Elaine MasonElaine Mason has been an exemplary volunteer docent at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh for 28 years and counting, serving more than 6,700 hours since beginning as a docent in 1988.
Her innovative ideas and steady support mean a great deal to the museum staff since volunteers go through an extensive training period and must continue to study North Carolina history in order to lead museum tours.
Elaine was a teacher for many years before volunteering at the museum. Her skill with the students whom she takes on tour is exceptional; however, she establishes an immediate rapport with visitors of all ages.
Elaine is the rare volunteer who not only impresses visitors who come to the Raleigh museum, but also discovers ways to benefit hundreds of other volunteers across the state.
Her enthusiasm led her to become a delegate to the National Docent Symposium (NDS), which provides educational opportunities for docents in the United States and Canada. Her involvement continues to keep the museum informed and connected to cultural institutions throughout North America. Eager to learn as much as possible, she returns to the state to share her new knowledge with other docents. She was elected to the NDSC board of directors in 2005 and subsequently served as a director of the Southeastern Region.
It was after attending her first NDS that Elaine conceived of a docent symposium on a statewide level. The dream became a reality when the Museum of History hosted the first symposium in 1997 for docents from museums across North Carolina.
As chair of the symposium committee, she welcomed 140 delegates from 56 institutions to the first North Carolina Docent Symposium in September 1997. She made certain that another symposium would follow in 2000 by convincing the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte to be the official host and assisting the Mint in planning it.
Elaine, the North Carolina representative to the American Association of Museum Volunteers, has also served as a member of the executive board of the North Carolina Museum of History Associates, a private support group for the state museum.
As a former teacher, her guided tours for schoolchildren are special. She also arranges luncheons for volunteers and plans their bus trips to North Carolina’s historic sites. Her thoughtfulness has done much to give volunteers a feeling of belonging to an extended family of more than 100 people.
Elaine began volunteering with her family in her community at the early age of six when she was enrolled in a Saturday morning club at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. Moving to Raleigh with her husband, who was studying toward a PhD from NC State, she was a commercial artist before she began teaching art in the local schools. Following retirement after 21 years, she began volunteering at the Museum of History so she could learn more about North Carolina.
Today, if you can’t find her at the museum, she’s probably at St. Savior’s Center on Tucker Street, where she began craft classes several years ago. However, her major focus remains on the state Museum of History and its volunteer program, still strong and active due to her creativity and support.