Virginia Beach History Museums Longtime Volunteer Honored

Susan Flye, center, the recipient of the Wayne McCoy Spirit of Virginia Beach award. She is pictured with Rotary Club member Patti Phillips, left, and Ross Loomis, club president.

Susan Flye describes herself as a “tour hog.” Whenever she is scheduled to volunteer to lead tours at the Thoroughgood House, instead of alternating tours with staff, Susan said she tells them, “I’m OK to stick with your rotation plan, but I’ll be happy to do every tour today.” 

She loves giving tours, she said, because it’s a way to learn history that requires her to focus and understand the information well enough to be able to teach others.  

Love of History

Susan has been volunteering for the Virginia Beach History Museums for so long that she can’t remember exactly when she started, but she said it’s probably been close to 20 years.

In that time, she has volunteered at the Francis Land House and the Lynnhaven House, in addition to the Thoroughgood House, where her in-depth tours bring the oldest surviving colonial home in Virginia Beach to life. A skilled seamstress with a passion for historic fashion, Susan also helps fellow volunteers repair costumes and created her own colonial-period gown. 

“It’s a place that has allowed me to combine my amateur love of history and storytelling with a group of people who could not be more encouraging,” she said. “They just make it wonderful. Every staff member is a historian, so showing up to volunteer is like having my own history tutor.” 

Spirit of Virginia Beach Award

In March, Susan was recognized by the Virginia Beach Rotary Club for her embodiment of volunteerism in the City with the Wayne McCoy Spirit of Virginia Beach Award. 

The Virginia Beach Rotary Club has been recognizing outstanding City service for decades as a way to highlight the many critical functions City employees and volunteers perform every day. The Spirit of Virginia Beach was named for the late Rotarian Wayne McCoy, who was a dedicated volunteer for many years for the City of Virginia Beach.  

“I was gob smacked,” Susan said. “I’ve never received an award like that in my whole life. That they would do that was like giving me a big hug. If I worried about being a tour hog, I guess that’s OK. Seriously, I don’t want to lose my volunteer gig. It means that they will let me keep coming back. That’s the best thing.” 

Susan said she encourages all of her friends to volunteer with the Virginia Beach History Museums, because the staff is so supportive.  

“You never feel bad about not knowing something,” she said. “They open the doors for you to do the projects that you want to do. They help you to find a channel for whatever it is that you want to do.” 

The City of Virginia Beach will be honoring all volunteers during National Volunteer Week, April 20-26. Find your own volunteer opportunity at VirginiaBeach.gov/Volunteer.