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Territorial museum coordinator retires
 COMMISSIONER DAVID EDWARDS presented Frances Dingman with her retirement plaque. Her husband, Gerry, joined them. |
After more than 21 years of dedicated service to The Salvation Army, Territorial Museum Coordinator and historian Frances Dingman has retired from her full-time position at the College for Officer Training.
Her depth of knowledge regarding Salvation Army history and her ability to research little-known events and people have resulted in articles–many printed in New Frontier–of singular value to Salvationists and Army friends around the world.
She is currently working on a book about the history of The Salvation Army in the West. “I have developed a long-standing appreciation for the Army’s early pioneers, as well as its work through the years,” she said.
Frances came to the Army as a “temp” in 1979, working first in the Men’s Social Service Department and then in the Chief Secretary’s office. From 1983 until the present she served in her capacity at the museum and also as assistant editor at New Frontier.
“Frances’ work is known throughout the Army world,” said New Frontier editor Dr. Robert Docter. “Her knowledge of Army history and people is boundless, and her ability to write articles about Salvationists from the days of William and Catherine Booth to the present has been a remarkable gift to The Salvation Army. We will all miss her.”
A lifelong Methodist, she has admitted that, if asked to make even a 10-minute talk on John Wesley, it would probably start with “John Wesley was William Booth’s hero.”
That’s pretty much what one would expect from someone whom Commissioner Ronald Irwin (R), former Eastern Territorial Commander and Western Territory Chief Secretary, has called “A Salvationist without portfolio.”
A graduate of William and Mary College in Williamsburg, VA, with a degree in Fine Arts, she is married to retired Air Force Colonel Gerry Dingman. They have four children and eight grandchildren.
Frances will be helping during during the museum’s transition period. Best wishes may be sent to her in care of: Crestmont College-CFOT Museum, 30840 Hawthorne Blvd., Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90274.