consequently whenever I played a Waltz, I would
go hide in the DJ booth. Once I was sure the coast was
clear, I would peek out from my DJ booth to watch Jim and Bill in action.
Both men winked at me
as they sailed past. Since I was the DJ, they needed
to stay on my good side. After all, I was enhancing their love life
with my music. I had mixed feelings about their
prowess. Watching their victims swoon
in their arms, should I warn the women? No. These
women
were old enough to know the narcotic danger of Waltz.
Nor was it illegal to Waltz. But it
should have been! These guys had
way too much power and way too little conscience. On
the other hand, I admired their initiative. They had
gone out of their way to develop their Waltz strategy and
look how it paid off.
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For our sixth and
final Waltz, I announced I was about to play one of favorites, The Last Waltz
(... the last Waltz will last Forever...).
Immediately Bill and Jim were besieged by devotees.
After making their choices, Bill and Jim began to parade in triumph around the floor with
their happy
partner laughing giddily. The flowing
movements and beautiful music made the ladies feel like they
were
floating on air. Based on their dreamy looks, I
assumed the ladies had a soft spot for any man who could make them feel this good.
Jim and Bill
understood the power of the Waltz, so why did it remain a secret
to the other men?
Anyone with eyes could see these women were going gaga over two
skinny computer
nerds
who ordinarily would not rate a second glance. I
could not help but laugh. If anyone ever doubted
the power of dance as a premier skill for attracting
women, one need look no further than the proud and preening Waltz Kings.
Can you spell 'M-O-N-O-P-O-L-Y'? The problem was that Jim and Bill were practically the only
men on the floor who knew what they were doing.
Seriously, there were only four couples on the floor while
30 men and 30 to 40 women watched in frustration.
Twiddling their thumbs, the sitters watched the Waltz Supermen
dominate.
Were these men blind?
How could these doofusses not see that Jim and Bill were cleaning
up? I knew what
they were thinking.
"Who are those guys?
What is their secret? What do they have that I don't?"
The answer, of
course, is that both Jim and Bill had gained infinite
confidence with women thanks to being constantly in demand.
So what was stopping these men from joining them? When
I got a chance, I asked Linda that exact question. I
was stunned by her answer.
Linda claimed
the problem was the prevailing myth that any man who loved
to Waltz was gay. Waltz was not 'manly enough'
for our tough guys, so the manly thing to do was sit out
each song and drink beer. Unbelievable. What a bunch of nonsense.
Based on observation, I could tell that neither Bill nor Jim
was gay. So what kept these fake cowboys from seeing
the obvious? Crazy as it sounds, Bill and Jim had
every woman in the room to themselves thanks to the gay
rumor. Cynic that I am, I bet they started the rumor.
I wouldn't put it past them.
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The Waltz party did
not have a happy ending. There's an old saying, "do not
bite the hand that feeds you." Bill got me in
trouble. We had an hour left and I had already played the
promised
six Waltzes. Hearing loud voices, I came out of
the windowless DJ booth to see three women arguing
adamantly with Bill over who got the next Waltz.
One of them was Linda Ingalls. Big mistake, I should have stayed hidden. Bill was
standing there with a mixture of horror and glee as
the three women fought over
him. That's when Bill turned and pointed to me.
"If you girls are
that upset, why don't you go ask Rick to play another Waltz?"
Darn it!
Bill knew the rules. Six Waltzes were the limit.
I was angry that Bill had involved me in his supply and
demand problem. Handle it yourself, buddy, don't involve me.
But it was too late. Bill smartly asked one woman to dance a Twostep.
Another left in search of someone else. Linda stayed
to argue. Oh great. How did I ever get so lucky?
"Come on,
Rick, play another Waltz so I can dance with Bill!"
"Hold your
horses, Linda, I have played all six Waltzes. We are
done.
Enough is enough."
"So what?"
Linda replied. "Play another one!"
"Here is my
objection. Every time I play a Waltz, three or four
men dance while thirty men sit on their hands. Same
goes for the women. Four women dance while 35 sit
because they have no men to dance with. These Waltzes
are ruining my party. Whenever I play a Waltz, the
floor is almost completely empty for several minutes.
The energy goes out of the party and people leave.
However, since you are the reason we had this party in the
first place, I'll make you a deal. I promise to play an extra waltz at the end of
the party."
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Linda shook her
head. "Forget it, mister, that won't work! I don't
want to wait that long! What if Bill leaves early?
Play it now!"
Linda's
aggressive attitude
really got under my skin. She could have cared less
about tying up the floor just so she could have her little
joyride with Mr. Bill. As for me, I was sick and tired of watching an empty
floor for four minutes
while two men attempted to bolster their love life. So I stuck to my
guns.
"Linda,
knock it off. I just played the sixth Waltz.
Enough is enough, so you will have to wait."
"But, Rick,
the party's almost over and people are leaving. I haven't gotten
the chance to dance a single Waltz
with Bill! You need to play a Waltz NOW so I can go ask him."
This went on and
on. As long as I had known Linda, I had yet to win an
argument. Tonight was no exception. The woman
was relentless. I finally gave in just to preserve my
sanity. At the end of the song I went
back in the DJ booth and made an announcement.
"Due to the popularity of the Waltz tonight, I have
agreed to play another Waltz in addition to the previous
six. Will you men please do me a favor and ask these
ladies to Waltz?"
