Title: Thomas G. M. Simchak Photographs, 1999-2003

ID: RG 30/365

Extent: 1.2 Linear Feet

Thomas Gilmore MacLeod Simchak, the son of Matthew S. and Jane F. Simchak, was born in 1980 and grew up in Washington D.C. In 2003 he received his B.A. from Oberlin College, where he majored in Environmental Studies (honors), Politics, and Law & Society, with minors in History and Sociology.

During his time at Oberlin, Simchak took advantage of the various housing and dining options. In his first-year, he lived in Dascomb Hall and ate in Fairchild Co-op (spring semester). The following fall he lived and ate in Keep Co-op and in the spring he participated in the Danenburg Oberlin-London program. Throughout his junior year Tom lived and dined in Harkness Co-op, and during his senior year he lived off-campus at 148 N. Main St., and dined in Pyle Inn (Asia House) Co-op.

Involvement in the Oberlin Student Cooperative Association (OSCA) defined Tom’s years at Oberlin as evidenced by the number of official positions that he held in the organization. The positions included All-OSCA website coordinator, Harkness Board Representative, and membership coordinator for both Harkness and Pyle Inn Co-ops.

Oberlin student activist groups also interested Tom. His involvement in OhioPIRG peaked during his early years at Oberlin (Fall 1999–Fall 2001), when he served on the state board of directors. During his junior year he helped found Climate Justice, an environmental group whose mission at Oberlin is to persuade the administration to adopt policies that will make serious reductions in campus greenhouse gas emissions. Simchak pursued his interest in the outdoors through membership in the Oberlin Outing Club. He attended several peace rallies and other social justice protests.

During his last three semesters (Spring 2002–Spring 2003), he was elected to the Student Senate, serving two semesters as the Senate’s internal secretary. In this capacity he helped to defeat proposals to limit dorm access as well as addressing other issues of concern to the student body.

His interest in photography began in high school when he carried a point and shoot camera with him “almost everywhere, just in case something interesting happened.” This habit continued at Oberlin where, like most other places he visited, he took photos of everything he did. His photographs appeared in various student publications, including The Oberlin Review and The Skinny.

After the May 2003 Commencement, Thomas Simchak planned to attend Oxford University, England, for a Masters program in environmental policy.

Sources Consulted

Biographical sketch provided by Thomas Simchak. Revised by Archives staff.

Author: Thomas G. M. Simchak and Archives staff

Forms of Material (links to similar genres)

Languages of Materials

Administrative Information

Scope and Contents:

The Thomas G.M. Simchak Photographs document his interest and participation in environmental, political, social, and outdoor activities, on campus and elsewhere. The collection consists of: Series 1. Photographic Prints from Thomas G.M. Simchak (approximately 931 prints); Series 2. Born-Digital Images on Compact Disks (2), containing 1,608 born-digital photographs, many of which are represented in the prints; and, Series 3. Reference Prints from Selected Born-Digital Images on CD-Roms (796 prints), printed by a vendor for the Archives.

Thomas Simchak (Oberlin College Class of 2003) photographed these images during his student days at Oberlin, 1999-2003, for his private use or for the Oberlin Review. The photographs depict events in Oberlin (i.e., the Big Parade, Commencement, Outing Club Trips, OhioPIRG events, Oberlin College campus buildings and views), and off-campus events (i.e., IMF/World Bank Protest, 2000; a protest against the Iraq War in Cleveland, 2003; and the Anti-War March in Washington, D.C., also 2003). Many of the sleeves holding the groupings of photographs by subject or event are inscribed with descriptions by Simchak himself.

The prints from Simchak were commercially printed in glossy finish, and vary in size from standard 4” x 6” prints to panoramas in varying sizes up to 12” wide. The original digital image files are jpegs in much larger dimensions (i.e., 100 x 12 inches), and generally 72-75 pixels per inch.

The digital images on the compact disks were downloaded to the Achives digital archive. The compact disks may be used to view the images on a reading room computer only. Reference prints were made by a vendor from 796 born-digital images on the CDs in 2019. The majority of these provide additional images in print form for reference. These images were printed in 4” x 6” format with matte finish. They are housed in a separate box from the original Simchak collection.

Please consult with the College Archivist concerning the reproduction rights associated with these photographs.

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