All Things Aviation at CVCFA
Castro Valley artist and pilot Ron Darcey
All things aviation are at the Castro Valley Center for the Arts (19501 Redwood Road) this Friday and Saturday, March 21 and 22 at 7:00pm with the second week of the high school drama production, They Promised Her the Moon. Audience members are invited to a special exhibit of aviation paintings and memorabilia of Castro Valley artist and pilot Ron Darcey in the Exhibition Room and Lobby. There will be several lithographs of Ron’s paintings for sale, with proceeds going to the Castro Valley Drama Department. Ron’s granddaughter, Violet Ching, is a member of the cast.
Ron has always been passionate about flying and art! After six years in the Marine Corp as a tactical air controller, he purchased a classic Luscombe 8E airplane in which he earned his pilot’s license in 1967, a lifetime goal. Soon after, he went to work building an aerobatic airplane completed in 1975. After 911, the Coast Guard began recruiting civilian pilots who owned their own airplanes to train and fly for the Coast Guard Auxiliary Aviation (AUXAIR). Ron served as a pilot and training officer for pilots and air observers. He flew countless missions along the California Coast, on Search and Rescue, protecting National Marine Sanctuaries and locating oil spills and entangled whales. Ron retired from the Auxiliary after 20 years of service in January 2024. His uniform will be on view.
It is not surprising that Ron chose airplanes to be the subject of many of his paintings. Ron has been drawing and painting since he was 7. He graduated from Hayward Union High School and then studied at the Oakland Institute of Commercial Art. He began his career as an art director in the packaging industry and later opened an advertising agency specializing in trade advertising. The city of Walnut Creek is still using the logo that Darcey designed.
Tickets are available for They Promised Her the Moon: cvcfa.com/events Laurel Ollstein wrote the play in 2017. The production has two casts and showcases 50+ students. For more information on the background of this play, check out the Netflix documentary Mission 13. Free parking and handicap accessible.