History Is Alive for Her at Cemeteries

While a UCLA undergraduate history student, Ronelle Ingram regularly visited a nearby cemetery to study.

“I learned that the (Veterans) cemetery was the nicest, most quiet place to study, much better than the beach, where all things were happening,” said the Irvine woman. “No one bothered me at the cemetery.”

Besides feeling safe, the cemetery offered “real peace and spiritualness,” she said.

From that time, Ingram, 43, has visited as many as 200 cemeteries, in the United States, Europe and the Caribbean.

Her travels were widespread as she pursued her interest in horse shows. She was once California champion in the Pacific Coast Hunter Jumper Stock Horse Assn.

“When I was showing horses, everywhere I went, I would find a cemetery,” said the UCLA graduate, who did postgraduate work in animal husbandry at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

She spent years training others to ride, but a schedule of “50 hours a week for 20 years” took its toll. “My body was falling apart,” Ingram said.

“One day I didn’t want to ride my own horse, so I told myself I have to go out and get myself a real job. Horses were the essence of my life and were an all-consuming lifestyle to me.”

Ingram is director of technical services for FKM Copier Products in Irvine. She still owns a horse, which she boards at a friend’s stable.

She is not reluctant to talk about cemeteries, and about death.

“I have always been comfortable with death,” Ingram said. “A lot of people are afraid to use the words death and dying. I can speak about it. I’m not afraid of it.”

Her fascination is as much a matter of history as it is beauty. Ingram says she gets a history lesson by reading the tombstones and talking to other visitors.

Cemeteries offer direct evidence of history and give a sense of the “essence of the community,” said the member of the Irvine History Club. “I would rather go to a cemetery than go shopping or visit a museum.”

She calls cemeteries “outdoor museums” and discusses her interest at club meetings.

“None of us has similar interests in history, and that helps us expand our horizons. History is the study of humankind,” said Ingram, who is completing her training as a member of the Orange County Search and Rescue Squad.

While she will continue to visit cemeteries, Ingram is bent on finding new adventures.

“Every moment of my life is for fun, and I’m always trying to learn and grow,” she said.