Volunteer of the Month: Silke Higgins

Silke Higgins began in our Volunteer Program just a few months ago in July. Her work supplements her studies at San Jose State, where she is working towards her B.A. in Anthropology (with an emphasis on Archaeology), by being a positive and enthusiastic presence to both staff and guests here at Rosicrucian Park.

While Silke might be one of our newest volunteers, her contributions have been prodigious! They include reorganizing the museum’s Curator's Library, assisting at workshops, giving talks, aiding with staff projects and putting in many over-time hours at our events and festivals. She will volunteer in whatever capacity she is needed, from the complex set-up and takedown of events to developing talks and being a professional and informed resource for our guests, assuring that both knowledge and fun are part of their visit.

Silke’s fascination with Egypt began at a early age. Originally from Germany, Silke grew up reciting king lists and memorizing random Egyptian facts while other children played. Stories from ancient Egypt enchanted her throughout childhood, while the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet captured her heart and imagination.

For Silke, Sekhmet represents the ancient concept of Ma’at, a true symbol of balance. Her surprise and delight were magnified when she found a small, almost perfectly preserved statue of Sekhmet in the museum’s collection, and further, an entire gallery dedicated to this deity. This small Sekhmet statue, RC #1, the first artifact to come into the museum’s collection has been enthralling people all the way back to the time of the Museum’s founder, Harvey Spencer Lewis.

The statue sat on H. Spencer Lewis' desk at the headquarters of the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC during the early years of the 20th century. When greeting visitors, he would point to Sekhmet and say, "Here is the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum!" From his vision, our present Museum has grown to be the largest display of ancient Egyptian artifacts in Western North America.

Besides the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, Silke has been a frequent visitor to both the Berlin and British museums, but by far her most memorable experience occurred in Köln (Cologne) where, as a grade-schooler, she came face to face with King Tut’s mask on its travels through Europe.

Silke is a true people-person and finds day-to-day enjoyment while walking about the museum and partaking in other activities that allow her to interact with guests. She easily draws people into her tales by sharing her knowledge and joy of the artifacts.

In her own words, Silke describes the museum as “A joyous place! It rewards educating people about a time so long ago, but is still so vivid in everyone’s eyes. Who doesn’t know something about ancient Egypt? It’s rewarding being able to bring it to life and make it real for our guests.”

Danke Sehr! Silke for your volunteer service at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum!

Volunteer of the Year - Kaman Law

Kaman Law began volunteering at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum & Planetarium in November 2004. She is one of the hardest working and most reliable volunteers at Rosicrucian Park. Her dedication and excellent customer service make her a vital part of the daily operations in the Museum. Kaman thrives in whatever she takes on as her hardworking and positive nature carries her through a myriad of tasks.

In the summer of 2006, Kaman lent wonderful support at our five-day park-wide event, the Epagomenal Festival. She was always willing to be of service as she effortlessly moved from helping set up garden booths, to playing the Egyptian game Senet with guests, to giving public lectures. Kaman has also assisted with many of our Outreach events, such as Pumpkins in the Park, Christmas in the Park, spring in Guadalupe Gardens, the Desert Dance Festival, and more. Here she has aided the museum as a Public Representative, engaging children and adults alike with educational activities and historical information.

Adding to her versatility, Kaman has also greatly contributed to the museum through her own developed ideas. She designed and has successfully facilitated two of our weekend workshops, the Egyptian Arm Bands and the Scavenger Hunt, for over two years. Furthermore, she has aided in other workshops and events by developing new activities for our guests to enjoy, such as the Calendar Wheel and other activity worksheets. When time permitted, she has also served in the Park’s Research Library in volunteer work. When our Museum newsletter began a new section, the “Volunteer Highlight,” Kaman was the first thought on everyone’s mind.

Kaman began as a volunteer in her freshmen year of high school and, even with other programs, coursework, and a long commute; she has continued to be a very reliable and responsible volunteer in the museum. She began because of her passion for education and love of ancient cultures. Her volunteer work at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum has helped her to become a more confident and outgoing person, as well as given her training in artifact handling, conservation principles, and a vast background in Egyptology.

Kaman is an asset and a joy to work with and we have been very fortunate to have her as a volunteer.

Volunteer of the Month: Lily Van Osdol

For the past two years, Lily Van Osdol has been a helpful and delightful asset as one of the volunteers at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. She has assisted with several museum events, including the 75th Anniversary, where she helped paint pillars for our exhibit; the Epagomenal Festival, where she assisted with public booths and children’s activities; as well as many outreach events where she has aided in promoting the Museum in our community. She also assists with our Cooking and Armband Workshop on Saturdays. In her spare time, you’ll usually find her playing the ancient Egyptian game Sent with some guests. Lily began volunteering for the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum because of her great interest in history and ancient cultures. Her favorite part of the Museum is our Mesopotamia Room, located in the Daily Life Gallery (B) in the Museum, where she enjoys exploring the ancient cultures of the Near East. We have been very fortunate to have Lily as a volunteer here at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum as her positive and hard working nature have added a delightful experience for both the Museum and its guests.

If you are interesting in becoming a volunteer at Rosicrucian Park, please call (408) 947.3683 or email: volunteers@egyptianmuseum.org.