EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is the text of the speech that Sue Tabashnik, author of several books on Patrick Swayze and the film “Dirty Dancing,” gave Aug. 24 at the 9th Annual Lake Lure Dirty Dancing Festival. Her speech includes references to photos that were shown on a big screen at the festival, but are not included here.

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LAKE LURE —  Hello fans of Patrick Swayze and “Dirty Dancing!”

I am very honored to be here to talk about Patrick and “Dirty Dancing.”

I am a big fan, too, and I take my hat off to you. Or rather I should say Patrick’s hat, which was given to me by Charlene Swayze, wife of Don Swayze, who is one of Patrick’s brothers, and an actor. The hat was sent to me with gratitude for writing my newest book, “PATRICK SWAYZE The Dreamer.”

 I, like you, have reaped many benefits from being a fan of Patrick. The benefits for me include: having a hero to look up to, having friendships with many fellow fans and people who have a connection to Patrick, launching a writing career after being inspired by Patrick, and of course, enjoying his wonderful, extensive, diversified work as an artist in the entertainment world.

First slide, please. 

Here is Patrick riding a horse, posed at a portrait session in 1990.

The photo on the screen is my very favorite of Patrick. I love the expression on his face. He just looks like he is in his element and loves what he is doing, and is doing what he is supposed to be doing. We all know Patrick loved horses, especially Arabians, and animals in general. This part of Patrick is just one of many that I will get into more a little bit later, along with my experiences of meeting Patrick.

I am so privileged to be here with fellow fans: people from all over the world and people who live in this beautiful town of Lake Lure, where Patrick and the rest of the cast filmed about half of “Dirty Dancing” in 1986 — 32 years ago. “Dirty Dancing” was the movie that people thought would go straight to video — that would never amount to anything — that was called “fluff.” 

Well, as we all know, “Dirty Dancing” will continue to live forever, and you guys are proof of this and helping to perpetuate the movie. I am very grateful to Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Eleanor Bergstein, Linda Gottlieb, and all of the cast and crew for making such an iconic movie. The movie came along at a point in my life when I really needed to have the time of my life, and I am sure that each one of you has a particular circumstance as to why the movie resonates with you. 

Enjoyable and notable things about the movie include the awesome dancing and music, and the multi-themed story line, including a love story, coming-of age-issues, class differences, and the times of the ‘60s. At the end of the day, no matter what our variation on the theme is as to why the movie resonates with us, I think the bottom-line regarding “Dirty Dancing” is what Patrick said in 2006: 

“When something works, it’s really about heart... It has been successful because basically it’s about love, and how the power of love can redeem us all.”

How many of you are in the one hundred club for “Dirty Dancing,” have seen the movie over 100 times?

I also belong to the club.

Tell me: What is the most famous line in “Dirty Dancing?”

“Nobody puts Baby in the corner.”

Patrick really wanted to get rid of that line and it turned out that the line is symbolic in so many ways and it is number 98 in the American Film Institute’s 100 Greatest Movie Quotes of All Time.  In “Dirty Dancing,” Johnny is standing up for Baby and for their relationship, in spite of what other people think. In real life, when Patrick was so ill, his sense of humor continued on and his determination and grit shined through, when he was known to say: “Nobody puts Patrick’s pancreas in the corner.”

And this is what inspires me about Patrick and makes him my hero — the determination, courage and grace with which he handled his illness.

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Next slide, please. 

Here is Patrick getting his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 18, 1997 on his 45th birthday, 10 years after the release of “Dirty Dancing,” surrounded by his family: his mother Patsy, his wife Lisa, his brothers: Don (far left) and Sean, and his sister: Bambi. I have visited Patrick’s star several times, which were really great and ultimately bittersweet experiences. 

Today, Aug. 24, is only six days from that significant August 18 date! We say Happy Birthday, Patrick! Happy 66th! We celebrate you!

Patrick certainly more than deserved that star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as he was an immensely talented artist: an actor, dancer, singer, songwriter and producer. He also was a family man, athlete, horseman, philosopher and more. Of course, we first celebrate and honor Patrick for his huge and diversified body of work, including 33 cinema movies, four television movies, seven Broadway shows, and numerous television roles and appearances. His movie roles ranged from a dancer in “Dirty Dancing” and “One Last Dance,” to a hockey player in “Youngblood,” to an attorney in “Jump!” to a pedophile in “Donnie Darko,” and to a drag queen in “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar.”

