Mission
Staff
Governance
Museum History
 

Staff

Director: Dr. Gaye Bland
gbland@rogersark.org 

Gaye came to the Rogers Historical Museum in 1991 after working several years as director of the Siloam Springs Museum.  She took over as director in 1994.  While her primary duties revolve around administration, she really likes the fact that here she also gets to work on exhibits, help with programs, and even give tours of the Hawkins House.  Born and raised in Maryland, Gaye met her husband, a native of Rogers, while both were earning their doctorates in history at the University of Kentucky.  She and her husband have two grown twin daughters, one who teaches high school like her dad, and one
who went into museum work like mom.  Her personal interests include travel, gardening, and cooking. 

Assistant Director: John Burroughs
jburroughs@rogersark.org

John joined the Museum as Assistant Director in December 2007 and enjoys working with the Rogers community. His duties focus on museum administration, exhibit development, research supervision,
and membership and volunteer services. John earned a MPA degree and a Museum Studies Graduate Certificate from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and a BA in history from Eastern Illinois University. His background includes experience with The University Museum at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and the Saint Louis Science Center.

Curator of Collections: Terrilyn Wendling
twendling@rogersark.org
 
Terrilyn wears two hats. Her primary job responsibility is cataloging and storing our growing collection and helping with exhibits from time to time. But she also handles scheduling for school programs and helps with programs as needed. Originally from Michigan, Terrilyn has been at the Museum since 2006. She received a B.A. in Archaeology and M.A. in American History and Museum Studies. Terrilyn was drawn to Museum Studies because museums make history more accessible to everyone using real historical objects and stories. This history buff is particularly interested in the Revolutionary Period and the Victorian Era, so she feel right at home in our 1895 Hawkins House. Terrilyn lives with her husband in Bentonville, and enjoys all types of crafts.
 

Curator of Education: Janet Hargus
jhargus@rogersark.org 

As curator of education Janet is responsible for overseeing the Museum's educational programs for children. Janet's high school teachers all echoed the same sentiment, "Janet, you've got to teach!" But when she attended the University of Arkansas, there were more teachers than there were teaching jobs, so she earned a degree in Landscape Architecture, thinking that she'd someday teach that subject. Instead Janet ended up at the Museum teaching children about history. She joined the staff as education assistant in 2000 and was promoted to curator in 2001. In her free time Janet volunteers at Hobbs State
Park-Conservation Area, is director of the nursery at her church, and enjoys spending time with
her daughter Molly.

Education Assistant: Jessica Whitehead
jwhitehead@rogersark.org 

Jessica Whitehead grew up in Diamond, MO. She earned a BA in History from Missouri Southern Sate University. She and her husband, David Sappe, have two children, Steven and Meleah. They reside in Decatur with their pet, Captain Philbert the Wonder Dog. Jessica enjoys reading and sewing. She collects vintage sewing books, patterns and notions.

Education Assistant, Adult Programs: Monte Harris
mharris@rogersark.org 

Monte has been with the Rogers Historical Museum since 1998. Her job at the Museum includes adult presentations, oral history interviews, and presenting bus and walking tours of local historic sites. Monte is a fifth-generation resident of Benton County and a long-time student of history. A strong advocate of historic preservation, she has partnered with various county, state, and federal agencies to help document local history. Monte also has served on the Pea Ridge National Military Park Foundation Board for more than 10 years.

Collections Assistant: Jennifer Sweet
jsweet@rogersark.org
 
Jennifer has a B.A. in history and anthropology from Case Western Reserve University and an M.A. in history with an emphasis in archival, museum, and editing studies from Duquesne University. She has held several internships in museums large and small, giving her varied and valuable experience in collections care and cataloguing. Jennifer was born and raised in Warren, Ohio. She always liked history. But one summer she took a museum class that included an internship. That experience got her interested in museums as a career. In her spare time Jennifer enjoys reading, including historical fiction, and doing volunteer work.

Museum Office Manager: Patricia Campbell
pcampbell@rogersark.org 

Pat has worked for the museum since 1989, starting out as a work study student doing anything that needed to be done. Through the years she has been secretary, Friends of the Museum membership secretary, education program presenter, education department secretary, and now office manager.
Pat is a bit of a computer whiz, and loves to learn new software and use new technologies. At home
she enjoys cooking, genealogy research, and spending time with her family, which includes her husband, 2 children and in-laws, as well as 5 grandchildren.

Museum Guide: Debbie Smith
dfsmith@rogersark.org 

Debbie is our museum guide. She works each Saturday guiding visitors through the Hawkins House.
But during the week she works with Janet and Jessica helping to prepare for and present educational programs and works in the research library. Debbie is also an instructor in the medical field with
37 years of experience and has a degree in business and computer science.


Museum Custodian: Dick Townsend

Dick has been the custodian since late in 2006. He grew up in the Prairie Creek area and graduated
from Rogers High School. Dick joined the Army after high school and served in the United States and
in South Korea, where he was a nurse at a field hospital. After his military service Dick returned to Rogers, where he worked for Wendt Sonis for almost thirty years. After retiring he went into the
property management business, which he enjoys because of the satisfaction he gets from buying
an old house and renovating it.