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Class Notes Guidelines

  • The following policies and guidelines help the editorial staff in making decisions regarding the inclusion of class notes in the "Classes" section of Olivet: The Magazine.

  • Appropriate submissions

    Class Notes are intended to chronicle major life transitions of alumni of Olivet Nazarene University, and submissions should be about news less than one year old. Class notes should fall into one of six categories:

    • births/adoptions
    • in memoriam
    • employment
    • military notes
    • good news
    • weddings

    Submissions for staff, trustees, faculty or friends who did not attend Olivet may or may not be published at the discretion of the editor, based on factors including the individual's involvement with the school, length of service and relationship to alumni readers.

    Sample announcements

    Most class notes should be limited to 70 words. "In Memoriam" entries may be up to 175 words.


    Barry Spencer '97 and Lori Maynard were married on September 23, 2000, in Atlanta, Ga. Barry works for Leaders Legacy, and Lori works for Management Decisions. They reside in Atlanta, Ga.

    Dawn (McLaughlin) '92 and Ben Heid '93: A boy, Nathaniel Benjamin, August 7, 2000. He joins brother Samuel, 2. Dawn is the director of New Horizons for Children Learning Center at Plymouth Church of the Nazarene, and Ben is the marketing manager at American Axle & Manufacturing. They reside in Westland, Mich.

    Joel ’00 and Stephanie Newsham: Adopted, a boy, Levi Joel, born May 26, 2007. Joel is an elementary school teacher, and Stephanie is a CPA with Ernst & Young. They reside in Greenwood, Ind.

    Gerald W. Smith '76 recently earned his Ph.D. degree in management and administration from Walden University. He retired from the U.S. Army as a lieutenant colonel in 1998. He now teaches at Millikin
    University. He and his wife, Donna (Hills) '77, reside in Mahomet, Ill.     

    Frank Jones ’59 passed away February 17, 2012. Frank was born January 22, 1930, in Lexington, Ky. He married his beloved wife, Mary, July 10, 1953. Frank was a devoted father and an avid theater buff. He taught high school for 32 years. After retiring, he worked part time for 20 years at a local theater in various positions, but most recently, he was a tour guide. He loved traveling, his church family and the theater. He was a member of his Joliet First Church of the Nazarene. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving in the Korean War. 

    Family listed in birth announcements 

    Only immediate family members, such as siblings and parents of the child, should be listed in birth announcements. Grandparents or other relatives will not be listed, unless they are the designated guardians of the child.

    Promotion of products and services

    Anything that might be construed as advertising for a product or service will not be printed in the magazine.

    Web addresses and contact information

    Web addresses or any personal/company contact information, such as email addresses or phone numbers, will not be printed in the magazine.

    In memoriam

    All obituaries submitted for alumni of Olivet Nazarene University will be printed in the magazine, provided the issue goes to print within one year of the individual’s passing. In memoriam submissions for staff, trustees, faculty or friends may or may not be published at the discretion of the editor, based on factors including the individual's involvement with the school, length of service and relationship to readers.

    In memoriam submissions will be edited before publication and will be limited to 175 words. Lists of survivors will not be included. Exceptions may be made at the discretion of the editor. At their discretion, editors may highlight and/or lengthen obituaries for prominent alumni, faculty, staff or friends, depending on available space.

    Occasionally, Olivet may use information printed in local newspapers and/or funeral home websites for memorials. However, we cannot be responsible for obtaining memorials for all alumni. To insure your loved one receives a proper tribute, please make sure to send information to the editor, via the online form or email.

    Newsletters and missionary letters

    Family/friend newsletters and missionary letters (those duplicated and sent to a large group of people on a mailing list) will be forwarded to the Office of Alumni Relations. These will be regarded as letters to friends on staff at Olivet, not as submissions for print in the magazine. If you would like to include your news in the Classes section, please submit it via the online form or email. This way, we are certain that information we publish is intended and appropriate for mass distribution in the publication.

    Engagement Announcements 

    Due to space constraints, we do not print engagement announcements.  We will be glad to run an announcement of marriage, following the wedding ceremony.

    Editing and refusal to print

    The editors reserve the right to edit submissions for length, clarity or style standards. They will not publish submissions that are deemed offensive or that promote activity or values contrary to values held by ONU.

    News highlights

    The editors reserve the right to highlight submissions in the magazine when information about an alumnus is deemed particularly noteworthy, unique or exceptional.

    Photos

    Submitted photos will be published within the magazine whenever possible, based on photo quality and space available. Digital photos may be submitted by email to oliveteditors@olivet.edu. For best quality, digital photos should be submitted in at least 3” x 5” size at 300 dpi (or 900 x 1500 pixels). Prints may be submitted by mail, but will not be returned to the submitter unless specifically requested and a return address is indicated. Photos may be cropped or touched up before print.

    Approval requirements and options

    Editors will take great care in accurately representing the submitted news in the editing process, and will only contact alumni for clarification when needed. Alumni will not have the opportunity to approve edited submissions before print.

    How to submit Class Notes

    Information for "The Classes" may be submitted online here. Pictures must be emailed to oliveteditors@olivet.edu.

    In addition to online and email submissions, information and pictures for "The Classes" may be submitted by mail to:
    Olivet: The Magazine
    Olivet Nazarene University
    One University Ave.
    Bourbonnais, IL 60914

    Timing of publication 

    Olivet: The Magazine is a quarterly publication. Because the magazine is sent periodical, it may take up to one month before it arrives in some mailboxes. The cut-off date for Class Notes submissions is approximately three weeks before an issue goes to print. However, class notes are used in order of their submission, and are placed into the magazine according to how much space is available. Therefore, even if a news item is submitted prior to the cut-off date, it  may not appear in print until the following issue. If your class note does not appear in the magazine within six months of submission, we recommend you send an inquiry to oliveteditors@olivet.edu or call 815-928-5679.

    More information

    If you have additional questions or concerns about the class notes, email us at oliveteditors@olivet.edu.