Humans of Orcas | Meet Thomas McDonough

|||HUMANS OF ORCAS by GRAY GAILEY |||

Thomas McDonough considers volunteering a form of self-expression. He moved to Orcas Island with his wife in 2014 and started volunteering in 2016. McDonough describes himself as an “audio addict,” who has long since had an interest in sound and radio. His passion dates back to his high school years when he co-founded his school’s radio station and worked the sound and lighting.

He utilizes these skills at the Orcas Center, where he works closely with Jake Perrine on ideas of sound for all of the wonderful Orcas Center shows. He became involved with the OC when the sound tech for La Cage aux Folles dropped out two days before opening night. McDonough remembers being in California when Perrine called him to ask if he could step in. In classic Thomas McDonough fashion, he agreed and jumped in with both feet. Throughout the show’s run, He grew to love the rush of working with sound on the spot and the satisfaction of seeing the absolute wonder in the eyes of the audience. He also observed that each sound—such as the cracking of ice in a scene—is a character in and of itself, and must be crafted just as intricately.

Since La Cage aux Folles, McDonough has continued to work sound for the OC; he also trains others on the technology he and Perrine most commonly use, and takes care of the Metropolitan Opera and National Theater programming. He says he enjoys his work at the Orcas Center because he can focus on individual, short-term projects, as opposed to something ongoing. He appreciates being able to see the end result of his hard work when he observes and interacts with the audience members. While McDonough has a long history with broadcasting, theater has not always been a passion for him. He told me that he used to hide in the trees to get out of going to the opera, but thanks to the Orcas Center, he has come to realize that theater is a wonderful lesson in flexibility and last-minute change.

McDonough also spends a lot of his time at the Orcas Island Public Library, where he helps catalog books and serves on the library board as a liaison for the Friends of the Orcas Library. He is also a volunteer “book recommender,” frequently offering the librarians advice on which books—new and old—to add to their shelves. His current projects involve revamping the sci-fi section and expanding the mystery collection. He is also assisting part-time librarian Woody Ciskowski with organizing and improving the graphic novel section. As a self-proclaimed graphic novel and comic book nerd, this project is especially close to McDonough. He told me he wears a comic book t-shirt nearly every day—yes, he was wearing one during our interview—and is thankful that he no longer has to hide them under a dress shirt when he heads into the “office.” McDonough has been a book lover ever since he was a kid. Growing up in California, he would frequently bike to the Menlo Park Library, then the one in Atherton, then Palo Alto. He would return home with a backpack full of books, weighing more than himself. Later in his life, McDonough served as a library commissioner for ten years. 

When I asked him how he incentivizes others to volunteer, he said that it is a pretty easy task on the island. He explained that, in general, everyone wants to belong to something, and when you volunteer for an organization, you are rewarded with a sense of community and family, not to mention you can further explore your skills and interests. He believes everyone can find an aspect of their volunteer work that can serve as a creative outlet; for him, that is sound and lighting at the OC, and organizing books carefully and sequentially at the library. His last words of wisdom came from a Captain Kirk quote; Captain Kirk says, “Risk is our business…” McDonough believes imperfection is ours. “We don’t strive to be perfect,” he told me. “We strive to be good.”

McDonough would like to give a special thanks to some fellow do-gooders that inspire him:

• Learner Limbach and Natalie Menacho at the Orcas Co-op
• Samuel Gailey and Ingrid Mattson at the Public Library
• Jake Perrine and Dimitri Stankevich at the Orcas Center

While our conversation was centered around his work with the Orcas Center and the Public Library, McDonough volunteers for many more organizations than those mentioned above. For more information:

• Orcas Center: orcascenter.org
• Actors Theater of Orcas: orcasactors.org
• Odd Fellows Hall: oddshall.org
• OI Library: orcaslibrary.org
• Rotary International: rotary.org