Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to welcome each of you and thank you for being here tonight. It means a lot to us that so many of our dear friends have taken the time to come out and wish us well as we celebrate the opening of our new ballroom.

You know, an undertaking of this size was no small thing for us, but against all odds and with tenacious persistence, we made it happen. So that brings the question, what kept us going through the thick of things? And the answer, I think is that Katy and I both share a deep belief in the importance of social interaction for people with their friends, and we have a passion for the joy of movement in dance. That’s what this is all about.

Now in our case, it doesn't take a whole lot of reflection to realize where this came from. Some of you knew him, others maybe not, but what an influence he was on anyone whose life he touched. And of course, you know, I’m speaking of our teacher Mr. Frank Duval.

Frank was an extraordinary dance teacher and maybe that’s because he taught us so much more than just dancing. He of course was filled with the love of learning and understanding dance, but beyond that his life was truly an inspiration. He would call and say something like "now write this down, the timing on the double reverse spin is SSQQ in quickstep and in waltz its 1-2-&-3." The point was not about the technical details but to keep our minds focused on the art and in anticipation of the next time we could get together to work on dancing.

He also taught us about the business. He had a deep understanding and vision for what a dancing business should be. For example:

- It should inspire students to appreciate the art of dance.
- It should provide a venue for social interaction.
- It should be affordable so that people can come and enjoy it for many years.

Frank groomed us and guided us to that end and I think he would have been proud of us today.

Finally, in life. What a heart this man had, and of course Frank is how Katy and I met, so I don't think I need to say more.

For all of this, we are dedicating at this time our ballroom to Frank and his vision. We will place this plaque that says "Frank Duval Ballroom" so that anyone who enters will know the source of our inspiration and what we stand for.