Last night’s end-of-the-season banquet for the Racine Theater Guild served up quite a delicious moment for my wife when she was named the John Maccanelli Volunteer of the Year. The award’s namesake was a faithful behind the scenes worker at the RTG for many years before succumbing to cancer. He was also our wedding photographer- almost. We had him signed but then he had to withdraw in early August when his cancer, until then in remission, reappeared with a vengeance. (He died some months later.) This award is a neat way for his name to live on. The award is given to a RTG volunteer who over the course of a single season is an exemplary volunteer in different areas.
I learned about this a couple of days ago when I got an email from Kate Barrow- a past recipient, by the way – asking if I could provide Mike Pirtle (last year’s winner) with some digital photos of my wife. . . and to NOT TELL HER ABOUT IT! That’s when I figured that this was about something pretty big and I hoped that it was the John Maccanelli Award. And I was right.
One of the best things about this occasion was seeing the smile on Kathy’s face when her name was announced – and another of the best things was listening to the really warm, enthusiastic ovation which she was given. I think Kathy is really loved at the Theater Guild because she’s a very hard worker who gets the job done but who also does so with a nice light touch that keeps the people around her smiling. And that’s no small matter, especially in the midst of a challenging show.
I got one of my all-too-rare Great Ideas just as the program finished up, and I invited up to the front of the banquet hall all past winners of the Maccanelli Award to pose for a picture with my wife. There were ten of them there that night and it was really cool to see my wife in such illustrious company.
The only thing that distresses me is that this honor has really gone to my wife’s head in a big way. She used to be so sweet and unassuming- so interested in others- so down to earth. . . but now she wants all people to rise from their seats when she enters a room, she insists on wearing her fanciest pearls all day long (“for my adoring fans” she says) and wants to be addressed as Dame Kathleen.
And if you believe any of that, I’ve got some swampland in Florida to sell you.
pictured above: the moment when Kathy’s name was announced and the crowd rose in a standing ovation. That’s Kathy’s dad to the left. (I’ll post more pictures from the evening on a separate page on the website.)