Donald Wescoat
Donald Eldon Wescoat
aka Bullseye
16 Sep 1945 - 19 May 2007
We are squares in the circle,
Dancing below and above,
Weaving an unending story—
Squares in the circle of love.
— written by Donald and performed for the Memorial Tip at the 1996 San Francisco Convention, Stars, Thars & Cable Cars.
Clubs & Associations
Foggy City Dancers
Midnight Squares
Quick Facts
+participated in Square Dancing Stained Glass, 2004
In Their Own Words
Square Dancing Glass
— prologue —
a man who played the oboe came to live with me
and he became my friend
he took me to a square dance
five years later he left earth
we’re still dancing together
In 1996, when San Francisco hosted the International association of gay square dance clubs annual convention, I was commissioned to compose a song for the memorial tip, a dance to remember those who no longer physically dancing with us – “squares In the circle” was the result- Marty Mahler was that oboist, and his beautiful playing Is heard on the recording underscoring the voiceover prologue above – Marty Is playing “Gabriel’s horn”, from a recording by the San Francisco gay men’s chorus, which dissolves Into the square dance –
we are squares in the circle
dancing below and above
weaving an unending story
squares in the circle of love
writing the end of the square dance piece was the most difficult — what to instruct the dancers to do — i resolved to simplicity — bow to your partner, bow to your corner, all join hands — the dancers, standing quietly, then heard a short reprise of marty's playing which deliquesced into the distance with the sound of wind — at that moment at the san francisco convention there was 45 seconds of obstreperous silence — 1500 humble square dance souls, hands joined in circles, in squares of eight — the stillness then turned to applause
since 1996, "squares in the circle" has been used for memorial tips at various square dances, including other conventions — what i have tried to present with this glasspiece is that moment — all those moments — silence — celebrating — beauty — sharing — square dancing — rejoicing — remembering — squares — circles — love
— what square dancing means to me —
in elementary school it was an introduction to american folk dancing — but it was more like recess set to music
in my high school days it was more of a social activity — i was a member of the "square cats" in orange county, california — we met weekly in one of the girl dancer's garage and practiced the set choreography which we would then "perform" as though extemporaneous in the covered wagon corral at knott's berry farm every friday night
then for many years i forgot about it — i was a soldier, a vocational nurse, a pianist
about ten years ago i was reintroduced to square dancing through a dear, now departed friend — i advanced about one level a year and now the thought of what i know scares and thrills me — how can i possibly interact with seven other people with gentleness, confidence, and helpfulness? — somehow it works when i let all the "trying" go — it really doesn't matter what foot you're on
square dancing is my solace — it gives me something to do almost any night of the week — it brings me back to health when i am ill — it puts a smile on my face when i see my dancing friends — it boosts my ego when i remember a difficult move — it warms my heart when i mentor a new dancer
as a square dance caller, my credo —
D delight the dancers
A advance the art
N nurture the tradition
C celebrate the geometry
E evolve the music[1]
GCA Caller School
- attended 1996, 1997
Obituary
Wescoat, Donald Eldon, 61, passed away May 19, 2007. Resident of Fullerton. Survived by mother, Oweeta; and sister, Carolle. Viewing will be 6-8 PM Friday, May 25 and service 11 A.M. Saturday, May 26, both at McAulay & Wallace Mortuary, Fullerton. McAulay & Wallace handled arrangements.[2]
Donald Wescoat -- musical director
Steven Winn, Chronicle Arts and Culture Critic
Donald Eldon Wescoat, a longtime San Francisco musical director with an elfin demeanor and a flair for lighting the theatrical spark in period music, died May 19 in Southern California.
Mr. Wescoat, 61, had been hospitalized with double pneumonia for seven months and died of a heart attack in the Los Angeles County community of Sun Valley, according to Joseph Lillis, his theatrical partner of many years.
Mr. Wescoat and stage director Lillis had their biggest hit with "Some Like It Cole," a buoyant Cole Porter revue that played 110 cities around the country for close to 20 years. The show ran locally at the Marines Memorial Theatre and the Plush Room in the 1990s. In addition to arranging the songs and medleys, Mr. Wescoat traveled with the show as its agile and fluid pianist.
Mr. Wescoat arranged the music for the Lillis-directed shows "Christmas Cavalcade," "And What, Give Up Show Biz?" and "The Big Broadcast." He also composed original music for those shows and often performed in them as well, his abundant curly hair bouncing at his keyboard perch. Mr. Wescoat's other performance credits include Dame Edna, "Dames at Sea" and "High Society."
"He was a musical genius," said Lillis. "I never met anyone who could wrap a song around a singer the way Donald did. Even in an audition situation, where he was accompanying someone for the first time, he just had this instinct for what made a singer and a song sound good."
Mr. Wescoat was born in Riverside on Sept. 16, 1945, and attended Fullerton High School. He moved to Telluride, Colo., where he helped restore a theater and later attended nursing school. Mr. Wescoat spent six years in the Army Medical Corps, serving in Korea and Japan. He lived in New York and San Francisco before returning in 2003 to Fullerton, where he and his sister, Carolle Wescoat, cared for their parents.
In addition his sister of Redondo Beach, Mr. Wescoat is survived by his mother, Oweeta Wescoat, of Fullerton. Services have been held.[3]
Remembrances
Nurse, musician and composer, Donald—nicknamed “Bullseye” for his distinctive choreography that returned dancers home without a need to promenade—served as FCD Club Night caller. In 1996, Bullseye Wescoat composed Squares in the Circle of Love. It is frequently performed during Memorial Tips.[4]
Memorial Panel
- 3UR | Midnight Squares (birth year on badge is incorrect)
Photos
Stained glass panel "Squares in the Circle" made by him, 2004
Obituary (San Francisco Chronicle)
Obituary photo
