USC Widney Society Gala

Judge Robert Maclay Widney assembled a small council of leaders and shared his vision for the great university they would establish on the American frontier known today as the University of Southern California. They pledged to nurture and support the fledgling university their vision, leadership and support which has inspired the Trojans for 132 years. In the spirit of Judge Widney, USC started a new tradition in 2012 to honor its leadership supporters by establishing a donor recognition society in his name. Benefactors who have donated $1 million or more in gifts or pledges to the university will be inducted into the Widney Society, recognizing their extraordinary generosity and foresight in creating an enduring legacy for the future at USC.

The gala dinner took place outside Widney Alumni House and Arena Americas was called upon to custom design and install a temporary environment that would accommodate the dinner and stage under one continuous structure in the limited space involved.

The Widney Alumni House is a historical landmark that was built in 1880 and has been used continuously for educational purposes since it opened. Because it was important for the guests to see the house during the dinner, we installed the main portion of the tent on 17’ legs for an expansive main dining area.

A section of the main structure was extended towards the house to accommodate trees and landscaping. We designed and manufactured custom legs and framework for the extension.

We also designed a custom transition between the main 132’ width structure and a 50’ width structure opposite the house. The smaller structure was tied in with a custom vinyl panel to make it one continuous interior space. The smaller 50’ width structure was used for a separate cocktail hour.