DIS Magazine: a quarterly publication of the Dutch International Society. Summer 2020.

d.i.s. magazine

a quarterly publication of the Dutch International Society

Volume 52, NO. 1 Summer 2020

• in Memoriam: Dr. Martin Bakker (1933-2020) • Bier Distillery: Hollandse Hapjes on the North Side • “Carl the Clown” Angelo, the Winningest Amateur Pitcher in Baseball History • The Flying Housewife • Dutch American Ambassadors to the Netherlands

d.i.s. magazine VOLUME 52 NO. 1 Summer 2020

Our cover: Statue of Fanny Blankers-Koen that stands in Rotterdam.

2010 Photo by FaceMePLS on Flickr.

Time to Renew Your Support for the Dutch International Society ........ 4 Statement from the Board of the DIS ................................................ 5 From the Editor .............................................................................. 5 In Memoriam: Dr. Martin Bakker (1933-2020) .................................... 6 Bier Distillery: Hollandse Hapjes on the North Side ............................ 8 “Carl the Clown” Angelo, the Winningest Amateur Pitcher in Baseball History...................................................................................... 12 The Flying Housewife ............................................................................... 14 Dutch American Ambassadors to the Netherlands ................................. 16 From Our Members ................................................................................. 20

Published quarterly by Dutch International Society P.O. Box 7062 Grand Rapids, MI 49510 ALL CORRESPONDENCE REGARDING THE D.I.S. Magazine: For action by the Editor: Dr. Arend Vander Pols 1742 Cambridge DR SE Grand Rapids, MI 49506-4424 editor@dutchinternationalsociety.org For information on advertising and other information: Dutch International Society P.O. Box 7062 Grand Rapids, MI 49510 info@dutchinternationalsociety.org Periodical postage paid at Grand Rapids, Michigan (USPS #103690) POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: D.I.S. Magazine P.O. Box 7062 Grand Rapids, MI 49510

News in Brief ........................................................................................... 21

© Dutch International Society 2020

The Dutch Connection Calendar .............................................................. 22

Opinions expressed in the articles appearing in the magazine are not to be construed as an endorsement by the Board of the D.I.S.

Taalsplinters ....................................................................... 23 Introducing our new DIS Facebook group (under construction): https:// www.facebook.com/groups/ dutchinternationalsociety

Printed in the United States of America.

Dutch International Society Board Members

Matt Helmus, President

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Maria DeLugt Kocsis

Ed Peters, Secretary

Arend Art Wurfel Vander Pols, Vice President

Esther Wurfel, Treasurer

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Time to Renew Your Support for the Dutch International Society Would you please take a minute now and check out the address label on the back of this magazine?

The year that appears at the top of your name and address shows the date of when your membership in our society expires. The membership year runs from April through May. A 2019 means your membership has already expired, and while at this point we are not purging our membership list we would appreciate your support by renewing your membership for 2020 and 2021.

For those members who have already renewed through 2020 and 2021 we thank you! And a special thank you for those members who have sent additional donations to support our work.

Our membership currently numbers 1005, which includes institutional memberships. 806 members have renewed through 2020, and 87 of those have renewed through 2021.

In order to save on mailing and printing costs the society will not be sending out separate membership renewal form as we have in the past. Your support by renewing, giving gift memberships, and extra donations will help the DIS Board determine the future of our society!

Mail in the form below with your check or go online to pay with debit or credit card.

Bedankt!

DIS Membership and Subscription Form Name ___________________________________________________________ Address ______________________________________________________________ State/ZIP/Country _________________________________________________ Please add me to the DIS email list ________________________________________ Enclose a check made out to Dutch International Society for $10 US ($20 US outside USA/Canada) for a year membership & subscription (4 issues) and mail to: DIS, P.O. Box 7062 Grand Rapids, MI 49510. For gift memberships enclose $10 US per membership and include name and address of recipient. Or renew or join online with your credit or debit card at dutchinternationalsociety.org

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From the Board

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ur organization has always focused on connecting a far-flung group of people and with the societal changes over the last several months we know this is now only more important. That being said, we hope that the end of summer finds you healthy and happy.

