As part of scheduled activities and events during Homecoming Weekend 2025, Olivet Nazarene University will celebrate the 50-year anniversary of the opening of Benner Library. Since its inception as an institution of higher education, Olivet has held a comprehensive collection of books, articles and artifacts. But, in the 1970s, the University was experiencing booming growth in enrollment, and the existing Memorial Library could not sufficiently house the collection and cater to the student population.
At the beginning of the fall semester in 1975, Benner Library opened in the center of campus. The three-story structure, which looked out onto the quad, expanded the available space for students to study and work, allowed for technological advancements and upgrades, and increased the storage for print and digitized resources.
That summer, Ray Morrison, Ed.D. was a young, 22-year old librarian. To take the job at Olivet, he moved from sunny California, and although he was a little frustrated by the inability to wear shorts year-round, he was undeterred in his passion for library science. He joyfully put together the new furniture and helped move the collection of books, shelf-by-shelf, as some of his first tasks when he was hired the month before Benner opened.
Ray’s work as a reference librarian meant that he oversaw the circulation desk (and a team of about 40 student workers), and managed the government documents and periodicals. His interest in University artifacts also led him to initiate an archives collection.
“I really enjoyed working with students as an academic librarian,” Ray reflects. “I was so new and so young; basically, the same age as the students, I understood them and we got along very well.”
At the time, Benner Library was truly a hub of academic exploration and discovery. The face-to-face interactions between the library staff, faculty and students promoted a spirit of collaboration throughout campus.
“This was before the internet,” Ray emphasizes. “Now, you can Google something, but at the time, it was important for me to get students to get books in their hands. They needed to know the proper way to do that to save time and energy. It was important for me to get students to learn proper research skills, particularly if they were going on to further education. Through those interactions, I really got to know students and I truly enjoyed seeing them outside of the library — at Christmas parties, in the sanctuary at College Church, etc.”
In addition to his work at the library, Ray utilized his own experiences as an athlete to coach the track and cross-country teams at Olivet. It was a volunteer position, but similar to his desire to provide educational resources to young minds, Ray was more than happy to enhance the athletic opportunities available to the students.
“There wasn’t a track on campus, so we used the cinder track at Bradley Bourbonnais Community High School and went to the state park for cross country practice,” Ray says. “In addition to using those resources, I loved traveling to other colleges in the Chicago-land area to see what their facilities looked like. During my time at Olivet, new tennis courts and the first track around the football field were built.”
Ray only worked for the University for five years before moving with his wife Barbara (Derrenbacher), a 1976 nursing graduate of Olivet, to Kansas City, where he worked as a library director at MidAmerica Nazarene University. Later, they moved to Arkansas, to further his academic pursuits with a doctoral degree, and he finished his career in New York. Still, he credits his brief time at Olivet as foundational for his 44-year career as a librarian.
“Working at Olivet was the best learning experience I could have had,” he says. “I immediately got to put what I had learned in library science classes to the test. There were, of course, shenanigans like a smoke bomb in the elevator and a Volkswagen straddling the fountain that used to be out front. But I didn’t hold grudges — college students just do those sorts of things.”
Ray’s fondness for the University has only increased over time. After many years away, he and Barbara returned to campus for one of her reunion years. Ray recalled taking in a campus that had evolved so beautifully. Several years later, Barbara began a battle with terminal cancer that she lost less than two years later. Though her loss is still hard to comprehend, Ray has found comfort in returning to the place they first called “home” together.
“I always love coming back to Homecoming each year,” Ray reflects. “I feel warm and fuzzy when I come back ‘home.’ I love visiting the State Park — where I proposed to my wife — and I drive around town to see our first house in Kankakee, where our son was born. Coming back to Olivet is full of fond memories for me.”
As part of Benner’s 50-year celebration activities, Ray will be on campus during the library reception and open house on Friday, October 17, and is looking forward to walking down memory lane with former students, as well as engaging with the current campus community.
For more information about Benner Library’s 50-Year Anniversary Celebration, visit Library.Olivet.edu/About/Events. For tickets and more information about Homecoming 2025, visit Olivet.edu/hc
