Mysterious alumnus donor gifts $9.44M to Orange Coast College arts programs
Orange Coast College’s visual and performing arts program will soon get a transformative boost, after officials announced the recent gift of $9.44 million — the largest donation ever received in the community college’s 77-year history.
Made by a philanthropist described only as an alumnus of the Costa Mesa campus, the contribution allows for the creation of the OCC Endowment for the Arts, which will provide scholarships for students continuing their education or transferring to other institutions.
The funds will also support performances and exhibitions that provide opportunities for students to showcase their art, music, dance and drama before public audiences at the college’s Frank M. Doyle Arts Pavilion and Roger B. Moore Theatre.
President Angelica Suarez expressed appreciation for the gift, which she said will have a profound impact on the institution and its ability to serve a wide segment of the populace.
“Donors are recognizing that their investment in our community college can benefit a greater number of students compared to other sectors of higher education,” Suarez said in a Dec. 18 statement announcing the news.
While the identity of the donor is being kept under wraps, Orange Coast College has seen a number of enrollees go on to rise to prominence and even fame.
Cartoonist-turned-designer Paul Frank — creator of the iconic Julius the Monkey and a colorful cast of mythical and animalian cohorts — in 2010 sold his company’s licensing and retail operation to the Saban Capital Group, led by billionaire Haim Saban, for an estimated $50 million, the Los Angeles Times reported that August.
Frank, now 57, attended Goldenwest College in Huntington Beach in the 1990s before enrolling in various courses, including sewing, at OCC. In 2015, the designer returned to his Costa Mesa stomping grounds to teach a Design Careers and Lifestyle course, according to an article in the campus newspaper Coast Report.
Other arts-forward alumni include actress Diane Keaton, who reportedly attended one semester taking acting lessons at OCC after graduating from Santa Ana High School in 1963 and performed as Maria in an on-campus production of “The Sound of Music.”
Adam DeVine, an actor and comedian known for roles on the TV shows “Modern Family” and “Workaholics,” and Patrick Warburton, aka David Puddy on “Seinfeld,” are two more well-recognized Pirates who’ve notched Hollywood successes.
But, for now, the Orange Coast College Foundation — the fundraising arm of the campus since 1985 that oversees some $60 million in assets — is keeping mum about the mysterious benefactor, while thanking the unnamed alumnus for his donation and the difference it will make in the lives of current and future students.
“Gifts like these are transformational, for the student beneficiaries and for the College,” Foundation Chairman Jeff Hyder stated. “We hope this gift will inspire other philanthropically motivated alumni and community members to support OCC.”
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.
