Margaret (Peg) Serences, a long-time Dana Point resident and Historical Society member, recently passed away. Peg lived in one of the most charming of Sidney Woodruff’s houses on the bluff overlooking the harbor—a house that was twice open to us for our annual Home Tour. Peg was a great supporter of the Historical Society and recorded for us an oral history in which she discussed the early days of Dana Point.
She came here with her family in 1951 when the population was about 2,000, when there were no schools and one had to go to Laguna Beach for any shopping. The children went to school in Capistrano Beach and then to San Clemente High School. Peg’s husband, John, formerly an engineer at Douglas Aircraft Co., became a moving force in the water district of this area and, over the years, helped consolidate and modernize the system. Peg expressed great love for the community in those days because everyone knew everyone else and she participated in a great many meetings of various organizations and in social activities at the Community House—truly a community center.
Once her children were off to school, Peg started on a quest to get a college degree and, eventually, her teaching credentials. She graduated from UCI with a BA in English in 1968 and went on to Cal. State Fullerton to complete her teaching credentials. She taught at Marco Forster Junior High as well as San Clemente and Dana Hills High Schools. In addition to her teaching talents, Peg studied art, was an accomplished painter, and further expressed her artistic ability by making exquisite dolls—the porcelain head, and the body, as well as the beautiful costumes.
In Peg Serences we have lost a true pioneer of our community, an ardent Historical Society supporter and one who contributed so much to the distinctive city that Dana Point has become.
Mary Crowl
The Orange County Register obituary can be found here: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/orangecounty/obituary.aspx?pid=162948648