If you tried to guess Steve Kopman’s career from his résumé, you might need more than one try.
Banker? Yes.
Swimming pool salesman? Yes.
New York garment district? That, too.
And then there’s the part about calling square dances around the world.
Kopman, a past president of his Rotary club, has followed a life path with enough twists to make a pretty good “three truths and a lie” game.
A native New Yorker, Kopman showed leadership early. He was president of his junior class and vice president of his senior class in high school. Music was also a big part of those years. He played alto saxophone in the band and took part in musical theater productions.
He went on to college, graduating summa cum laude with a degree in physical education.
Then his résumé took its first unexpected turn.
Kopman worked in New York’s garment district, choosing colors and patterns for Bill Blass sofas and pillows. Later, he became a ticket agent for Republic Airlines and also served as head of maintenance at Crestwood County Day School, a summer camp.
That summer camp job proved important for a reason that had nothing to do with maintenance: It was where he met Debbie, his future wife.
The couple moved to Knoxville in 1981, and Kopman found another unexpected occupation — selling swimming pools. He was good at it.
Years later, he made a successful move into banking, working with Regions Bank and Pinnacle before joining Citizens Bank, where he serves as retail sales manager. He joined Rotary in 2018 and served as club president in 2022-23.
Kopman and Debbie have been married 47 years. They have a daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren.
Calling them like he sees them
There is another side of Kopman’s life that began when he was just 7 years old.
His earliest memory is calling a square dance at the New York World’s Fair. His father, Lee, was a well-known square dance caller and taught his son the craft.
By the time young Steve was old enough to drive, he was already booked more than a year in advance by clubs across the Eastern Seaboard.
He never stopped calling.
Over the years, Kopman has called square dances around the world, including in Sweden, Germany and Japan. These days, he stays closer to home but certainly not quiet: He calls dances three nights a week in Knoxville and Lenoir City.
There’s a KnoxTNToday connection to that story, too. One of our Can I Do It? adventures took us onto the dance floor at one of the places where Kopman regularly calls square dances. [Read about our square-dancing adventure: here.
Three truths and a lie
With a life story like Kopman’s, separating fact from fiction might be harder than you think. Three of these stories are true. One is not.
- Kopman once worked briefly for a subprime lending company as a collections agent. While attempting to collect payment at a home, he had a gun put to his head.
- In high school, Kopman was a song-and-dance man who played the lead in “George M,” the musical about legendary vaudeville performer George M. Cohan — the man behind “Yankee Doodle Dandy.”
- Radio personality Howard Stern’s mother and Kopman’s mother were best friends.
- One of Kopman’s understudies in a play later became musical director of the legendary Broadway musical “Hair.”
So, which one sounds just a little too wild to be true?
You might have picked the gun story. After all, Kopman really did work in the garment district, sell swimming pools, perform in musicals and become an internationally known square dance caller. Surely a gun-to-the-head collections story would be one adventure too many.
And it was. Partly.
No. 1 is the lie. Kopman did work as a collections agent for a subprime lender BUT did not have a 9 mm gun put to his head while trying to collect a loan payment.
The other three? They belong to the very real — and decidedly unpredictable — story of Steve Kopman.
The Rotary Club of Bearden welcomes professionals, business leaders, and community members who are interested in fellowship, networking, and service.
Founded in 1960, the Rotary Club of Bearden is part of Rotary International, a global network of more than 1.4 million members dedicated to creating lasting change in communities around the world. Club members support local charitable organizations, educational initiatives, youth leadership programs, and international service projects while promoting the Rotary ideal of “Service Above Self.”
The Rotary Club of Bearden meets every Friday, 12:15 p.m. for a luncheon meeting/program at Bearden Banquet Hall, 5806 Kingston Pike, 37919. All guests are welcome. Contact Joseph Pace with membership questions: here.
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