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Next slide, please. 

Here we have the Swayze men horsing around. Here is Patrick with his father, Jesse, and his two brothers, Don and Sean. Family was very, very important to Patrick — and he was very close with his family.

This photo leads me into how I want to take this opportunity tonight to honor and celebrate Patrick the man —  the character of the man who greatly valued family, and who was a peaceful warrior throughout his life-who battled all kinds of obstacles for years with his “never give up” attitude, and his focus on following his dreams. And the man who was kind. And the man who had a very strong work ethic.

Patrick said many times that while growing up in Texas, he was bullied and beaten up as a kid for being a dancer and a performer. He shared that, on one occasion, he was beaten up so badly that it landed him in the hospital. 

As a result, he gave up the arts for awhile, but that did not stop the bullying. So Patrick made a life decision at that point in time, at age 13, that he was never going to let anyone stop him from what he believed in or stop him from following his dreams, for as long as he lived.

Getting back to that famous line from “Dirty Dancing,” you could say that Patrick tried throughout his life to never let anyone put him in the corner. I think we can all aspire to do the same. 

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Next slide, please. 

This is Patrick as the Zen bouncer character Dalton in “Road House.” Here is another famous line of Patrick that is from another cult classic: “Be nice until it’s time to not be nice anymore.” Patrick played a bar bouncer with a master’s in philosophy from NYU who was a martial arts specialist, but whose purpose was to be a peaceful warrior--to avoid violence until absolutely necessary. 

Patrick trained for “Road House” with a champion martial artist to the music of Michael Jackson. His trainer considered Patrick to be so skilled that he thought Patrick could have entered international competition and done well. Patrick was unique, as most of the time he did his own stunts in his movies. Examples of these stunts include: skydiving (which his brother Don helped him learn) and surfing in “Point Break,” and dancing on the log in that famous “Dirty Dancing” scene. Patrick had to go to the hospital after filming that scene to get his knee treated. He had severely injured his left knee while playing football in his senior year of high school. His knee would flare up all of the time for the rest of his life and that is why, eventually, Patrick ended his dance career. Of course, we all know that when his dance career ended, he pursued a new dream: acting.

Patrick was a great believer and follower of traditional values such as honor, integrity, morality, passion, faith and love. He often chose to play characters that were heroes who exemplified these values and championed specific causes. Patrick said once in an interview that he was frequently made fun of for his traditional values and thought he actually fit in better in the Civil War time period of his television miniseries “North and South,” as compared to current times. 

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Next slide please.

Here is Patrick as Jack McCloud, a spiritual drifter, in Three Wishes. 

Patrick was very spiritual, always searching for meaning in his life and trying to give others some joy or sense of purpose or meaning. As Jack McCloud, Patrick played a mysterious drifter who helped a family through a rough time by using his spirituality; including Zen philosophy. As Johnny Castle in “Dirty Dancing,” I think Patrick drew on his personal quest to find his place in the world to portray Johnny Castle, who was also on that journey. In real life, Patrick was an advocate for dance and the arts, conservation and cancer advances.

I would like to tell you some of Patrick’s statements he made that show his beliefs, his character, and the principles he lived by which are inspirational to me.

Listen to what Patrick had to say way back in 1988:

“Very early I learned that you have to be true to yourself about what you care about — what you believe in. If you’re not, you have nothing at all. You have to listen to that little bird inside that tells you what’s right.”

In 2004, Patrick said:

“We kind of get ruined in the Western world of thinking that the brass ring is what’s important, when it’s very simple things in life that are important, like hanging on to faith and hope.”

 Regarding his upbringing as a dancer and as a Texan, Patrick stated in 2006 in a BBC interview:

 “The dance world teaches you something…. The concept of: ‘Suffer for your art.’ ‘Pay your dues.’ And then it takes us into Texas clichés: ‘Only the strong survive.’ ‘Nobody said it would was going to be easy.’ ‘If it’s worth having, it’s worth working for.’ I live by these things in my life.”

Also, in 2006, Patrick remarked:

“Hopefully, with all of this reality TV mentality and the world going for nothing but anything that’s surface, I hope that changes soon. I hope our standards, our levels of integrity and morality and passion and beliefs upgrade themselves soon.”