While we may be unable to physically get-together we remain committed to connection through our magazine as well as other means. We know many of you may have more time at home - this may be a perfect opportunity to contribute an article to the DIS Magazine. Everyone has something to share - a unique immigration story, favorite Dutch or DutchAmerican memory, a poem or even a favorite recipe.

We’d love to share these with others in our group just send them in to editor@dutchinternationalsociety.org.

One additional way we are launching to connect is a new private Facebook group for the DIS. We currently have a Dutch International Society Facebook page which we would encourage you to like/follow if you have not done so already. However, our new group will allow members to interact in a more private way - only other members see your posts. We look forward to making personal connections as well as sharing stories, recipes, songs and any other Dutch-themed items you’d like to share. Visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/ dutchinternationalsociety to join.

As an organizational update, we continue to consider the way forward for DIS. Membership is holding steady with around 800 renewals for 2020 and beyond - thank you! Those of you who need to renew are encouraged to do so online or via the triedand-true mail method. With ~$25,000 in funds to move forward, we look forward to continuing the

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magazine into the future and will continue imagining and implementing events as it becomes feasible to do so.

For those of you with planning and preparation in your blood, we welcome you to become more involved as a volunteer or board member (which is, of course, just another glorified form of volunteering!)

To be able to launch events (DIS Picnic, baseball outings, etc.) we’ll need more heads and hands involved. Now is your chance to guide our group into the future!

Thank you, Matt Helmus for the DIS board

From the Editor

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elcome to the (late) summer issue of our magazine, formerly our June issue.

Renaming the issues of the magazine has given me some flexibility in publishing deadlines, especially in these uncertain times. Now, however, we are coming to the end of August and there should still be two issues to come. I could explore putting out a double-issue as I’ve seen some publications do perhaps you could let me know your thoughts on that.

For this issue I’m thankful for those in our membership who have sent in short pieces about their history with the DIS, and other family stories. They keep coming in and I will continue to share them.

I’m thankful again to my other faithful contributors (Richard doing double-duty!), and so sorry to add Dr. Martinus Bakker to the list of those who have passed on.

MVG, Arend A. Vander Pols

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In Memoriam Dr. Martin Bakker (1933-2020)

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artinus Arnoud Bakker, professor emeritus of Dutch at Calvin University and faithful columnist in the DIS Magazine, passed away peacefully in his home on June 30, 2020. He was 87 years old.

Dr. Martin Bakker’s career of teaching Dutch language, literature, and culture to North Americans began when he joined the Calvin College faculty in 1981, where he taught until his retirement in 1997. At Calvin, Professor Bakker carried the program as the only full-time Dutch faculty member, teaching all levels of language and literature. Martin also led student trips to the Netherlands as well as to South Africa.

Raised in the Netherlands, Martin moved to South Africa in his teens and worked in a language lab, translating Dutch to Afrikaans, in addition to teaching Afrikaans at the University level. In South Africa Martin also met Louise Jansen van Vuuren who would become his wife. In his early forties, Martin and family moved to the Netherlands where he taught High School English. In his forties, Martin and family moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan for Martin to begin a professorship at Calvin College. An expert in Dutch literature, Dr. Bakker earned his Ph.D. at the Open University in Utrecht in the Netherlands with a dissertation on the great Dutch poet Martinus Nijhoff.

Professor Bakker was known also as a skilled linguist, a scholar of modern poetry, a prolific

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reviewer of Dutch literature in publications such as World Literature Today, The World and I, and the Encyclopedia Brittanica Yearbook Supplement.

Colleagues remember Martin for his dry sense of humor and for the encouragement he gave to younger colleagues. He was also an astute reader of literature, and colleagues enjoyed his sharp literary analysis.

