Past Archives Personnel

Tina Simmons

Experience

Office & customer service positions

• Educational supplies, typesetter
• Photography & Furniture office support
• Lighting showroom, sales
• Busse & Rieck Flowers, Plants and Gifts, Sales & merchandising

Benner Library department
• Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) Collection
• Print Periodical Collection
• University Archives

Tina began her work in the Archives Department assisting Mr. Moore prior to his retirement. She continued to file new holdings and to answer patron in inquiries in conjunction with Mary Ada Dillinger in the early-2000s.

Tina’s appointment as fulltime University Archivist in the mid-2000s provided her with the opportunity to implement two important goals: to digitize significant materials, and to promote the collection directly to constituents. She wrote and self-published two reference books: Olivet Presidents and A History of Athletics. Key developments under her leadership include: digitizing the Glimmerglass and innumerable photographs and implementing an active Facebook Page featuring weekly posts of historical images and a growing YouTube channel featuring Olivet musicians and significant speeches.

Mary Ada Dillinger

Education

• CAS Graduate School of Library and Information Science-University of Illinois
• MLS Graduate School of Library Studies-University of Hawaii at Manoa
• BA Elementary Education-Olivet Nazarene College 1968

Professional Memberships

• Association of Christian Librarians
• American Library Association
• Beta Phi Mu (International Library Science Honor Society)
• North Carolina Library Association, Illinois Library Association

Mary Ada Dillinger began her career with Olivet as Catalog Librarian.

Upon partial retirement she became University Archivist. She attended several Archivists workshops and applied that knowledge into updating procedures, laying groundwork for digitizing the Archives’ holdings, and bringing a fresh perspective to the department.

Norman Moore

Education

• Business - University of Cincinnati
• Theology - Olivet Nazarene College 1942

Pastoral Ministries

19 years in pastoral ministry including:
• Union City, Indiana
• New Hampshire, Ohio
• Wahiawa, Hawaii
• Felicity, Ohio.

Mr. Moore served as Secretary to the Superintendent of the Chicago Central District. His tenure at Olivet included Alumni Executive Director, Director of Admissions, Assistant Dean of Instruction and, upon retirement, University Archivist.

Norman Moore understood the importance of gathering the history of the university into a dedicated place and was responsible for the initial gathering together and categorizing of materials, documents, memorabilia and photos of Olivet’s history. He procured a portion of the campus library as well as large displays in other buildings and made the Archives a viable department to the institution.

Gordon Wickersham

Education

• Masters of Philosophy Boston University
• Masters of Philosophy Nazarene Theological Seminary • Philosophy and English-Olivet Nazarene College 1947

Pastoral Ministry

• Arkansas Pass, Texas
• Harlingen, Texas
• Brookfield, Illinois
• Hammond, Indiana.

After working as Alumni Coordinator and News Director for Bethany Nazarene College, Gordon was invited to recruit and counsel students at Olivet. He then became Director of Publicity. Upon “retirement,” Gordon worked at the Kankakee Daily Journal, coordinated the annual Bourbonnais Community Prayer Breakfast, worked with the Association of Retired Ministers and Missionaries, and continued working closely with Olivet on special projects. Gordon also continued a close relationship as Olivet alumni Historian. His time with Olivet began four years after the institution moved to its current location-from student, to alumnus, through employment and retirement. Gordon Wickersham spent much time advising and contributing to the Archives Department.