Dance Puts Donors in the Mood for Athletics

Most of us don’t associate football helmets or scrimmage jerseys with big-band classics such as “In the Mood” or “Satin Doll.”

But that’s not how E. R. (Mac) McDonald sees it. The Pierce College volunteer sports publicist and event coordinator has brought the two together in an unlikely marriage of convenience.

Tonight, Pierce College’s athletics department presents Ray Anthony & His Orchestra for its “Big Band Valentine Dance” benefit at the Sheraton Universal Hotel’s Grand Ballroom in Universal City. The music and dancing begin at 8 p.m.

“The concept was simple,” said McDonald, who put together the first semiannual benefit for the sports department in 1988. “They were in need of money. And I thought, ‘How do you galvanize the community into providing those funds?’ Why, you entertain them. And big-band music is just the remedy for pure fun and entertainment. So I pitched the idea” to the director of athletics.

Initially, not everyone thought that it would prove successful.

“At the time, I was a bit skeptical,” said Marian McWilliams, director of athletics at Pierce for five years. “It seemed like such a grand plan. We could really be putting ourselves out on a limb. But I was wrong.”

The first function in 1988 featured the Home Savings & Loan Big Band performing at a smaller local hotel. It sold out.

“You’d be surprised at how many people really love big-band music. It’s great for dancing or just to swing along and listen,” said McDonald, a Woodland Hills retiree who played alto saxophone at the University of Kansas before becoming an IBM executive. “And this is Los Angeles. We’ve got access to all the name bands like Les Brown, Harry James, you name it.”

“It’s really exciting seeing the community give us so much support,” McWilliams said. “Everyone’s faced with shrinking budgets, but sports is often one of the first to be cut. We use the proceeds for equipment and travel for both men’s and women’s athletics.”

The last fund-raiser netted $3,000.

It’s popularity is definitely growing, McDonald said. For this seventh dance, he said, he has received reservations from people as far away as Fullerton and parts of Orange County who plan to attend after work.

So what’s the turnout like? Mostly older folks, right?

“Don’t be fooled,” bandleader, trumpeter and composer Ray Anthony said. “Sure we pull in the older crowds who remember us from the 1940s. But more and more younger couples are becoming interested in big-band music. When you get 18 guys playing horns, it’s pretty exciting. Everyone wants to become part of the scene.”

The “Big Band Valentine Dance” featuring Ray Anthony & His Orchestra with vocalist Madeline Vergari begins at 8 tonight in the Grand Ballroom, Sheraton Universal Hotel, 333 Universal Terrace, Universal City. All proceeds benefit Pierce College’s Department of Athletics. Tickets are $16. Call (818) 719-6421.