I found the
shortest Waltz song I owned and put it on. Uh oh, I knew
there would be trouble when two very determined women raced for
Bill. One was Mary Anne, the other was Linda. To
my profound and utter horror, Bill chose Mary Anne. Linda was the 'odd woman out'
and she was not happy about it. Not happy at all. In anger, Linda came
stomping back to me. Staring at me as if this was my
fault, Linda got right
in my face. To my surprise, she ordered me to dance with
her.
"Rick, I want you to Waltz with me
right now! No excuses."
I sputtered,
"But Linda, I have told you a dozen times I don't know how
to Waltz."
Which, of
course, was a complete lie. In fact, I was a very good
Waltzer thanks to private lessons with my Ballroom
instructor Glen. But 'private' means 'private'.
No one was supposed to know I possessed this hidden talent.
If my women students realized I knew how to Waltz, then I
would never get a moment's peace during these long parties.
But Linda was suspicious. Don't ask me how she knew,
but Linda was certain I was up to no good.
"Richard Archer,
I know when you are lying. You are not going to get
away with this any longer." When I hesitated and
tried to stick to my story, Linda
grabbed my arm and began to tug. "Don't you dare
resist! Now get out here and dance with me. And
you better make me happy or you will never hear the end of
it!"
I was so
surprised by her insistence, I couldn't help myself. I
started laughing. It was absurd how easily this thin,
sassy wisp of a
woman had gotten the better of me. So out on the dance
floor we went.
In the process, my secret was out. The 35 women
who had no one to Waltz with eyed me like I was some sort of
traitor. Even Jim and Bill looked shocked. I groaned.
No good deed goes unpunished!!! Isn't that what
they say? The last thing I
wanted was to let scores of Waltz-deprived women pencil my
name in on their future Waltz Dance Cards.
Thanks to Linda, from now on I would never know a moment of peace
at my parties.
Oh well.
You want to know a secret? I could think of worse punishments than to hold a beautiful
woman like Linda in my arms, especially a woman who could
make me laugh, charm me, and irritate me all at the same
time. That takes talent. And so we Waltzed.
Guess what? Linda was so pleased, I was glad to have
done a good deed. At the end of the song, I bowed and she curtsied.
Linda had an odd
smile on her face.
"Just so you understand, I alone
have unmasked your secret. So
now you
belong to me. I am your permanent Waltz partner for
life.
From here on out, once a night I will come for you.
When I say 'Let's Waltz', you will leap up and say, 'Yes, Linda'.
Is that understood?"
"And what if I
say no?"
"Then I will
tell the world what a complete phony you are."
In the presence
of willpower far more powerful than my own, what choice
did I have? I grinned and said,
"Okay, Linda, so be it."
I was not mad.
In fact, I was so impressed by Linda's clever intuition and
determination that I kept my promise. Over the years, I made
sure to dance with Linda whenever she demanded her nightly
tribute. We shared many laughs and many arguments.
In the process we became lifelong friends.
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THE STORY OF
LINDA AND STEPHEN'S
ACCIDENT
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Rick Archer's
Note:
The
accident took place several miles north of Worland, Wyoming.
The date was July 16, 2025, 9:21 am.
Linda
and her husband Stephen Twarowski, 64, were driving north
from Worland on U.S. Highway 20, a two-lane highway.
Their vehicle was a Mitsubishi Outlander Sport.
Meanwhile an unidentified man was heading south in a much
larger GMC Sierra truck. The GMC truck was stuck
behind a large, slow-moving semi. The driver entered
the open lane of travel in an attempt to pass.
The driver of the GMC failed to see the incoming Mitsubishi
until the last second. The Mitsubishi swerved right to
avoid the GMC, while the GMC made the same maneuver to its
left. Both vehicles were headed in a collision course.
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Both the
GMC and the Mitsubishi were blocked by the giant semi.
To go straight invited instant death, so both drivers
instinctively swerved in the only direction available, 'the
same direction'. Moving at high speeds with little
room to maneuver, the two vehicles collided head-on at the
shoulder of the road.
The much larger pickup truck
sent the Mitsubishi flying off the highway, inflicting
catastrophic damage to the smaller Mitsubishi in the
process. The Mitsubishi went into a violent spin
roll that left the car 35 feet away from the road. The
GMC collided with a right-of-way fence.
'Driver
inattention' by the GMC was cited as the cause of the
crash, a phrase I suspect was a substitute for drunk driver.
And yes, of course the perpetrator survived.
Isn't that the way it always works?
Linda
and Stephen were not at fault. Both were found wearing
their seat belt. The fact is that two innocent people
who did nothing wrong died a horrible death thanks to some
fool. They never had a chance. I shudder
every time I think of the terror Linda must have felt in
that terrible final moment. My only hope is that
neither one suffered.
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Rick
Archer's Note:
Linda
and Stephen were frequent visitors to my home for a two and
a half year stretch, 2015-2017. After I sold SSQQ in
2010, I had a room built onto the side of my house that
could be used as a dance studio. Linda was adamant
that Stephen learn to dance, so I gave them private lessons
in Western, Ballroom and Swing. During this period I
persuaded Linda to come with Marla and me on our 2016 river cruise
along the beautiful Danube River. We visited Romania,
Bulgaria, Serbia, and Hungary.
Linda was also a member
of the Hey Lollies Square Dance group that Marla and I are
involved with. Alas, Stephen was not quite as
enthusiastic. He gave Linda a choice. He could
do social dance or square dance, but not both. Linda
stuck with social dance. If I remember correctly,
Stephen became quite adept at the Waltz. Good for him. I recall
Linda beaming with pride.
Rest in
peace, Stephen. Rest in peace, Linda. I will
remember you both fondly.
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