Our people
Those who came before
Fourteen opera lovers met in 1977 and started what became the Sarasota Opera Guild. Every season since, volunteers have stepped up to lead it.
The Guild has never had a paid staff. Everything it has done for nearly fifty years, every luncheon, every scholarship, every check presented to the Opera, happened because a volunteer took it on. The presidents, officers, and board members who led that work deserve to be remembered by name.
Past presidents
The record before 2012 is still thin; these are the presidents we can name so far, from the Guild’s own history, newsletters, and program books.
- Deane AllynSecond president, around 1979Looking for a permanent opera house, she discovered the A.B. Edwards Theatre was for sale and set its purchase in motion. She died in 2014.
- Mary CookPresident, until 2013
- Barbara O’ConnorPresident, 2013–2014
- Antoinette DowlingPresidentServed as a vice president across many seasons, both before and after leading the Guild.
- Ann WallerPresident, 2020–2022She led the Guild through the pandemic seasons and, as she put it, kept things rolling despite the many challenges. She died in 2025.
- Pat DodgePresident, until 2025A vice president and the Guild’s picnic chair before leading it.
Meryl Gale, who followed Ann Waller as president, serves on today’s board as Past President.
Officers, board members, and committee chairs
The years shown are the seasons we can confirm.
- Alma AbshierCorresponding Secretary, 2013–14 and 2016–17
- Cecile AdamsTreasurer, 2013 to 2023
- Sunny BrownroutAssistant Treasurer, 2013–14 and 2016–17
- Bonti BurgessOfficer, 2016–17
- Diane EfthimidesVice President of Communications and newsletter editor, 2021–22
- Joanna GlassRecording Secretary, 2013–14
- Ann GrayVice President, Volunteer Coordinator, 2016–17 and 2021
- Dorothy Landis GrayPrologues chair, 2016
- John HalsteadVice President of Marketing, 2013–14
- Pat HirtSecond Vice President, 2022–23
- Vlatka IvanisevicTribute Fund chair, 2013
- Gloria McMaster JuhnScholarship Committee chair
- Louis MartorellaParliamentarian, 2016–17 and 2021
- Jeff MarvinTreasurer, until 2026
- Karin MurphyFirst Vice President, later Vice President of Marketing, 2013–14, 2016–17, and 2021
- Joel ReznickAssistant Recording Secretary, 2016–17 and 2021
- Richard SchwormVice President of Membership, 2022–23
- Barbara StatonSummer Salons co-chair, 2016
- Zona StarksSecond Vice President, later Vice President of Membership, 2013 to 2017
- Carol Von AllmenRecording Secretary, 2021
- Marylynn WheatelyVice President of Communications, 2013–14
- Eleanor WilliamsAssistant Recording Secretary, 2013–14
- Betty YorkSummer Salons chair, 2013 and 2016
Our Historian keeps the Guild’s records, and this page will grow as we gather them. If you served on the board, or remember someone who did, or spot a name or year we have wrong, we would love to hear from you. Write to info@thesarasotaoperaguild.org.