A New Act
August 04, 2026Dr. Doug Hendel has made an indelible mark on countless students over 30 years at Mount Union. More than a decade after his retirement, a generous anonymous gift in his honor will ensure the next generation of theatre students are ready for center stage.
Discovering Mount Union
A native of Perrysburg, Ohio, roughly 10 miles south of Toledo, Hendel always carried a passion for theatre. He attended nearby Bowling Green State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree and began working as a medical technologist. While that paid the bills, he continued to perform in productions on the side. Like many twentysomethings, he eventually found his way back to his first love. He returned to BGSU for graduate study in theatre and began pursuing a career in teaching. Though only a few hours’ drive away, Mount Union was not on Hendel’s radar.
“I was perusing The Chronicle of Higher Education for jobs and saw one at Mount Union, though I had never heard of it or even Alliance,” he laughed. “I applied just to see what would happen and then got it.”
While finishing his dissertation during his first few years at Mount Union, Hendel was not sure whether he would stay in Alliance more than a few years. As his tenure continued, it did not take much convincing to stick around.
“The longer I stayed, the more I liked it,” he said. “I enjoyed the people more than anything else. The faculty, administration, and students were all great.”
That connection was felt by students as well. Shawn Douglass ’87, now Associate Professor of Instruction in Theatre at Northwestern University, remembers Hendel arriving with an energy that helped shape the department and the people in it.
“I remember being happy that there was a younger faculty member who seemed in tune with the times we were in. And he seemed to do it all—teaching, acting, directing, and designing and building sets,” Douglass said. “And he was just plain friendly and smart.”
A Dynamic Career
Over the course of three decades, Hendel directed nearly 70 plays featuring hundreds of students. It was always the goal of Hendel and his colleagues in the theatre program to provide as many opportunities to students as they could.
One of those students, Emmy and Tony-nominated actress Carrie Coon ’03, spoke with the Canton Repository in September 2024. Her reverence for Hendel was evident.
“I wouldn’t be on this path without the theatre department and Dr. Doug Hendel,” Coon said. “I didn’t know anything about that path, and had I not gone to Mount Union and had I not taken classes with Dr. Hendel, I wouldn’t have been aware that it was a possibility in my life.”
For Douglass, Hendel’s influence became even clearer with time, especially as Douglass built his own career as an educator.
“I’m not sure I realized it at the time,” Douglass said, “but I can see now how Doug modeled for me what I try to offer my students at Northwestern—meeting students where they are, taking a genuine interest in their lives, and continually and gently challenging them to do better.”
While the theatre program has been foundational for many working in proximity to the stage and screen, one of the benefits of a Mount Union experience is the accessibility of co-curricular opportunities for students in all majors. Hendel relished the times he could direct students who were trying something new, building confidence, and discovering abilities they may not have seen in themselves yet.
“It was always great to see students who were maybe just okay or unsure about their abilities take a real step forward with every performance because they put in their time,” Hendel said. “We always tried to make sure everyone who auditioned had a chance to get on stage and play a part.”
“The longer I stayed, the more I liked it. I enjoyed the people more than anything else. The faculty, administration, and students were all great.”
Following an act of a beloved faculty member like Hendel can be a challenging role to play. When Professor Kevin Kern arrived after Hendel’s retirement, he was acutely aware of the comparison but remains grateful for Hendel’s legacy and the opportunity to continue this important work.
“When I came to Mount Union, I faced the difficult task of being ‘the new Doug Hendel,’ and his shoes were impossibly big to fill,” said Kevin Kern, Professor of Theatre and Eckler Endowed Chair of American Literature and Drama at Mount Union. “Fortunately, Doug remained closely connected to the University and returned to perform in several theatre productions. Each time he did, a new generation of students had the opportunity to learn from him by observing his professionalism, preparation, and graciousness in rehearsal.”
Hendel in a production of Merchant
Remarkable Generosity
Hendel’s constant dedication to Mount Union theatre and its students has never gone unnoticed. When an anonymous Mount Union alum contacted the Office of Advancement to establish The Douglas B. Hendel Endowed Fund for Theatre with a substantial lead gift, the man affectionately known as “Doc” was stunned.
“My first thought was surprise. I was like, ‘What? Why are they doing this?’” Hendel said. “Then I was just so honored at the idea of them wanting to name it after me. After the gift was described to me, it made perfect sense for me to jump on board and give to the Fund as well.”
The Fund aims to support unique experiential learning opportunities for theatre students, much like Hendel did during his tenure, including trips to professional productions across the country, conferences, auditions, and enhanced sets and costumes for University performances.
This gift is both humbling and inspiring...It will provide students with opportunities typically associated with much larger institutions while allowing Mount Union to remain the close-knit, personalized university that makes it so special.
“To get to see really good professional theatre is like a whole different world, and that helps many students take a big step forward,” Hendel said. “It’s fun to give students those experiences and then discuss why they matter on the travel home.”
“This gift is both humbling and inspiring,” Kern said. “It demonstrates a deep belief in our students and in the transformative power of theatre education. It will provide students with opportunities typically associated with much larger institutions while allowing Mount Union to remain the close-knit, personalized university that makes it so special.”
The program has already earmarked the Fund’s first dollars for the performance of “Cabaret” on campus this fall, helping the production reach what Kern describes as an “even higher level of quality” than initially thought possible.
The Next Act
Since his retirement in 2012, Hendel has stayed closely connected to Mount Union theatre and the community that shaped so much of his life. He and his late wife, Ann, continued attending Mount Union productions, encouraging students, and opening their home for closing night gatherings that many alumni still remember. They also traveled extensively, immersing themselves in cultures far beyond Stark County and bringing that curiosity and joy back with them.
One unique retirement opportunity came when Hendel participated in what he called a “wonderful role reversal,” when Douglass asked him to perform in George Bernard Shaw’s “You Never Can Tell” at the Remy Bumppo Theatre in Chicago. The former student took his turn directing his professor.
“I cast him, and our experience working on that production was so much fun working together as peers and close friends,” Douglass said. “Not only that, he was fantastic in the show!”
In his final show at Mount Union in 2012, Hendel portrayed Grandpa Vanderhof in Kaufman and Hart’s play “You Can’t Take It with You,” which feels appropriate for him. Vanderhof is said to live by a simple philosophy: Don’t do anything you are not going to enjoy. Suffice it to say that Hendel shares a similar view of the world.
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The Douglas B. Hendel Endowed Fund for Theatre
The Douglas B. Hendel Endowed Fund for Theatre was established by a former student actor in recognition of Hendel’s extraordinary contributions to Mount Union’s Theatre Program. Annual distributions from the fund will support theatre performances and experiential learning opportunities for students within the Theatre Program, at the discretion of the Chair of the Department of Performing Arts. Endowed funds must be used to support learner-centered experiences such as attending professional productions, conferences, and auditions, as well as enhancing University productions. The fund will be acknowledged in production, marketing, and print materials and announced in advance of any performance impacted.
For alumni, friends, and former students whose lives were shaped by Dr. Hendel, this fund offers a meaningful way to honor his legacy while creating new experiences for Mount Union theatre students.
To make your gift today, visit giving.mountunion.edu/forms/HendelTheatreFund.
Have questions or need more information? Please contact the Office of Advancement at (330) 823-2286 or advancement@mountunion.edu.