More than anything, perhaps, Martin was forever a student of language. Language—in all its nuance, idiom, and idiosyncrasies—was an endless source of fascination for Martin. He loved to talk about language, and I, for one, enjoyed many a conversation with him about this or that expression that had no direct equivalent in this or that other language, whether Dutch, English, Afrikaans, or German. As Martin’s successor at Calvin College (now University) I was always glad to know that if I ever had a question about something in Dutch, an answer would be only a quick e-mail away. He enjoyed sharing his linguistic expertise.

Professor Bakker also loved to write about language. Readers of the DIS Magazine will, of course, know Dr. Bakker as the author of the popular column “Beter Nederlands” which Martin created and debuted in 1997. Martin faithfully produced column after column of Beter Nederlands until 2018, writing nearly 90 columns all in all. Nearly always written in a combination of English and Dutch, Martin’s Beter Nederlands pieces were both educational and

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entertaining. More often than not, they challenged the readers to participate as well––to translate a difficult passage, to explain a curiosity of Dutch, or to offer their own recollection of a particular use of language.

Martin always enjoyed receiving responses from his readers.

I’ll close this memoriam with some fitting quotes from several people who worked with Martin or learned Dutch from him.

DIS Magazine editor, Arend van der Pols, shared with me some of his experience working with Martin: Martin was always a faithful contributor, very exacting, but also had a sense of humor. I was really surprised when, less than a year ago, he came up with the idea for shorter pieces on language he called taalsplinters when he knew he couldn’t do longer columns. He came up with enough for three issues before he died. I know he loved hearing from the members and was proud Beter Nederlands was so well received.

Former student Stephen Staggs wrote: I got to know Dr. Bakker while taking Dutch 202 at Calvin College in 2007. At the end of the course, I asked him if he would be willing to tutor me privately. He agreed and over the next several years, the Bakkers welcomed me into their home once a week for over an hour.

We would converse—natuurlijk alleen in het Nederlands—about a variety of topics as well as my written answers to the twenty-plus questions he sent me about the chapter of the Dutch novel he had assigned. His instruction in the Dutch language proved invaluable in the completion of my dissertation and PhD degree. I will sorely miss his kindness, wisdom, wit, and sense of humor.

Another colleague, Henry Baron, a fellow immigrant from the Netherlands and who retired from Calvin (English Department) the same year as Martin, shared these thoughts:

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Martin and I enjoyed doing a lot of things together – playing tennis, playing his beautiful pump organ, sailing, and lots of searching conversations in both Dutch and English, especially when he became homebound after those emergency surgeries that almost ended his life at the time. And I came to greatly admire the equanimity with which he bore that woeful transition from a very active life of health and vigor to a body sapped of its strength and mobility. Fortunately, his mental acuity remained fully intact and its explorations gave him much pleasure and satisfaction.

The DIS In Pella

But what I appreciated especially about Martin was his genuine authenticity. There was no pretense about him. He was real and transparently so. That made for good heart to heart talks and many a deep discussion.

Martin is survived by his wife of 57 years, Louise Jansen van Vuuren Bakker. He was a loving father to Marlise (James) VanZytveld, Heloise (Kevin) Kihnke and Annelise (Daniel) Erdman. He was the proud grandfather of Jonathan, Cecilia, Aleksander, Christian, Victoria, Austin, Spencer and Makayla.

Martin is survived by his dear sister Anna van der Vlies Bakker who lives in the Netherlands.

Herman De Vries Frederik Meijer Chair of Dutch Language and Culture Calvin University Grand Rapids, Michigan

Taalsplinter

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Bier Distillery: Hollandse Hapjes on the North Side

by Arend A. Vander Pols

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ne would think that West Michigan, being the center of Dutch-American culture, would be overrun with places a person could satisfy a craving for bitterballen, but that is just not the case. However there is one such place in Comstock Park, just north of Grand Rapids near the ballpark, where bitterballen and other Dutch favorites - more than just hapjes - are featured on the menu.

The folks at Bier Distillery make an amazing array of things to drink and eat, and recently they answered the call for help in the fight against the pandemic by producing hand sanitizer.

