Save Our Heritage Organisation
Reflections Quarterly Newsletter
The Joys of Being a Docent at SOHO Home Tours
By Linda A. CanadaIn this age of instant messages, cell phones, and spam, it's nice to find a volunteer position that puts one face to face with real people! It is even nicer to find a job that lets you be in charge for a day·and then walk away with no further responsibilities! Let me describe some of the joys of being a docent.
If you are a person who enjoys learning new things, volunteering as a docent is a job for you. I cannot even begin to describe the unique (and sometimes completely useless) information Iāve gained from my many docent assignments. For example, I know why a member of the Jessop family was arrested in Del Mar (Because his bathing trunks didnāt have a belt!); what the number of toes on a Chinese dragon signifies (Four toes: a commoner. Five toes: a member of the Emperor's family.); and where Victorian-era ladies bathed in San Diego (Saltwater bathhouses along the shores of the Bay).
Recently, I enjoyed being SOHO's head docent at one of the houses during the Craftsman-Spanish Revival Weekend. To the joy of learning about the history of this beautiful home, I added the pleasure of working with the owners.
One of the best parts of being a docent is meeting the other people who have volunteered. Of course, it doesn't hurt that SOHO takes great care of its docents! If you had been part of the docent team for the Craftsman-Spanish Revival Weekend, you would have received passes for the house tour (with front of the line privileges!), entry to the exhibit hall, and lots of reading material including a copy of San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles magazine.
The next time you receive an email from SOHO requesting volunteers to be docents, give it a try. Meeting people, learning the facts, and telling the story are all part of the joys of being a docent.
More from this issue
- Coronado Railroad Appeal of Designation, Lawsuit Goes Forward
- President's Message: Old Enough
By David Marshall- Message from the Executive Director
By Bruce Coons- Historic Preservation and Transportation Agencies Find Common Ground to Safeguard America's Heritage
- Coastal Commission Rejects Extension of Border Triple Fence
By William Doyle- Heritage Architecture & Planning
- Milford Wayne Donaldson Appointed as State Historic Preservation Officer
- Tecate Depot Mystery Solved
- Did you know?
Donate to Soho with PayPal!- Whaley House Period Clothing Program
By David Swarens- Grants & Donations to the Whaley House
- Volunteer Today at the Whaley House
- Gifts of Real Estate to SOHO
By Barry Hager- Spanish Revival Addition Enlivens Annual Craftsman Weekend
- Hillcrest Medical Center
By Keith York- INCENTIVES! Cliffs Notes for Tax Credits
- Join Us for the James Hubbell Homes Tour! Saturday, June 19th
- ModCom Update
By Bill Lawrence- Seven Key Benefits That Historic Preservation Offers
- Letter to the Editor
- The Joys of Being a Docent at SOHO Home Tours
By Linda Canada- Mission Hills Walking Tour
By Allen Hazard- Free "Arch in the Park" Family Event
- Historic Landscape Concern
- Congratulations to the Winners of "History Day in California" Students!!
By Sandé Lollis- A Search for San Diego Courtyards
- The Mission Hills Garden Club
- Old House Fair 2004
- The Repair of Historic Wooden Windows
By John H. Myers- Lost San Diego ~ The Florence Hotel
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