Island Icons Work With CHS Students

(L-R) CHA internship supervisor Margo Rhodes stands with internship students Virginia Ryan, Jasmine Lo, Cate Gregory, and Lilly Adams.

After three years, the Coronado Historical Association’s Island Icons program continues to be a popular program that includes an exhibit in the museum and a monthly column featured in Coronado Magazine. The program started during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns as a special archival project. The aim of the project is to collect insights and personal memories from local residents that might otherwise be lost to history without this initiative. Each Icon shares their life experiences in Coronado during an oral history interview with a CHA volunteer. These recorded interviews and notes will be added to CHA’s archival collection. The stories they share are also written as historical vignettes in the magazine.

Last fall, CHA had four student interns from Coronado High School conduct the oral history interviews. The Coronado High School Internship Program at CHA is in its fifth year and this year, the interns worked under the guidance of Margo Rhodes, a CHS alumni and current CHA board member. The 2023-24 internship students were Lilly Adams, Cate Gregory, Jasmine Lo, and Virginia Ryan.

Nominations to be inducted into the Island Icons program come from community members across the village and Cays. This round, the Icons are once again people who have long contributed to the vibrancy of the Coronado community, making Coronado a better city. Those honored are: Dixie Beth SternTalbot, who among other endeavors has chaired the Coronado Schools Telethon; Kirk Henry, best known for his work with the Round Table meetings; Wayne Strickland, retired Coronado fireman, involved with several charities in town as well; and last Kelly Purvis, well known for her work with the arts in so many ways, here in Coronado.

Christine Stokes, CHA Executive Director, presents the Island Icons exhibit wall at CHA during a reception in January 2023.

Once each of the students were assigned one of the Island Icon nominees, they began the internship by learning research techniques and became familiar with research sites and tools used by the CHA historians. The interns will learn, practiced, and improved their interview skills and then conducted recorded oral interviews with each of their Icons. The interns then had to write and edit a 500-750 word article that will be published in upcoming issues of Coronado Magazine. In January 2023, at the end of the semester, the students had to deliver a presentation about their Island Icon to family, CHA and CHS staff, and CHA volunteers.

Merging the Island Icons program and the CHA Coronado High School Internship program was a natural fit. Both programs were strengthened by intergenerational connections, as well as celebrating a shared sense of place and community - Coronado! Be sure to look out for upcoming articles in Coronado Magazine written by this year’s interns and featuring some of Coronado’s best Island Icons!

CHA Executive Director, Christine Stokes, presents plaques to Island Icon Carol Pastor, as well as Gail Babbs and Mary Ellen Cortellini who wrote about Icon Nancy Cox.