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Next slide, please.

This is Patrick and me.

How many of you wanted to meet Patrick?

How many of you actually met Patrick?

I had the good fortune and pleasure of meeting Patrick four times -- twice at film festival screenings of Patrick and Lisa’s movie “One Last Dance,” and twice at Complexions Contemporary Ballet benefit events in my home town of Detroit. The slide is me meeting up with Patrick in 2004 at the second Complexions gala.

Did you know that Patrick and Lisa were on the board of directors for Complexions and Complexions does outreach dance workshops with inner city kids?

I had followed Patrick’s career closely by joining the Official Patrick Swayze International Fan Club in 2000, seeing as many of his movie performances as possible, viewing his interviews, and lastly by interviewing some of his professional colleagues, and of course fans, for my three books. I take a look back and realize how amazing it was to have had the opportunity to meet Patrick.

I will tell you that Patrick looked after his fans. Just like he put in over 100 percent into his work as an artist, he did the same when he was with his fans. The four times I met up with Patrick: at the  two benefit events and two film festivals, he was attentive, down-to-earth, charming, humble and gracious. I have to say that he was even more good-looking in person, than in his movies. Wow!

 I have several stories about my awesome experiences of meeting Patrick.

The first story is about an experience at the Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival in 2003, where the premiere of “One Last Dance” occurred. The movie was shown in four theaters concurrently, and Patrick and Lisa introduced the movie in each theater. Following the screening, there was a huge champagne celebration. Patrick spent his time speaking with the fans, running around with very little Security.

The next day, a group of us fans from the Official Patrick Swayze International Fan Club were on a bus, getting ready to take a tour of important spots where Patrick and Lisa had been earlier in their life: like Patrick’s childhood home, Patsy’s old dance studio, and the church Patrick and Lisa were married in. And who do you think walked on the bus? First, Patsy, Patrick’s mom, came on and said Patrick would like to speak to you, and he only asks one thing: that you not take any more photos, as his eyes are still sore from last night. Patrick had allowed unlimited photos from the 900-plus guests at the reception honoring “One Last Dance.” So then Patrick joined Patsy on the bus and told us we could ask anything we wanted. The question-and-answer meeting on the bus lasted about 45 minutes and it was just surreal!!!  Lucky me was in the third row. I, of course, did ask a question, and it was about the movie “Three Wishes.”

Moving along to the second story. After Patrick, Lisa, and Stacey Widelitz gave a Q&A about “One Last Dance” at the Nashville Film Festival in 2004, Patrick was swarmed by fans wanting autographs. I managed to get to Patrick with the two fans I was with and to talk in coherent sentences to Patrick and introduce the other two women. We were in the last bunch of the crowd, and Patrick’s Security kept telling him he had to leave, but Patrick just kept talking to us fans and signing autographs, until he had done so for every fan. It was just really typical Patrick, and really great!

I will never forget being able to speak to Patrick and Lisa at a jazz club in Nashville after the screening of their film “One Last Dance.” The OFC fan club President Margaret Howden had made an arrangement with Patrick’s personal assistant that us three ladies were going to be able to speak to them. I did have a one-to-one conversation with Patrick and we talked mostly about “One Last Dance.” 

Later, his assistant took my camera and those of the other two fans, and took photos of all of us together. When I was saying goodbye to Patrick, he thanked me for coming to support the movie and leaned over and gave me a great big bear hug, which was very special. And he did so to the other two ladies as well. My initial reaction to that hug from Patrick was to not take a shower for a week!

Now, I want all of you to enjoy the awesome tribute video clip of Patrick, at his finest, in many of his movie and television iconic roles that are his legacy, and that will always be part of entertainment’s greatest moments. The video was created by the L.A. Jewish Film Festival and Todd Felderstein and shown at the L.A Jewish Film Festival just minutes before Patrick’s movie “JUMP!” was screened there in 2009.

In conclusion, I say to Patrick: 

Yes, you indeed continue to make a difference in the world.

I say to all of you, these words of Patrick:

“BELIEVE IN YOUR DREAMS.”                                                                                                                     

“BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.”                                                                                                                                          

“AND SPREAD THE LOVE!”

Thank you!

— Sue Tabashnik