About Us / Volunteers

Board of Directors

Director – Mary Ann Comes (President)

• Mary Ann has lived in San Clemente for 20 years. She is retired from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, a government agency, and specialized in real estate sales and property management. She is a docent for the Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, a docent for the San Clemente Historical Society's museum and is secretary and treasurer for San Clemente Citizens for Responsible Development. This organization was instrumental in seeing that the Marblehead Coastal development was downsized considerably. The canyons and wetlands were saved with SCCFRD's help.
• Mary Ann is also the Community Booth Chair.  Her booth is in front of  the Frame House on Del Mar the first Sunday of every month at the Village Arts Fair.   The booth sells our historical photos, 
  "Fishcarts to Fiestas, the story of San Clemente book, and gives 
  information to the public regarding preservation efforts.
• Mary Ann loves to travel with her husband George. She is interested in the history of the medieval towns and their architecture in Europe. Because of this interest, her passion for historical properties in San Clemente go hand and hand.
• Mary Ann has two grown sons and three grandchildren.

Director – Mike Cotter (Vice President)

• His professional background includes a photographic supply business, a career in financial consulting/investment banking, and over 25 years as a real estate broker.
• Mike’s volunteer and community work include directorships on the boards of chambers of commerce, downtown business associations, volunteer fire departments and family crisis shelters.
• He has taught real estate syndication, made presentations before municipal treasurers’ associations, societies of finance officers, various local government agencies and service clubs, and has published over 300 real estate and financial advice columns and industry articles.
• Mike holds a Bachelor of Science Finance degree from San Diego State University, graduating with High Honors in 1976. He is a member of the National, California, and Orange County Associations of Realtors®. He serves on the board of directors of the San Clemente Downtown Business Association.
• As current President of the Historical Society, Mike was appointed in 2005 to a 10-member task force to develop a Historic Landmarks Preservation Ordinance for the City of San Clemente.
• Recently married to Michelle, Mike's hobbies include guitar, photography and collecting antique camera memorabilia.

Director – Lee Van Slyke (Secretary)

• Lee is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society. He provides actuarial services to the property-casualty insurance industry. He is self-employed.
• Lee served as President of the SCHS from December, 2002, to November, 2004. He has been especially involved in preservation and in fund-raising for the Society. Preserving the historic Robison gardens and the Miramar Theater have been major efforts for the past three years.
• Lee and his wife Dena, the President of the SCHS in 2000, have been rehabilitating the Goldschmidt residence since moving to San Clemente in 1997. With Dena, Lee has been involved in ten Historic Home Tours over the past nine years.
• Lee was one of the founders of AFTA, the Association For The Amphitheater, a non-profit group dedicated to creating an outdoor performing arts venue in the San Clemente area. He is a Rotarian and served as a Director of the San Clemente Rotary Club from 2003 to 2005. Lee has represented the Historical Society as a Director of the Downtown Business Association for two years. Lee is also a Director of the One Global Heart Foundation and a Director of the Casualty Actuarial Society.

Director – Dale Larsen (Treasurer)

• Dale Larsen is currently on the Board of Directors and has served as treasurer since March 2005. She is an Enrolled Agent and for twenty years had her own bookkeeping and income tax practice in Huntington Beach.
• She and her husband, Leo, moved to San Clemente in 2001. However, she has had close ties to San Clemente since 1964 when her parents moved here. She and her family visited frequently and observed the many changes to the city – from the establishment of Nixon’s Western White House to the opening of Talega.
• She joined the San Clemente Historical Society in order to preserve the unique small-town atmosphere she fell in love with 40 years ago.

Director - Don Prime (Picture to follow)

• Don was raised in Palo Alto, California and received my college education at the University of Santa Clara. He is now a physician specializing in Pediatric Nephrology (the diagnosis and care of children with kidney disease). Don graduated from Tulane University Medical School and obtained my postgraduate medical education at the University of Southern California and subsequently at Stanford University.
• Don moved to San Clemente in 1994 and was immediately enthralled by the historic architecture. He quickly realized that our historic buildings to a great degree define San Clemente and that our very visible connection to our past is not shared by many of the towns in Orange County. That connection needs to be preserved.
• His community involvement began as a member of Derail the Rail, an organization that fought the Cal Trans plan to double- track our coastline. He has been a member of numerous organizations and citywide task forces, including the Downtown Visioning Task Force, the Noise Task Force and the Landmarks Task Force. He was a member of the City of San Clemente Planning Commission for two terms, ending in June of 2007, and served also as a member of the Coastal Advisory Committee during 2007.

Director – Georgette Korsen

• Georgette, her husband and their two children, moved to beautiful San Clemente thirty years ago. They have a lifetime of memories here, and consider this to be the finest place that anyone could live. Her husband, Alan, served on the San Clemente City Council. During that same time period, she worked with then Fire Chief Ron Coleman and two local veterinarians to get San Clemente's own animal shelter up and running, serving as its first Volunteer Coordinator. Having previously served on the Board of the Pet Responsibility Committee, a volunteer support group that staffed the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter, she was able to transfer their then innovative “pro-life” philosophy to our own budding program. It has been very gratifying for her to see the amazing “top notch” animal shelter that has evolved in San Clemente from such humble beginnings.
• Once their children were grown, Georgette joined her husband in working at their family owned executive search firm, Aaron Jensen Associates. And more recently, has served on the city's Watershed Task Force.
• The genesis of her affiliation with The Historical Society was the realization that San Clemente 's beautiful Spanish Colonial Revival buildings, which she had always assumed were secure gifts from our city's amazing founder, were in danger of being demolished. It had never occurred to her that they could simply disappear in favor of denser, more “developer profitable” structures. For her, it began with the planned demolition of the Miramar Theatre.
• Being the new kid on the block within the SCHS Board of Directors, she enthusiastically supports the Society's constant vigilance to preserve our city's rich history. She is a dedicated member of the Committee to Save the Miramar Theatre and involved with all affiliated projects.

Director – Chris McCormack

• Chris McCormack is a twenty-seven year old native son of San Clemente. He attended Ole Hanson Elementary School, Shorecliffs Junior High, and San Clemente High School. In 2005, Chris received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from San Francisco State University.
• In addition to his B.A., Chris holds a Single Subject Teaching Credential in Social Science and is currently substitute teaching in Saddleback Unified School District. Chris's political experience includes a run for San Clemente city council in 2006 and he looks foreword to victory in 2008.

Committee Chairs

Administration/Membership - Bill Bluett

Museum/Archives - Lois Divel

Preservation - Dena Van Slyke

Casino Complex - Mike Cotter

The Miramar Theater - Raad Ghantous

Events - MIKE COTTER

Oral History - GEORGETTE KORSeN

Community Booth - MARY ANN COMES

Beach Clean-up - LARRY CULBERTSON

Webmaster - JIM PROETT

 

 

All photos are the Copyright © 2008 San Clemente Historical Society, All rights reserved.
To order photos, visit San Clemente Art Supply, 1531 N. El Camino Real, or contact the Historical Society at (949) 492-9684

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