The following is this week’s I AM, YOU ARE, WE ARE Honoree by Erin Gregory
“Master your craft, empower yourself, and enjoy the journey.” – Denise Simon
Ron McDaniel certainly is someone that has enjoyed the journey. Born and raised in Danville, Ron has stuck with this city and its arts community during his entire journey. He attended Trinity Lutheran School, Danville High School, and DACC, and he keeps up with his classmates during a monthly lunch. His family members have moved around the country, so he doesn’t get to see them very often, but his theater family has stepped up and he has grown a great community of people. One of the reasons Ron stays in the area is the amazing group of people that surrounds him. He says, “Mary Lou Spain was my closest friend. We met when we did Take Me Along back in 1973. We appeared together as husband and wife in four shows. So, her family has taken me in and considers me a part of the family.”
His life has consisted of working for 45 years in the editorial business, editing, publishing, and more. He was an editorial assistant, an editor for high school and college textbooks, and edited online materials for classes. He retired from that in 2018 but occasionally does some freelance work. When Ron wasn’t working, he has been active in theater since 1961, performing in 54 shows and directing 6 of them. Ron remarks, “I only directed these shows because there wasn’t a role for me.” He even had 4 small roles in some independent films! He has served 19 years on the Danville Light Opera (DLO) Theatre board and continues to be a part of board meetings. As a past president, he gets to participate in board meetings and has a vote on important decisions. Along with being on the board of DLO, he was a founding member of his neighborhood association in 2009, however, due to Covid-19, the association dispersed.
We are thankful that Ron is a dedicated member of the Danville arts community. When asked why he continues to be so involved he stated, “I would rather keep performing and see the arts thrive in Danville than to slow down.” One of the things that makes Danville so unique is the amazing people that help the arts continue to thrive. Ron McDaniel is one of the people in this community that constantly gives his time and effort to the cause, ensuring that generations to come will experience the lessons that can only be learned by expression through the arts. Keep shining, Ron!
If you have someone you would like to share,
visit https://forms.gle/deCPiQ1cxn1pDLhZ9
or contact Ashton Greer, City of Danville agreer@cityofdanville.org or
Nicole Van Hyfte, Vermilion Advantage nvanhyfte@vermilionadvantage.com.
