The Archives
Preserving history where history was made.
Meet the DeKoven Center Archival Collections Team
The DeKoven Center is committed to preserving history where history was made. Our passionate and dedicated collections team leverage their expertise and education to preserve not only the rich history of our campus, but also the legacies of Episcopal orders like the Community of St. Mary, Western Province and the Sisters of the Holy Nativity.
Rory Graves
Archives Collections Manager
Rory Graves is the DeKoven Center Archivist. Bringing over twelve years of experience to the role, Graves previously worked institutions like the School Sisters of St. Francis Archives (Milwaukee, WI), Racine Heritage Museum Archives (Racine, WI), and the Resource Center of the Civil War Museum (Kenosha, WI).
Graves holds a BA in History with a minor in Anthropology and a Museum Studies Certificate from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside (2019). Actively engaged in the field, they are a member of the Society of American Archivists and are currently pursuing a Digital Archives Specialist certificate.
Dr. John E. Magerus
Consultant to the Archives
John Magerus is the DeKoven Center Archives Consultant. Prior to retirement, he served as a professor and administrator at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. In "retirement" he has conducted extensive archival research and served as a volunteer for the Luxembourg American Cultural Society and at the Racine County Heritage Museum. At the Heritage Museum he was active in creating content based on a variety of local historical subjects. In 2013 he became a volunteer archivist for DeKoven. He and Fr. Jim Braun assessed and organized the Center’s various historical documents and holdings. As an archives consultant, he continues efforts to increase knowledge about the DeKoven archival collection, with a special focus on its namesake James DeKoven.
Matthew P. Payne
Board Liaison to the Archives
Matthew Payne is the DeKoven Board Liaison to the Archives. He has nearly four decades as an administrative professional. He has worked in the archives of Marquette University, Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral-Little Rock, and served as Archivist and Historiographer of the Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac for two decades. He is a member of the Society of American Archivists. He has served as an officer of the National Episcopal Historians and Archivists and was primary editor on their second edition of the publication "Archives for Congregations: A Practical Guide for Developing a Church Archives." He also is the Director of Operations of the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church.
Interested in learning more about DeKoven’s History? Contact Rory Graves, Archives Collection Manager (rgraves@dekovencenter.org) to discover ways you can learn more or be involved in making history happen.