Theater patron found a community here in the Valley

Even if you didn’t see George Boutell come in before the lights went down and the curtain went up, you knew he was there by end of the first musical number when he hollered, “Ho!”

The actors backstage would hear it. “He’s here!” Taylor Penn, 19, would whisper in the wings at Greasepaint Youtheatre in Scottsdale. She didn’t need to say his name.

George donated to every Valley theater, but more than that, he went to the shows. All of them. If he liked it, he went again, sometimes seeing every show in a run. Theaters reserved a seat for George, front and center. At Greasepaint, it was row C, seat 11.

“Theater here is better than Broadway,” he’d say.

George was a golfer. At Central High in Phoenix, at age 14, he was the youngest golfer to qualify for the U.S. Amateur Championships. He played at Arizona State University and then went on the PGA Tour before returning to ASU in 1975 as head of the men’s golf team.

In 1979, he coached ASU to its first Pac-10 championship in any sport.

When George gave up golf, he took up theater. He friended actors on Facebook, wished them well in auditions, offered congratulations or encouragement afterward.

On Sunday, after he died, his Facebook page filled with pictures. In each, George wears his sweaters, longsleeved or vests, in every color.

“A picture with George was like a rite of passage, his recognition an affirmation of a job well done,” wrote Anand Khalsa, 18.

“Rest easy, my friend,” wrote Hayden Skaggs, 16. “Opening nights will never be the same without your shout outs.”

At the Arizoni Awards of Excellence on Monday, the audience shouted a collective “Ho!” in George’s memory.

Friday night, actors at Greasepaint will dedicate their performance of “Footloose” to George.

He had already purchased a ticket. His seat, row C, seat 11, will be open.