Donald and Gloria O'Connor stepped off the plane at the Will Rogers World Airport on Thursday, December 7, and received the traditional Oklahoma City University School of American Dance and Arts Management welcome. Nearly 200 OCU dancers, carrying banners and signs, greeted the legendary "song and dance man" as he prepared to receive an Honorary Doctor of Performing Arts degree.

Oklahoma City University conferred the Honorary Doctor of Performing Arts degree on O'Connor on Friday, December 8, during a reception at Wilson House, home of OCU President Stephen Jennings. The ceremony was followed by a dinner party in his honor held at the Freede Wellness and Activity Center on OCU's campus. Earlier that day, O'Connor and his wife toured the OCU campus and attended a performance, in his honor, by members of OCU's critically acclaimed American Spirit Dance Company, directed by Jo Rowan. The company performed four selections from its repertoire including Freedom, a hip-hop jazz number featuring the 32 men of the company; S'wonderful, a singing and tapping duet, featuring dance majors Lyndy Franklin and Jeromy Smith; the moving ballet Letter to Sarah; and the high-powered latin jazz dance Oye Como Va.

On Saturday, December 9, the O'Connors attended a performance of Yuletide Magic, the annual holiday spectacular presented by the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and featuring the American Spirit Dance Company.

John Bedford, Dean of the School of American Dance and Arts Management stated, Donald O'Connor has been as inspiration to generations of dancers throughout the world. Many of our students over the past twenty years were introduced to American dance through Mr. O'Connor's legendary performances in MGM motion picture musicals and then chose to pursue dance for the entertainment industry as a career. It is a great honor for us to have our former and current students meet Donald O'Connor and for us to recognize and honor his contribution to American Dance by awarding him an Honorary Doctor of Performing Arts degree."

Donald O'Connor has earned stardom in every major entertainment medium. For his stage debut at age three to recent guest appearances on television shows such as Frasier and The Nanny, O'Connor has truly made his place in the history of American Musical Theatre and Film. Along the way, he has garnered over ten major awards including an Emmy and a Golden Globe, and has hosted several award shows including the first internationally televised Academy Awards presentation. Donald O'Connor is the quintessential musical theatre performer. A triple threat with comedic genius, he continues to be one of the brightest stars of entertainment history.

OCU American Spirit Dancers talk with Donald O'Connor backstage between performances of Yuletide Magic. O'Connor answered questions about his life-long career in vaudeville, motion pictures, musicals, and working with Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Francis the Talking Horse.

OCU awarded Donald O'Connor an honorary Doctor of Performing Arts for his lifetime contributions to American Dance and the entertainment industry, and for inspiring generations of young dancers to pursue careers in show business. Pictured left to right are Dr. Virginia Coombs, Vice President for Academic Affairs; Dr. Stephen Jennings, OCU President; Donald O'Connor; Jo Rowan, chairman of the OCU Dance Department; and John Bedford, Dean of the School of American Dance & Arts Management.

Dean John Bedford and Jo Rowan hosted a dinner for Donald and Gloria O'Connor backstage between Yuletide Magic performances. Pictured left to right are Dean Bedford, Melanie Stovall, Jo Rowan, Donald O'Connor, Eddie Walker (Executive Director of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic), Gloria O'Connor, and Maestro Brian Tidwell.