For years, Army veteran Richard Calvin “Dick” Dorwald engrained himself in the High Desert community as he worked on TV, radio and the theater.
On March 7, Dorward "took his final bow," Cultural Arts Center Director Karla Franko said. He died at his home at the age of 91. A memorial service for Dorwarld will be held at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, April 20 at the Cultural Arts Center of the High Desert, 15615 Eight St., in Victorville.
“It is only fitting that his legacy of promoting the arts in the High Desert be held in the theater that captured the passion of his final years of arts advocacy," Franko said.
Moving to the High Desert
Dick and Patricia Dorwald moved to the High Desert in 1981 and almost immediately got involved in theater.
Dick worked on productions with the Theater Arts Guild, a local amateur theater group. He would eventually become president for many years, and enjoyed involvement both on and off the stage, Franko said.
He also developed Little Frog Productions, which produced shows from 1987 to 1992 on KHIZ/KVVT Channel 64 in the High Desert.
Interviewing Roy Rogers, Art Linkletter
Dorwald’s original morning talk show “High Desert AM” was later changed to “Dick's Place,” where he interviewed legends baseball great Don Ferrasse and famed TV and film actor Richard Webb who starred in the ‘50s TV series Captain Midnight.
He also had the privilege of interviewing Roy Rogers and Art Linkletter in 1993 when they paired up at the Roy Rogers Museum for a hearing aid commercial.
At KHIZ/KVVT, Dorwald produced many local commercials and hosted a country music program and a Sunday morning gospel music program.
He also conducted reenactments of local crimes for the TV show High Desert’s Most Wanted. He worked as a High Desert broadcast personality at Channel 64 until he retired in 1995.
High Desert Cultural Arts Foundation
As part of a steering committee, Dorwald helped launch the nonprofit High Desert Cultural Arts Foundation.
The plan was to renovate the former USO Club, which was built in 1941 after Victorville resident Imogene Garner Hook launched a fundraising drive.
That same year, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt approved $45,000 in support for the project.
The blueprints were sent, and construction began on a lot on Eighth Street in downtown Victorville that was donated by the Appleton Land, Water, and Power Company.
‘Best time of my life’
Supported by donors and the city of Victorville, Dorwald was the driving force behind the reconstruction of the facility, converting it from a basketball court to a 150-seat, free-standing theater dubbed “The High Desert Center for the Arts,” Franko said.
The remodeling venture, which began in 1999 and opened in June 2001, was described by Dorwald as “the best time of my life.”
The center was restored after it sustained a fire in August 2020. The newly named entity and nonprofit called the “Cultural Arts Center of the High Desert” was launched in 2022 and is dedicated to Dorwald’s vision and legacy.
Delivered by a country doctor
Richard Calvin “Dick” Dorwald was born on August 16, 1933, in Middleport, New York to G. Rollin Dorwald and Mary Ellen Greeley Dorwald.
He was delivered by a country doctor who came to the home in the middle of the night. He grew up in a farming area and spent his childhood milking cows and picking fruit.
Dorwald’s first six years of education were spent in a two-room schoolhouse without indoor plumbing or electricity.
As he explains, “My parents weren't poor, but they weren't middle class either. They knew that working on a farm was a drudge and aspired for better things for me. They sacrificed tremendously to send me to college.”
Dorwald fell in love with theater while attending Royalton-Hartland Central High School in Western New York State.
Goodbye to sports, hello to theater
Starting as a high school jock, Dorwald broke his collarbone and bid farewell to sports. His drama teacher would later recruit him for a show, where he caught the acting bug and was involved in every production from that point on.
After graduating in 1951, as promised by his parents, he attended Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina, where he continued theater, including Shakespeare.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in radio and TV production and met and married the love of his life, Patricia Ann Chastain.
After college, Dorwald did a two-year stint in the Army and was based at Fort Benning, Georgia.
In 1964, Dorwald opened an advertising agency, which evolved in the 1970s into an on-the-road promotional company.
After traveling for five years, working on real estate promotions with large and small newspapers, across the country, Dorwald and his wife ended up in the High Desert.
Dorwald’s family
Dick Dorwald was preceded in death by his son, Richard, and stepson, Michael. He is survived by his wife and soulmate, Pat. Also, twin daughters, Laura Reimers and Julia Riggle, and step-daughters, Tracy Johnson and Lori Martin.
Instead of flowers, donations can be made to support the Cultural Arts Center of the High Desert. A donation box will be available in the lobby on the day of the memorial to receive cash or checks.
Checks should be made payable to CAC-HD. They may also be mailed c/o Sheila Fares, 17601 Hudson Drive, Victorville, CA 92395.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
Most Popular
Comments / 0