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In July 1965, a new square dance club was formed in Tucker, Georgia.   It was, an "offshoot" of the Tucker Twirlers.   It was formed by three couples: Jim and Betty Hicks, Vernon and Pat Crawford, and Dick and Margaret Wilson, who wrote the original bylaws.   The caller was John White, and the club danced at the Tucker Recreation Center on the second and fourth Fridays of each month.   Betty Hicks worked for the recreation center which made securing a dance location much easier than it is today.

In September 1965, the club adopted the name "WHITE OWLS" in honor of its caller, John White, who remained until about April 1966, when he left the calling profession.   Jake and Yvone Phillip, members of the club, were instrumental in hiring Harold Kelley to replace John.   Harold had been calling since 1959.   The Owl part of the name is derived from the fact they considered themselves "night owls" because they were out dancing so many nights.

Harold Kelley taught the club's first class, which began on January 12, 1967.

Polly Adams played a major part in selecting the design of the current badge.   This was not the first one the club has had.   Jim Hicks had designed the first one, and Harold still wears that badge occasionally.   Polly had seen the same logo on a "fun" badge that had a black owl.   She requested a South Carolina badge maker to convert it to white to coincide with the club name.

In 1976, the club moved from Tucker to Hawthorne Elementary School in Atlanta.   In January 1981, the club moved again this time to North Decatur Presbyterian Church in Decatur.

In the spring of 1991, Emory Baptist Church became our home, however, the air conditioning was not sufficient for square dancing.   In March 1992, we moved again to the Gwinnett Senior Citizens Center in Lawrenceville.   Our stay there was brief inasmuch as the floor was carpeted and it was not a convenient location for visitors, In November 1992, we moved to the Mack Love Center in Decatur.

In the mid '70s, Jerry Shipp (West, Lefever) was an (unpaid) cuer for the White Owls.   She was a round dance teacher in Atlanta and one of the first cuers for a square dance club.   Prior to this time, round dancers brought tapes and records to their square dance clubs.   These were played by the caller, but the dancers were required to memorize the steps to each dance.

In 1976, Bill and Dot Norton were asked by Evelyn and Grady Reeves to cue the rounds, and this added a new dimension to the club.   Bill died suddenly on October 27, 1984, after suffering a massive heart attack.   Each year, Bill had reviewed his schedule with Harold and Sadie Roden regarding the dates he would not be available to cue and asked them to fill in for him.   Harold and Sadie became our permanent cuers in November 1984, and have played a very important role in the success of the club.

We are proud to have taken a prominent part in the Atlanta square dance community and have a history of strongly supporting both the Georgia State Square Dance Association (GSSDA) and the Metropolitan Atlanta Square Dance Association, the local dancers' federation.   Numerous members have been served either as GSSDA board members, or as MASDA officers and/or representatives and many years we have had more than one couple as Association officers.

White Owls members have also served on the Board of Directors of the Georgia State Square Dance Association (GSSDA).