Mike Dugan

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Michael Patrick Dugan
04 Jan 1954 - 05 Aug 2021
Boots in Squares
Foggy City Dancers

Obituary

Michael Patrick Dugan
Palm Springs - It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Michael Dugan in Palm Springs, California on August 5, 2021.

Michael was born on January 4, 1954 in Steubenville, Ohio. He is preceded in death by his parents, James Dugan and Dorothy (Swearingen) Dugan of Weirton. He is survived by his Aunt Dora Moloney of Las Vegas, Nevada. He was born into a strong Irish Catholic family of steel workers. Michael was an only child but had a rich and loving childhood in the Ohio Valley surrounded by a large extended family.

He graduated from Weirton Madonna High School in 1972. Michael held a Master's Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from WVU. He spent 34 years in health and human resources and non-profit management with a focus on fund development and volunteer recruitments. His career began in Youngstown, Ohio with United Way. While in Youngstown he was very active in community events and theatre. He excelled as a featured performer in many musicals at the Youngstown Playhouse.

Michael took executive positions with United Way in Fort Lauderdale and Watsonville, CA where again he was honored for his community contributions.

He was always drawn to San Francisco for its active theatre life, many restaurants and activities. There he took a position as the director of Fund Development at St. Luke's Hospital. He finished his career as the Executive Director of Healing Waters, a San Francisco based non-profit serving those living with HIV/Aids through empowering outdoor experiences, including kayaking in SF Bay and on the American River.

Michael retired in Palm Springs where he enjoyed the dry sunny weather which was beneficial to his health but he never stopped giving to his community. He was an active volunteer at the Desert Aids Project, the Palm Canyon Theatre and the International Palm Springs Film Festival.

Michael was born an entertainer. He had a flair for comedy, and laughter surrounded him from the time he was swinging from trees and turning cartwheels for his cousins to performing in High School plays and community theatre. He loved movies, the Academy Awards, especially when he got to go, Square Dancing, and Movie Stars, many whom he met and who helped him in his fundraising efforts.

Michael was a dazzling star in his own right. His light was reflected in the smiles of everyone he knew. In his honor, watch a movie, have a martini, and laugh with good friends.

There will be celebrations of his life at later dates, where we will spread the joy of a life that was Michael's.[1]

Remembrances

He was a genuine, very generous man. He did square dance but as his health deteriorated he was not able to. I believe he was a member of the Boots in Squares in Palm Springs. He was a very valuable member of the volunteer committee for “Palm Springs Swing & Mix 2017”. He helped in many areas as he could and garnered many Donation dollars with his great personality, for PS Swing & Mix.
Randy Clarke-Ianiero


I met Mike Dugan about 1993 at a fundraiser in the Napa Valley. He was working in the fundraising and development world, having just transferred from Santa Cruz to San Francisco. Being from West Virginia, he had wanted to get to California for many reasons. We had mutual friends, and one of them thought it would be cute if we two got together as Dougan and Dugan. We dated for a short while and became friends. He was a very effective fundraiser and he migrated to several different organizations, eventually culminating his career as Executive Director of "Healing Waters" an organization designed to give people living with AIDS a chance to do white water rafting trips and other such experiences.

In recent years, he moved to Palm Springs, and as I had a house there also, we got together regularly. When I decided to bid for an IAGSDC convention, later known as Palm Springs Swing & Mix 2017, I contacted him to be on my committee to help with fundraising and advertising in our various printed guides. He brought in several thousand dollars in ads from individual businesses and we believe this was one of the most successful fundraising and sponsorship programs of recent IAGSDC conventions. This money helped to enhance our program and activity offerings. Those attending may recall the main hallway had a series of at least 14 easels each with a large posterboards thanking the various businesses that had donated and paid sponsorships. We called this the "Parade of Sponsors," and was directly due to his diligence and support.

As he had done some square dancing in his youth, and knowing me and other square dancers, he got to know the SF square dance scene. He thoroughly enjoyed it and made a lot of friends. He was a member of Foggy City Dancers where he took MS and Plus classes. Years later, when he moved to Palm Springs, he did do some local square dancing with Windmill Twirlers and Boots In Squares. More recently, as his health was failing, he found that he couldn't keep up so became more of a booster, and eventually dropping out all together.

