A recent surprise donation from a dedicated Warrior family will go a long way to support El Camino fine arts programs. On Jan. 31, longtime Marsee Auditorium volunteer and ECC alumnus Jim Olds invited several ECC staff members to meet him in the Marsee Auditorium lobby for an event he described as "family related and something special, not to be missed." True to his word, Olds surprised the group with a very generous $179,000 gift to the El Camino College Center for the Arts in honor of his parents, A.Y. and Joyce Olds.
The Olds family loved Marsee Auditorium. When A.Y. Olds retired from Exxon after 40 years, he joined Joyce and Jim as volunteers. For over 25 years, they helped with seating, ticket taking, and serving refreshments to guests – truly becoming part of the Marsee family. A.Y. and Joyce have both passed away, however, they have provided a legacy of love to El Camino's Center for the Arts through their wonderful donation.
A true Warrior, Jim graduated from El Camino in 1980 and was valedictorian of his class; his sisters preceded him in 1971 and 1975. Jim remained loyal to ECC through the years and has been a Foundation President's Circle member since 2014. Our deepest gratitude to Jim Olds and his family for their steadfast commitment to education, El Camino College, and its students.