Mulligan narrative
One particular item we found was a narrative written by a student, Lorraine Mulligan, who went to visit with Dr. Gillette after Gillette had retired. Mulligan needed to get information for an article on Houghton College history, so the person to interview was fairly clear. She wrote about how she assumed Gillette would want to reminisce about "the old days," but instead, she focused on precise, well-organized historical facts—showing that even in retirement, she remained deeply committed to her work as a historian.
Mulligan recounts how they ended up talking for two hours, and when they were done with Houghton history, began subtly encouraging Gillette to talk about herself because she wanted to learn more about her. A fun anecdote from their conversation was when Frieda recounted how President Luckey reached out to her about teaching. She assumed it would be as a teacher at the high school, but when she got to the meeting, Luckey revealed it was to teach college History. Her response was, 'President, I can't do it!' and his response to her was, 'My child, I think you can,' Frieda said “And when President Luckey said, ‘My child, I think you can,' we just went ahead and did what he thought we could do.”
At the very end, Gillette drove Mulligan around so she could see relevant places of historical interest, and finally dropped her off at her dorm. Mulligan writes, “I watched her drive away. I walked inside with the six apples she had given me, "because college students just don't seem to get enough fruit,” a sentiment I am sure many college students can relate to.
Narratives such as Mulligan’s, as well as letters from former students and peers of Gillette’s, show her lasting impact on those she interacted with. Even after she passed away, her legacy lived on through those who knew her.