I will always remember Mike as an exuberant follower of the entertainment world. He used to put together Oscar parties with ballots, and he almost always predicted the various winners. He made it his "business" to see almost all films up for Oscar contention. I remember many Thanksgivings and Easters in San Francisco, at the home of his dear friend, Dan Ledoux, with whom he had worked in various fundraising organizations. Dan has been around and provided friendly supportive assistance to Mike over the years. Dan moved into the same apartment building as Mike, and they often shared meals together. Mike didn't have a car, so Dan would often help Mike get around. Mike was active in the Palm Springs area, and he often volunteered at various theaters and high-profile fundraising events. You could see him collecting tickets, ushering, or any other way to stay involved in the entertainment industry. Mike's Christmas Letter was always done with bullet points for each month as to what shows he saw, what travels he made and his personal accomplishments. To him everything was a "smash hit!"

Mike had an infectious laugh and almost always had a smile on his face, even thru times of personal adversity, and failing health. I have fond memories of enjoying martinis with him. His passing creates a big void in my life. I wish there could have been more laughs, more events, more shows and more martinis.
Gary Dougan[2]


Gary Dougan shared with me what he wrote for you about his relationship with Mike including the PS Swing & Mix group which I was also a part of the organization committee. I worked closely with Mike, adding manpower to hitting the businesses in Palm Springs to raise support for the convention. I first met Mike at the St Louis convention of 2015 when my hubby Bill Tyler & I got convinced to sell 50/50 tickets by Gary to help raise seed money for the 2017 convention. Mike and I grew to be good friends during that event and because he and I were both drafted to be part of the organizing committee (Bill was a smart boy and opted to just lend a hand when needed), I got to spend more and more time with Mike.

By 2016 at the Toronto convention I found myself being joined at the hip with Mike as we manned the convention information table, helped Gary with various social functions with Gary, sold 50/50 tickets again and basically wore out our old bodies. Back then, Mike was doing pretty good getting around – no cane, no walker, he was pretty spry being the same age as Gary and Bill. I remember Mike being soooo excited about attending the Toronto convention as he was living on limited resources and I think Gary made it possible for Mike to attend. He went on about how it was his first trip outside of the US.

On the return to the US after the Toronto convention, Mike and I became great pals as it was now more of a reality than planning and we had our list of things to accomplish before the 2017 convention in July in Palm Springs. Mike took to showing me his routines at various restaurants in and around Palm Springs, the venues that had the best bar bites and cocktail prices (lordie, he loved his vodka martinis with a twist). Eventually some of the performance venues around town included a go-go boy event that was circulating through Chill Bar’s “Scorpion Room” once a month. Apparently he got a few cuties that looked forward to seeing him at their monthly strip event. I could never figure out how he had all these cute guys circling him but I figured being his “wing man” wouldn’t be such a bad seat in the house. I wasn’t disappointed when one month we hit the Scorpion Room for the go-go boys and I watched Mike and his adorable routine to attract the younger crowd. He had such an innocence (one that I knew was part of his schtick) and for a guy who was on limited resource, he knew how to play the room. He enjoyed his lap dances and attention those nights.

