LEGACY OF LOCAL THEATRE FIGURE LIVES ON THROUGH SUPPORT OF ST. JUDE

Dwight "Richard" Odle

Acclaimed theatrical designer and longtime Fullerton resident, Dwight "Richard" Odle, enjoyed a long and fulfilling career creating breathtaking costumes and larger-than-life sets for hundreds of productions across Orange County. Upon his passing at age 76 last year, Richard blessed his hometown with another expression of his legacy - a bequest to support patient care at St. Jude Medical Center, in honor of his biggest lifelong "fans."

Born in Davenport, Iowa, to Pearl Argo and Dwight Gifford Odle in 1941, Richard was described as funny, bright, quick and a master of transformation. He would scourge garage sales with his mother for odd and sundry items, like rusted tools or broken toasters, which he then turned into imaginative items like a king's crown or decorative wall sconce.

His innate design talents coupled with his theatrical aspirations lead Richard to a successful 52-year career as a theatrical designer, university professor, publicist, art director and special events producer. He created costumes and sets for 150 productions at Laguna Playhouse and 90 productions at South Coast Repertory, in addition to a number of theatres across the United States. In 2006, he was honored for Lifetime Achievement by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle and received the Cultural Legacy Award for Career Achievement from Arts Orange County.

Richard also touched the lives of hundreds of students through his passion for teaching at Cal State Fullerton, Stanford University, UC Irvine and Cal Poly Pomona. As serious as he was about helping students perfect their craft, he also enjoyed teaching the business side of the performing arts, pioneering the theatre management and publicity curriculum at Cal State Fullerton.

At every step of Richard's journey were his parents who supported his dreams from the day he asked to play the accordion as a young child. His mother, Pearl, would help sew costumes for his productions and his father, Dwight, a welder, would help build sets. Similarly, when his parents had a need, Richard was always there to support them. He took on design work for his father's Shriner events and his mother's Eastern Star projects. The family was highly devoted to one another and closely involved in each other's lives and passions.

That devotion would lead Richard to make his estate gift to St. Jude in honor of his father and mother, Pearl, who was treated at St. Jude after suffering a stroke in 2011. Due to the compassionate care his mother received, and his longtime commitment to supporting worthwhile causes in his community, Richard generously named St. Jude a beneficiary of his estate. In addition to his financial gift, he also left his vast collection of original Hollywood movie costume sketches done by many legendary designers, including Edith Head and Cecil Beaton. An auction for this wonderful collection will be conducted by Profiles in History this spring, with the proceeds to benefit patient care at St. Jude.

Richard's magnificent artistry and caring heart enriched the lives of so many over his lifetime. Thanks to his heartfelt gift to St. Jude, countless more will continue to be touched by his generous spirit and remarkable legacy for years to come.

Like Richard, you can use your long-term plans to support St. Jude and our patients after your lifetime.