Ginny Hayward probably doesn’t have a copy of the classified ad that ran in a local newspaper in late 1985. But she won’t ever forget it: The city of Irvine needed an executive coordinator for a performing arts venue yet to be built.

Hayward landed the job and the distinction of being the first employee of Irvine Barclay Theatre, a stay that lasted 40 years, until she retired last month.

In 1985, Hayward worked for an oil company with offices in L.A. County. She and her husband had just relocated to Irvine.

“I thought if I can coordinate getting oil drilling equipment off to international locations, I can coordinate this,” she says of the position at The Barclay.

Hayward simply knows how to make things happen. Years practicing formation skydiving helped hone a knack for flexible, quick and confident decision-making.

“You don’t know what you don’t know, and you just think you can do it all,” she says.

At The Barclay, she did.

A new era of performing arts

The theater opened Sept. 30, 1990. The 750-seat house now hosts 100,000 patrons a year. About 250 events make up the 11-month season.

At first, Hayward occupied a desk at city offices inside an industrial park, where she led the search for an executive director.

A partnership involving the city, UC Irvine and private donors, Irvine Barclay Theatre had seed money from a bond approved by Irvine voters. But $17.5 million remained to be raised.

Hayward recalls a dizzying lineup of fundraising and construction-related tasks, conducted out of donated Irvine Company space with a view of the project site on university land across Campus Drive.

The Barclay opened on schedule and on budget, something in which Hayward takes great pride.

Next steps

Except for a five-year hiatus to be “a major mom volunteer” when her son started school, Hayward was a full-time employee right through the 35th season. Even during that break, she consulted for The Barclay – and might again in the future.

Hayward, who lost her husband two years ago, has a European summer vacation planned. After that, she’s not sure what lies ahead.

What’s behind her was enjoyable and included greeting renowned and emerging artists.

“It was always like inviting someone into your home as your guest,” she says.