The Cleveland DanceSport Challenge

Cleveland Dancesport Challenge - Endowed Scholarships & Awards

Andrew L. Resetar

Andrew was born in Charleroi, Pennsylvania which is a steel mill town South of Pittsburgh. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in Chemical Engineering. He retired from TRW Inc. in Cleveland where he had been Director of the company's worldwide environmental compliance program.

Andy began dancing in Cleveland in 2006, when introduced to West Coast swing and it became his favorite dance. That led him to join the C.A.S.H. Club and start attending the Cash Bash and Jammin' in July. Nothing gave Andy more joy than being on the social dance floor with his friends doing Night Club Two Step, Bachata, East Coast Swing and, of course, West Coast Swing. He learned other ballroom dances and enjoyed them but nothing lit up his face more than West Coast, particularly when a bluesy song like Black Velvet was playing. Being with his dance friends were a continual source of happiness for him.

Established in 2023, join us in celebrating Andy's love of dance in the Andrew L. Resetar Memorial Nightclub Events, which involve an Open Pro-Am Scholarship, an Open Am-Am Scholarship (our first one!) and an Open Professional Challenge.
We appreciate the generate support of his wife, Maureen, for these exciting new events, and for her tribute to him here.

Richard Burden

Richard was born and raised in Rocky River, OH. After high school, Richard went on to Albion College where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics. Richard's thirst for knowledge and his love for mathematics then took him to Case Western Reserve where he earned his Master's and PhD in Mathematics. After graduation, Richard was hired by Youngstown State University where he had an illustrious career for 41 years. While there, he co-authored four editions of Numerical Methods and 10 editions of Numerical Analysis. The latter is considered the leading standard in the field and was printed in 7 different languages. Richard served as department chair for four years. During his tenure as chair, he went to the University of Pittsburgh where he earned a Master's degree in Computer Science. This gave him the necessary credentials to not only teach the material, but also to become a driving force in the development of YSU's department of Computer Science. Richard moved through the faculty ranks attaining the status of full professor with three distinguished professorship awards as well as a distinguished chair award. Richard was given the honor of Professor Emeritus upon his retirement at YSU.

Richard had one son and a step-son whom he raised as his own. The boys were very involved in sports and Richard supported them in anything they wanted to try. His passion for baseball led him to coach and manage little league and colt league for over 25 years. For the last ten of those years, Richard became the Niles Colt league commissioner.

Richard began ballroom dancing in 2001 when he bought a group of lessons as an anniversary gift for he and his wife. Although he felt that he had two left feet, he thought that it would be the perfect gift. Their first lesson was at Fred Astaire in Youngstown. After about one month, the studio separated them so that they could each improve at their own pace. That was when the "bug" hit him and he discovered smooth, standard, and latin. After the first year, he decided to compete and loved it. Richard left the Fred Astaire franchise when he moved out of the area. Once settled in his new environment, he began taking lessons from numerous independent instructors and was coached by many of the greats. He loved learning the dances and the technique involved as much as he loved being out on the competition floor. Throughout Richard's dancing career, he developed a special love for standard because of its strict rules and structure. And he absolutely loved the tails! His English background made that style his favorite. When his health began to deteriorate, he found it necessary to stop dancing but stayed involved in ballroom by working as the doorman at the Cleveland Dancesport Challenge. Although he missed being on the floor, he loved his duties as doorman.

Join us in celebrating Richard's love of dance in the Richard Burden Gentlemens Closed Silver Ballroom Scholarship, established in 2021.
We appreciate the generate support of Betty Sue Feuer for this scholarship. We also thank Richard's wife, Annette, for her wonderful tribute to him here.