SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : Mission Museum’s Director Resigning
Nicholas M. Magalousis, museum director at Mission San Juan Capistrano, announced Thursday that he is resigning from his post to pursue other interests in anthropology and archeology.
Magalousis, who has worked in various capacities at the 217-year-old mission for 15 years, will step down July 31.
“The systems here are up and running,” said Magalousis, a Dana Point resident. “There are support groups like the mission docents in place. In many ways the mission doesn’t need as much direction as it used to.”
Magalousis arrived at the mission in 1979 and, in cooperation with Chapman University and UC Irvine, organized a field archeological research team to study the site. Other universities soon came on board, and the research project eventually drew students from as far away as New York, Minnesota and Mexico.
“We were able to draw a lot of diverse students,” Magalousis said. “With that kind of talent, we were able to study the site in great detail, start oral histories and develop the docent program.”
Magalousis said he has applied for various cultural resource management jobs and laboratory positions with the United Nations and other international organizations.
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