Volunteers continue to drive the USS Midway Museum’s success. From direct engagement with our visitors and ensuring their safety, to providing them with unique and outstanding guest experiences, Midway volunteers keep the museum a San Diego icon.
“When you visit Midway, almost every aspect of your experience is supported or impacted by the efforts of our volunteers, “said Laurie Switzer, Midway’s director of volunteer. “Volunteers embrace our mission. Each and every volunteer delivers inspiration by way of their generous hearts and gifts of service to the museum and our guests.”
Hats off to our Volunteers of the Month for the fourth quarter of 2022
Rafe Arnott, Docent – October 2022
Midway docents are the face, and in many instances, the personality of the museum. Their intimate stories of Navy adventures on the high seas bring naval history and service to country alive for our guests.
Rafe Arnott embodies the qualities that make docents the perfect ambassadors for Midway. As Docent of the Watch (DOW), Rafe organizes and leads the Tuesday and Thursday watch teams ensuring everything runs smoothly and quickly handles any guest issues that arise. He’s become the docent team’s “go-to” guy.
Rafe’s stellar naval career more than prepared him to excel as a leader on the docent team. A former A-7 Corsair pilot, he’s deployed on multiple aircraft carriers and flew more than 200 combat missions over North Vietnam. He was also the last commanding officer of Attack Squadron 146 (VA-146).
“Rafe is a highly respected and valuable member of the docent corps,” said Jim Reily, Midway’s docent director. “He manages by example and gets the job done.”
Upon his retirement from the Navy in 1993, Rafe spent the next 15 years as a Boeing 727 captain flying for FedEx. After retiring from FedEx in 2011, he became a docent for Midway and has logged more than 6,200 volunteer hours.
Richard Biro, Safety – November 2022
An outstanding visit to the USS Midway Museum is more than just seeing the aircraft, taking in the Battle of Midway movie or enjoying a spin in a full-motion simulator, it’s ensuring that a guest’s time on board the ship is a safe experience.
Richard Biro is dedicated to the safety of every visitor, as well as employees and volunteers. He has made tremendous contributions to the safety team in just the three years he’s been member of Midway’s crew.
Joining the museum only months before COVID closed Midway, the retired aerospace industry project manager volunteered to help team rewrite and update a number of the safety department publications and training guides. Richard also quickly qualified as a safety lead and safety training officer.
Having amassed nearly 4,000 volunteer hours since joining Midway in late 2019, Richard is very active with the museum’s day-to-day operations and is always willing help whenever needed.
“Richard is a pleasure to work with, he is a dedicated safety volunteer,” said Dominick Boccia, Midway’s director of safety and security. “Richard goes above and beyond what is expected and is definitely an asset to our team. This honor is earned and well-deserved.”
For those interested in becoming a USS Midway Museum volunteer, more information along with the volunteer application can be found www.midway.org/give-join/volunteers
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