Douglas Morrisson Theatre Receives Largest Donation Yet

The Hayward Area Recreation and Park District's Douglas Morrisson Theatre in Hayward is proud to announce its largest ever donation, a gift just under $960,000, from The Leggo Family Trust. Kathleen Leggo, who died April 2, 2002, served as the Douglas Morrisson Theatre's property master for 18 years. Her portion of the Family Trust was allocated to the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District for the benefit of the Douglas Morrisson Theatre.

Nancy McCullough Engle, who served as the Artistic Director of DMT from its beginnings until her retirement in 2010, said of Kathi Leggo: "Kathi Leggo graced our theatre on stage and off for twenty years. As Property Master, she bestowed her creativity, style, craftsmanship, irrepressible good humor and panache on over 100 productions."

"The Hayward-Castro Valley area is well-positioned to support a regional theatre, and it's gifts like these that will make it possible for the Douglas Morrisson Theatre to continue its growth in that direction," said Managing Director Terry Sullivan. DMT's Artistic Director Susan E. Evans added, "Such a generous gift will undoubtedly make a huge difference for our theatre's future. Kathi Leggo's legacy allows us to continue to provide first-class professional theatre to the residents of the greater Hayward-Castro Valley area."

The Douglas Morrisson Theatre is planning a special event acknowledging Kathi Leggo's bequest in the coming months.

Kathi Leggo was born on June 1, 1938, in Oakland, California. She was the only child of Marvin and Marion Hilliker. Kathi graduated from Fremont High in Oakland and earned a BS in psychology with a minor in English from U.C. Berkeley. Kathi married Christopher Leggo on December 19, 1959. They enjoyed 42 years of life together until her death on April 2, 2002. Kathi and Chris had two children together, a son, Ayton Leggo, and a daughter, Melissa Leggo Silva, now both deceased. After a period teaching in the Oakland public schools, Kathi and her family moved to Auckland, New Zealand, where she taught science to nuns in a Catholic teacher's college. After returning to the United States, she conducted citizenship classes for immigrants.

Her clothing recycling classes for both the San Leandro and Alameda recreation departments allowed her to combine her passion for thrift store shopping with her unique sense of style. She was the founder and chief culinary mastermind of "Foodies Unite!" a group dedicated to the preservation of great food, and even better company. She had a reputation for putting together guest lists as exciting and unexpected as her menus.

For over 20 years, Kathi Leggo performed onstage and worked backstage at the Douglas Morrisson Theatre (then known as The Little Theatre). While performing in productions of Man of La Mancha, Arsenic and Old Lace and Harvey, among others, Kathi began to provide properties, furniture and set dressing for the shows. In 1984, she joined the staff as Resident Property Manager and served in that capacity for 18 years. She designed, built, collected and borrowed props for over 100 productions at the DMT. Researching and locating props, in antique stores, thrift shops and garage sales, trash bins and friend's homes, was a career choice well-suited to Kathi Leggo's talents. Her dedication to The Little Theatre was an inspiration to a generation of young theatre-workers, who she always lovingly referred to as "my kids."

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