Alex Sandie
Founder of the Society and past President
Professional member of Actors Alliance of San Diego. Commercial banker; founding president of several local Scottish organizations, including San Diego-Edinburgh Sister City Society. Actor in over 40 local productions in local theaters, including Lawrence Welk Resort Theatre. His contributions to the arts and culture in San Diego have been recognized with awards from the City of San Diego; the Spirit of Bravissimo Award and from San Diego County Office of Education; the Pillar of Leith (Edinburgh) Medal for contributions to Scottish culture in California.
Jonathan McMurtry
Founder of the Society and Honorary Member
Jonathan was a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He had a half-century affiliation at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre where he was an Associate Artist, with over 200 productions to his credit. He coached Shakespeare for the Old Globe’s MFA program and performed in all of Shakespeare’s 37 plays. Jonathan was honored in October 2018 by the SDSS with a specially dedicated Sonnets program at the Old Globe Theater.
Marvin Spira
Former Vice President of the Society and Student Festival Chair
Marvin became a member in 2003 and devoted countless volunteer hours to the Society, always doing so in a quiet, friendly manner. For his tireless, dedicated, and meaningful contributions, he received the Star Award in 2006 from the San Diego Performing Arts League. Raised in Chicago, he graduated from the University of Illinois and proudly served in the Army Air Corps in World War II. Marvin was a recognized expert in the food industry and trained chef from Cordon Bleu in Paris.
Patricia Spira
Former Board member of the Society and former Membership Chair
For many years, it was a gracious note from Patricia that welcomed new members to the Society. She worked diligently to record and adjust our membership rolls, to encourage renewals of membership, and to generally offer wise guidance to the Board. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Patricia was box office manager at the Milwaukee’s Marcus Performing Arts Center when she began forming what would become INTIX, now considered the leading professional association for box office staff. She headed INTIX for 22 years before retiring in 2002. Patricia also served as Managing Director of Sledgehammer Theatre.
Jack Winans
Former Board Member and long-time member of the Society
Jack taught Radio and Television at Central Washington State University in 1961, and then 28 years of Drama at Kearney High in San Diego. Jack was the only actor to perform in both of the Old Globe’s productions of Mister Roberts – first, as “Schlemmer “ in 1953 and again as “Chief Johnson” in 1995 at the age of 63. In between, he performed in nine other Globe productions. His favorite role was as “Curly” in Of Mice and Men. Over the years, Jack directed many readings at the Upstart Crow bookstore for the SDSS.
Walter Munk
Honorary Member and long-time supporter of the Society
Walter was a world-famous oceanographer and a professor of geophysics at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego in La Jolla. He, along with his wife Mary, was a generous supporter of the Society and they opened their home each Spring for our annual Bard Birthday fundraiser.
Rupert Essinger
Long-time member of the Society and first Readings Coordinator
Born in Leicestershire, England, Rupert attended Oxford University and went on to study cartography and GIS at Glasgow University and then SUNY Buffalo. He joined Esri (the company behind StoryMaps) in 1985. He directed many readings at the Upstart Crow bookstore and was always a welcome face to returning and new attendees.
Amanda Walter
Past President and Lectures Coordinator
Amanda earned her master’s degree from the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon and focused her thesis on authenticity in Shakespeare performance, later working at the Royal Shakespeare Company. As our Lectures Coordinator, she always treated the membership to a range of scholarly topics. And with gusto, she managed our social activities, such as the Bard Birthday Parties and our Trivia Nights. In her beloved profession of teacher, she rightly received the title of Educator of the Year at the Classical Academy High School in April 2023. A lover of both Shakespeare and Tolkien, she brought her excitement about literature and language to her English classes every day.