First John Bogner Scholarship Winner Announced

Friday, 20 April 2012 18:10

Central Casting could not have come up with a more perfect recipient of the first Mendocino College Foundation scholarship for Fine Arts honoring the late John Bogner. Monique Marmon, like Bogner, grew up in Ukiah, acted in plays at Ukiah High School and found her voice and sense of belonging in theater/onstage.

“I was teased as a kid for always reading books,” says Marmon. “When I tried out and got a part for Beauty and the Beast, I was so excited I started crying and told my mom how great it was to meet others who are just like me.”

“When John was in high school, he was so shy that he often ate his lunch in the school library alone,” shares long-time friend and partner Gary Nix, who spearheaded the John Bogner Perpetual Scholarship for Fine Arts with an Emphasis in Theater and Music. Nix says that Bogner had a talent for screen printing and visual art. “On his own, John decided to make a poster to advertise one of the high school plays. After putting it up in the main building at Ukiah High School, the choral director Les Johnson sought out John to join the Choral Club. John first performed in My Fair Lady and helped with props, advertising, and of course posters for all the school plays,” says Nix. “That was really the start of John finding good friends and developing his outgoing personality.”

Marmon, 19, grew up drawn to the theater. She wrote plays for her cousins to perform, was in her first play “Annie” at Ukiah Players Theater at age 10, and has a dream to start a performing arts school for children when she finishes college. “I want to invest in my dream program for kids when I am making a living,” says Marmon, who has taught acting at the Boys and Girls Club at the Alex Rorabaugh Rec Center in Ukiah. “I’ve seen how much being in the theater affected my life and I want to give back.”

After graduation from Mendocino College at the end of 2012, Marmon will double major in theater and education at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon. 

“Ashland, home of the renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival, is my favorite place in the world,” says Mendocino College’s professor of theater Reid Edelman, who nominated Marmon for the award. “Monique’s stage presence and confidence is unusual in such a young actor.  She possesses a lovely singing voice, great dancing ability and tremendous depth as an actor. She is also tough and tenacious. Her scenes and exercises are always meticulously prepared and full of imaginative, committed and authentic choices.”

Marmon is finishing her Associate of Arts degree in visual arts, education and humanities at Mendocino College, where she has already completed more than fifty units with a GPA of 3.75. She was cast as Masha in the College’s recent production of Anton Chekov’s “The Seagull.” Monique will be directing her first play, “The Wedding Party” by Terena Scott from Ukiah, at the annual Festival of New Plays May 18 and 19 at Mendocino College’s Little Theater.

“Monique’s talent impressed me almost as much as the fact that she has been entirely self-supporting during her time as a student here. She works full time, pays her own rent and juggles her educational goals with financial realities,” says Edelman.

 Nix created the Bogner scholarship which reached the $25,000 goal to make it perpetual with donations of several thousand dollars each from many individuals in the community. “It shows how many people loved John,” says Edelman. The late Bogner was a Ukiah native, local Realtor, Rotarian, distinguished St. Mary’s alumnus and energetic, entertaining supporter of many worthwhile causes and nonprofits. He served on the Mendocino College Foundation Board, was on its scholarship committee, and was a popular emcee for community fundraisers such as the Mendocino College Foundation’s Gala on the Green. “John was the “auctioneer extraordinaire, says the Foundation’s director Katie Fairbairn.

“Theater is more than creativity,” says Edelman, “it also builds self esteem and a feeling that you belong. I see it all the time from what SPACE does to Ukiah High’s program to what we do at the college.”

“John would have loved this scholarship,” says Nix, “and been very proud of Monique.” Nix will present the first John Bogner Scholarship for Fine Arts at the College on May 18. Then Marmon will dash off to the Little Theater to direct her play. 

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