Volunteer Spotlight: David Vegh

Time. One of the most precious resources in our lives. We save time, make time, find time, and if we have time, we give time to people and places we love. Lake View Cemetery has been the grateful beneficiary of 31 years of time given with care and dedication by volunteer Docent, David Vegh.

David first discovered Lake View as a junior leader in the Boy Scouts of America when he attended a Memorial Day Service. In November of 1983, after he had become a Cub Scout leader, David brought his Cub Pack to Lake View for the ceremonial wreath laying for President James A. Garfield. He developed a friendship with then Executive Secretary, Katherine Kohl, and over the next seven years, she tried to convince David to become a Docent. One day in April of 1990 while he was driving down Euclid Avenue, something told him it was time to take Katherine up on her invitation and he turned into the driveway for Lake View. The rest, as they say, is history.

“I had thought about teaching for many years. I tend to be introverted around new people. I thought that being a Docent at Lake View would demonstrate to me how comfortable I could become interacting with people and learning and sharing new material.” The visitors on his tours taught him a little something as well. “I learned that the guests attending tours at Lake View are all willing students who have taken the time to visit the cemetery to learn the history of Cleveland and its leaders well beyond what they may have read in a textbook at school.”

Given the number of hours our Docents and Guides spend giving tours and relaying the stories of our historic buildings, it is no wonder that they see the cemetery through a different lens and have come to appreciate the landscape in new and profound ways.

“For those lucky enough to be there after a summer rain, when the clouds move out to reveal the views of Lake Erie, it is particularly awe-inspiring and breathtaking!”

“From the terrace of the James A. Garfield Memorial, there is a commanding view of Cleveland along the north coast,” David recounts with wonderment. “For those lucky enough to be there after a summer rain, when the clouds move out to reveal the views of Lake Erie, it is particularly awe-inspiring and breathtaking!”

As for wondering if the opportunity to guide students in the outdoor classroom of Lake View could prepare him for a role inside of a school, David was pleased with the results of this experiment.

“Relating and dealing with people became a major skill set for me that I uncovered while at Lake View. I completed two degrees in business and, using my MBA, began teaching at Dyke College and the last twenty-one years at Cleveland State University.”

Perhaps David’s journey from volunteer to teacher will inspire some of his students to become a Docent at Lake View! Only time will tell.

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