James "O.D." O'Donnell's Obituary
James “O.D.” O’Donnell, 94, entered into rest and peace Tuesday, October 3, 2023 while in hospice care at the Dallas VA Hospital.
O.D. was born on May 12, 1929 in Allentown, PA. and attended school in in Tucson, AZ before joining the Navy in November 1945 at the age of 16. After completing basic training in San Diego, CA he was assigned to Air Group 1 as an aerial photographer; serving aboard 9 aircraft carriers throughout the Pacific, Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Caribbean during his time in the Navy, including the USS Tarawa (CV 40), USS Oriskany (CV 34), USS Coral Sea (CVB 43), USS Wasp (CV 18), USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA 42), USS Midway (CVA 41), USS Kearsarge (CV-33), USS Lexington (CV-16) and USS Saratoga (CV-3).
Shooting with cameras rather than weapons, O.D. acted as the “eyes” of the military during the Korean War, producing scores of images for the purposes of strategy and intelligence, mapmaking, and to document historic moments. Flying in the second seat of the photography plane at the rear of an attack squadron, O.D. would lean out the window operating a Fairchild F56 aerial camera, which was 2 feet long and weighed 45 pounds with a 508mm lens, to document and assess the success of the mission. On one of his missions, in the thick of the action, O.D. was wounded in the shoulder.
While in the Navy, O.D. worked as bouncer in several bars, where he honed his “negotiating” skills with rowdy patrons. It was during a shore leave in Seattle, WA that another less hazardous employment opportunity presented itself.
During one of the city’s predictable rainstorms, O.D. sought shelter at Arthur Murray Dance Studio. After availing himself of a free dance lesson, he so impressed the owner of the studio with his dancing skills - honed as a young boy dancing with his cousin Rosemary - that he was invited to join a training class and become an instructor. In his own words, “for a sailor making only a few hundred dollars a month, this part-time job seemed almost too good to be true.
While still in the military O.D. continued working part time as a dance instructor in Seattle, San Diego, Pensacola and Corpus Christi. When he retired from the Navy in 1955 with the rank of Petty Officer First Class, he began his transition to civilian life working full-time as a supervisor for Arthur Murray in Houston.
At the same time, he began working in a series of nightclubs, where he met and became friends with the legendary singer and actress Della Reese who offered O.D. a job as her road manager. Though he declined the offer, it solidified O.D.’s love for the entertainment industry and propelled him on a 50-year professional journey that included opening his namesake Supper Club, “O.D.’s” in Houston in 1972, which featured acts including The Ink Spots, Ricky Nelson, and the Drifters, and where he had his signature “O.D.” rings fashioned.
In 1976 he moved to Dallas and launched his passion project, Nightlife Talent & Management, booking a variety of musical talent for events and entertainment venues across five decades. O.D. also served as entertainment director at several of Dallas’ iconic venues, including Granny’s Dinner Theatre in Olla Podrida, which hosted entertainers such as Ray Charles and the Kingston Trio; Yorick’s Showroom, working with the legendary 5th Dimension and Dallas' fabled Playboy Club where O.D. booked acts including Mel Torme and Jose Feliciano. His “Top 5” favorite acts (all of whom he personally worked with) included a young Elvis Presley, Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Gladys Knight, and a then-unknown club trio from Texas named ZZ Top.
As a 37-year member of Meeting Professionals International, he was a tireless advocate and relentless chapter volunteer; serving in a variety of leadership roles, including numerous chapter committees and as a member of the Board of Directors across three different decades, where he set the bar for member involvement and recognition. He was named the chapter’s Supplier of the Year in 1993. The same year he received the chapter’s highest award for Membership Recruitment for the first time – The Suzi Fiveash Award – for the first time, an award he eventually received a record 12 times, including five consecutive years from 1995-2000.
Through his many years of loyal and impactful membership in MPI, O.D. was personally responsible for recruiting more than 300 members to the association. For his numerous contributions, O.D. was the first member inducted into the MPI D/FW Hall of Honor in 2011, granted Lifetime Membership status by MPI in 2016 and named one of MPI’s 50 Most Influential Members in 2021.
O.D. also was an active volunteer leader with the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) DFW Chapter, which he joined in 1986, serving as both chapter president and managing director. He was a fixture at the chapter’s Chinese Auction event and served on a variety of chapter committees. In 2016, HSMAI D/FW awarded O.D. Lifetime Membership status, and commemorated his many years of service with a plaque mounted in a personalized booth at his favorite Dallas hangout, Arthur’s.
His passion for service also extended into the community, where O.D. volunteered at Meals on Wheels for several years.
He is preceded in death by his mother Phyllis O’Donnell, his father, James O’Donnell, brothers Ernie O'Donnell and Karl Ludwig. He is survived by his daughters Heather Poehler, Phyllis Condit, son James Albin, grandchildren Matthew Clifton, Amy Albin, Michael Albin, Hannah Hersley, Ella Hersley, Andrew “AJ” Hersley, Lucas Hersley; great grandchildren Sienna Clifton and Skylar Clifton, and niece Gretchen Ludwig, and nephews Kelly O'Donnell, Sean O'Donnell and Leif Ludwig
O.D.’s Family is forever grateful to these guardian angels; Rubie Harris, who opened her home to O.D. for the past six years, caring for his physical needs with love and respect; Kaitlyn Kelton and Cara Hodges, his therapists, whose outings O.D. always looked forward to, and the medical staff at Dallas VA Hospital for its dignified care in his final days.
Special thanks to O.D.’s extended MPI and HSMAI “family” for the many treasured friendships over the years.
A Visitation will begin at 1:00 pm and then a Celebration of Life Service is scheduled, Monday, October 16, 2023, 2:00 pm, at Restland's Memorial Chapel, 13005 Greenville Ave, Dallas, with a reception to follow at Arthur's, 15175 Quorum Drive, Addison. In lieu of flowers, the Family requests donations be made payable via check or PayPal to the O.D. O’Donnell Volunteer Leadership Scholarship, c/o Meeting Professionals International Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter, 14070 Proton Road, Suite #100, Dallas, TX 75244-3601.
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