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Donor Profile:  Marge and Sherm Telleen

Long-time Volunteers Marge and Sherm Telleen
Endow Botanical Director’s Position

Sherm and Marge Telleen (far left) lead a group on a tour of the Desert Garden.

People come to The Huntington for different reasons – the beautiful roses, afternoon tea, the intrigue of the library, the magnificent art collections. And sometimes they come and never leave.

All told, Sherm and Marge Telleen have devoted 35 years to the Huntington as garden docents, focusing most heavily on the Desert Garden. Their love for the place recently culminated in an extraordinary gift to endow the position of botanical director.

"The Huntington brings a tremendous amount of pleasure to its visitors,” says Sherman, by way of explaining the couple’s motivation for the $3 million gift. And who better to gauge the delight experienced by visitors exploring the gardens than Sherm and Marge? They can be found at The Huntington on many days of the week, often elucidating the mysterious lives of cacti and succulents to a group of rapt visitors.

Endowing the position of botanical director was among the key goals of the Huntington’s Campaign. Endowing positions is critical to attracting and retaining the finest professionals and to recognizing their achievements and leadership. James Folsom has held the institution’s position of botanical director since 1984 and will be now known as the Marge and Sherm Telleen Director of the Botanical Gardens.

Marge first got involved with The Huntington in 1984. “A friend of mine who had been a Huntington docent for many years suggested that I would love being a docent,” says Marge, who as a child lived just a few blocks away from The Huntington. (The Telleens have lived in San Marino since 1957.)

When Sherm, formerly managing director in the Los Angeles office of the investment firm of Scudder Stevens & Clark, retired in 1991 he too became a garden docent. Today both Marge and Sherm are active as Full Garden Docents, meaning they have expertise in principal garden areas.

Interacting with Huntington visitors brings great satisfaction to the couple. Some visitors come to the Los Angeles area specifically to visit The Huntington, they say. For others the Huntington experience comes as a complete surprise, a side trip during a vacation that quickly transforms into a major highlight. The Telleens are particularly tickled by visitors who initially declare no interest in the Desert Garden or think they won’t like it, then find themselves entranced by its magical qualities.

“The Desert Garden features the world’s largest outdoor collection of cacti and succulents from all over the world,” says Sherm. Of particular importance to the Telleens are the institution’s efforts to preserve plants that are being or have been destroyed in their native environments, and the opportunities for environmental education that this brings to many groups of people.

The Telleens have extended their volunteer leadership into other parts of the institution as well. The couple joined The Huntington as Fellows in 1986 and are presently Gold Huntington Circle members. Sherm was elected to the Board of Overseers in 1992 and is a past chairman of the board. Over the years both Sherm and Marge has served on various Huntington committees.

Naturally, the Telleens have shared their love for the institution with family -- daughter Cindy Jenkins and her husband Scott are Fellows. Daughter Karen served as a docent here until she moved to Santa Barbara. Grandson Tim spent a summer volunteering in the gardens.

“Just coming into this place sort of lifts you,” says Marge. “Everyone seems to know one another; you’re made welcome by everyone, from scholars to security. It’s an island in the midst of a huge city, and visitors are just so pleased to be here.”