As I said, Mike had a way with the guys AND the gals. Our roaming the businesses of Palm Springs included a trip or two to his most favorite bar, Sammy G’s, and his connection with the restaurant manager. She was a cute young gal that Mike was working with as a sponsor and included dessert coupons for our swag bag. His connection with the manager and other staff always made me feel like I was among royalty or a celebrity. Like the show “Cheers!” – everyone knew his name. To this day I still think of Mike when I stop at Sammy G’s bar or bar patio for their happy hour cocktail and bar bite menu (which Bill & I have taken to referring to as our locals little secret about cheap eats in the desert). Mike would join Bill and I or just me for a night out of drinks, bar bites and entertainment as much as we could. Mike and I would circulate through the drag shows and get to know the host/hostess and performers around Palm Springs. It was during these visits that we got the idea to use one of Palm Springs’ local drag performers/MCs for several of our events at the 2017 convention. Bella da Ball (Brian Wanzek) became a regular in our chats and show circuit so much so that Brian eagerly agreed to be our MC for the pool events, the Grand March and our Banquet entertainment line up. Because we wanted a little more formality to the Banquet, Brian agreed to be himself as the MC for that event and he didn’t disappoint with his colorful men’s wear to compliment his drag persona. Mike and I became known as the face of local square dancing whenever we were at The Copa to watch Bella da Ball’s “Lipstick” show every Thursday evening and Bella was kind enough to give us a quick advertisement to the attendees about the up and coming IAGSDC convention that was about to take place that summer. I loved watching Mike work his fundraising magic with all of the businesses we visited. He would quickly start high, find the business need in advertising, massage the conversation to see what package best suited the potential donor and moved in for the kill (so to speak) when a need surfaced that he could use to gain a partner. Watching Mike move always brought back memories of trying to sell chocolate bars in the summer as a teenager raising money for camp except Mike’s mind would work quickly analyzing and retooling his ability to offer something the business could truly use. He was also quick to realize when a business had spread their donation money too thin to be interested and usually left them with the “can we put a poster in your window” default.

Post convention our relationship stayed about the same. Cocktails, bar bites, happy hour menu, drag shows and the occasional theater performance. As Gary pointed out, Mike volunteered a lot. He was a Desert AIDS Project (DAP) greeter once a week and he loved his apartment location as it had a direct bus line down Sunrise to the DAP facility (Mike didn’t drive or own a car). He became fast friends with a cute young gal named Gina Williams and eventually introduced me to this special lady. Gina was a fellow volunteer at the DAP facility and Gina and I helped mike change units at the Desert Cactus Apartments after a fire on his floor left him needing different housing. Mike always had a group of DAP friends to socialize with and Gina was among his favorites. Mike also volunteered for the PS Film Festival and enjoyed not only seeing the shows but being able to socialize with the movie goers at the various film locations. He would rub shoulders with the actors or film producers as much as he could. One year, hubby Bill was unable to attend one of the films that we had gotten tickets for and Mike was all too eager to fill the seat with me. Mike also ushered at the Palm Canyon Theater for their season of performances. He’d dress up in his little black all purpose suit and show people to their seats with all of his charm.

As the years ticked by, Mike began to lose some of his balance and would have a tumble on the way to walking next door from his apartment complex to his favorite eatery, Panda Express. One Halloween, Mike was in his apartment complex, couldn’t sleep, decided to get up in the middle of the night to go to his mailbox and got jumped/beat up by a couple of young guys that were visiting during Pride and saw Mike wearing his Pride t-shirt. Things were never quite the same after that. His health began to deteriorate more quickly, needing a cane, then a walker to get around. But that didn’t keep him from enjoying local theater. Bill & I would pick him up at this apartment and drive down valley to attend a Desert Rose Theater production of “Christmas with the Crawfords” or “Those Musclebound Cowboys From Snake Pit Gulch”.

I miss his charming character, his ability to toss back a few vodka martinis with a lemon twist, hitting the bar bite menu during happy hour or saving a seat for him at a local theater production. Obviously COVID played a part in shutting down our socializing and it became harder and harder to keep in touch with Mike. Today, every time I hit Sammy G’s I think of Mike and raise a glass to the memory of this great friend and all the people he affected with his charming personality and volunteerism.💔
Jim Francis[3]

Mike was a wonderful man and a good friend. He was kind, smart, and reliable.

I worked with him closely on the Palm Springs 2017 Swing and Mix convention. He volunteered to solicit donations from local businesses. He did a superlative job. He also worked with me to select tours of local attractions and fun, gay entertainment.

I enjoyed knowing him. I am missing him already.
Kim Harris[4]

Memorial Panel

Photos


Sources

  1. The Desert Sun (Palm Springs, CA) Tuesday, 16 Nov 2021
  2. Email to James Ozanich, 18 Jan 2022
  3. Email to James Ozanich, 22 Jan 2022
  4. Email to James Ozanich, 28 Jan 2022