The Crowd: A celebration for higher education

Chapman University’s American Celebration has become over its 15-year run Orange County’s premiere charitable gala focused on higher education. The black-tie crowd approaching 1,000 patrons in number represents a legitimate “who’s who” of the business and social elite dedicated to the enrichment of life on the Orange Coast.

The goal of American Celebration is the raising of significant funds in support of student scholarships at Chapman University. The cost of higher education has become a staggering hurdle for many young people. Tuition, living expenses and related costs at a private university will easily exceed $50,000 per year. A large percentage of students at Chapman benefit from scholarship aid provided by the generosity of patrons supporting American Celebration.

This year the event billed as “Masquerade, Mystery and Wonderment,” chaired by Barbara and Mark Chapin Johnson, with support from gala vice chairs Brenda and Michael J. Carver, raised in excess of $2.2 million. Since its inception in 1999, American Celebration has provided more than $20 million in scholarship funding. The university proudly announces that the scholarships support America’s future leaders.

American Celebration was a glamorous, high-energy event that began with a massive cocktail reception in the central courtyard of the university. The crowd was ushered into the university’s main theater for a stage presentation created by Chapman musical director and conductor William Hall and artistic director and producer Dale Merrill.

It was a showcase of student talent in a Broadway revue format that opened with “Magic to Do,” an ensemble number from the musical “Pippin.” The show was then interspersed with the business of the university as special recognition was paid to significant donors and honored guests.

The 2014 Citizens of the Year honors were presented to Orange County attorney Wylie Aitken and his wife Bette. The special guest of honor of the evening was the superbly talented actress Annette Bening, honored with the 2014 Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award.

Bening charmed the audience with a recital of Shakespeare, performing verse from “Romeo and Juliet,” which was something of a surprise and a left turn from the Broadway revue that dominated the evening program.

Honoring tradition at American Celebration, the highly regarded president of Chapman, Dr. James Doti, once again joined his muse Julianne Argyros on stage for a song and dance revival of “Love Potion Number Nine,” backed by a troupe of Chapman student singers and dancers.

Julianne was charming and disarming, attired in a Gypsy queen costume reminiscent of a classic “I Love Lucy” sketch dating to the 1950s. The show moved forward with numbers including “This Is the Moment” from “Jekyll and Hyde,” featuring the Broadway-caliber voices of Daniel Emmet and Kylena Parks. The couple’s romantic patter was so intense that the audience was expecting Daniel to propose to Kylena. The two senior performers dominated the talent showcased in the presentation.

Many of Chapman University’s most generous patrons were introduced between numbers and asked to stand and be recognized in the audience. Among the most prominent were Marybelle and Sebastian P. Musco. The Newport Beach couple are the principal donors behind the creation of the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University, presently under construction and set to open in the spring of 2016.

Also called to stand and be recognized were Catherine and Jim Emmi and Suki and Randall McCardle. Additional honored patrons include Milan Panic, Doy and Dee Henley, Parker Kennedy, Kelly and Jim Mozzo, Sandi and Ron Simon, Joann Leatherby and Gregory Bates, Larry and Deborah Bridges, Zelma Allred and Drago Gligic and Donny Crevier, to name a few.

The American Celebration show concluded with a performance of “Masquerade” from “The Phantom of the Opera.” Credit must be bestowed upon the production team, which included choreography by Dale Merrill, Christopher Huston, Desiree Robbins, Amanda White and Brandy Williams, lighting and scenic design by Don Guy and, in particular, the massive effort of costume designer Kathryn Wilson.

A celebration dinner followed the performance in a spectacular tent, larger than the size of a football field, erected over the lawn fronting Chapman’s Memorial Hall. The enormous structure with steel framing overlaid with clear plastic revealed a spectacular view of the starlit night sky, enhanced by the illumination from a squadron of Maria-Theresa-style crystal chandeliers hung from the steel girders, creating a ballroom atmosphere that would make any number of European royals feel right at home.

The dinner dance is arguably one of the most spectacular in Orange County.

Spotted in the crowd were Ronnie and Byron Allumbaugh, Barbara and Alex Bowie, Adrienne and RJ Brandes, Robert and Beverly Cohen, Kristina and Larry Dodge, Roberta Feuerstein, Ninette and Gavin Herbert, Dee and Larry Higby, and the glamorous Betty and S.L. Huang.

Also supporting Chapman were Donna and David Janes, Rebecca and Carl McLarend, Diane and Harry Rinker, Harriet and Sandi Sandhu, Gail and Ron Soderling, Jean Macino and Laird Blue and Julie Ann and Jim Ulcickas.

THE CROWD runs Fridays. B.W. Cook is editor of the Bay Window, the official publication of the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.