It's not too much of a stretch to say that, for the docents of UCLA's Mildred E Mathias Botanical Garden, providing training and tours for schoolchildren, civic groups, horticultural clubs, and seniors associations is a little bit like volunteering in heaven on earth. Organized in April 1996 by Beverly Shaffer, the docent corps is a group of hardy and dedicated individuals. Many are UCLA alumni, and all either retired or have structured their schedules in such a way that they can generously volunteer their time.
Some docents prefer to lead tours, while others assist with administrative tasks.
Still others volunteer as gardeners, working under the supervision of Rank Plewak, senior garden manager. Professor Gibson, director of the garden, provides training free of charge for all docents accepted into the program. Anyone who has been lucky enough to study with Professor Gibson knows him to be someone who shares his knowledge with the same degree of excitement as a little boy discovering something for the first time. He makes scientific information easily accessible to the layperson in a practical and magical way. To ease new docents into botanical terminology, typically Professor Gibson will lecture for approximately half an hour on his chosen topic for the day, often providing extensive written materials to supplement the lecture.