The Dutch food is a bit of a secret, there is no mention of it on the signage for the distillery visible on the north side of West River Drive, and in fact it’s easy to blow by the place going 55 miles an hour. But check the distillery’s Facebook page and you soon discover the kitchen has been serving Dutch fare for a number of months. A post dated February 21, 2020, states:

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Bier Distillery Adds Authentic Dutch Food to its Spirit Lineup Bier Distillery announced today the availability of its Kitchen/Distillery, focusing on authentic Dutch food, a first for Grand Rapids.

Left: huzarensalade, photos of exterior. Below: Bitterballen and kibbeling with a side of hand sanitizer, photo of interior. Right, boerenkool met worst.

Commenting on this important addition, Joel Bierling, President of Bier Distillery, said, "Bier Distillery is proud to add, along with the alchemy we create in the distillery, the magic of our authentic Dutch kitchen. My father was born in the Netherlands to a family of bakers and brewers, and I'm ecstatic to now continue the food tradition along with our spirits. When I started the distillery back in 2013, I was amazed I was the first business in the Grand Rapids area making craft spirits.

Likewise, in 2020, I am amazed we are the only establishment focusing on authentic Dutch food in the area. I ate this food growing up, and I’m proud to share this with a new generation. We will offer regular and seasonal menus of traditional Dutch favorites as well as some innovative American twists.�

The current menu lists bitterballen, kibbeling, friet, snert, huzarensalade, boerenkool met worst along with traditional bar fare, such as burgers and tacos.

Other Dutch items in rotation have been hachee, gehaktballen en hutspot, toasties, and desserts.

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Above: Kees was an expert in working chocolate and made a chocolate castle.

For decades, he was able to import the chocolate from the former Dutch Indies.

Above left: Bierling’s Banket Bakerij in Den Haag. The family lived above the bakery

Middle: Opa Kees at the Banner Bakery oven Bottom left: Banner Bakery Bakers, at the right is Kees, with two hired Dutch/German bakers; George Huizenga (left), John Meier (center)

Head chef at the distillery is Joel’s wife Sara, who relies on family recipes plus new ones learned on visits to the Netherlands.

The Bierling name has a long history of baking (and brewing). Joel’s opa Kees owned Bierling’s Banket Bakerij in Den Haag. In January 1951, Kees and his family immigrated to Grand Rapids, Michigan where he worked a number of odd jobs before buying a bakery with his brother Tom. They named the bakery, located on Eastern Avenue near Eastern Avenue Christian Reformed Church, “Bierling’s

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had a son named Henry Bierling. My aunts also named a son Henry or Hendrik after my Bierling Opa. So, currently and in the area is my brother Henry, who lives near Hamilton, Michigan. I have a cousin Henry who took over Bierlings Bakery in Grand Rapids (on Eastern) from his Dad, my Uncle Tom, the bakery my dad also was at when we immigrated to Grand Rapids on Eastern Ave. I have another cousin Henry Bierling, who lives in Holland, MI, but he was a chemist (now retired).

Anyway, my cousin Henry (son of Tom) and his brother Frank moved and expanded Bierlings bakery in Hudsonville, Michigan.

They went wholesale, no longer retail, and changed the name of the bakery to Creme Curl Bakery. Some of their product labels do have “Bierling Brothers” on them, and when I wish to give Bierling products away as gifts, I go to Hudsonville (Creme Curl).

Joel and Sara Bierling prepare to go on the air at a local television station to promote Bier Distillery

Bakery”. In 1954 Joel’s Opa Kees (later known as Neal Sr.) bought Banner Bakery in Holland, Michigan. Joel’s father Keesje (now known as Neal Jr.) writes: My dad yearly made a brew for his siblings when they gathered at our house in Holland, Michigan. He made it using the bakery’s copper kettle. I never helped him and neither did my older brother, but my oldest sister did.

My dad had nine brothers and ALL of them

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The Bierling businesses have survived depressions, world wars, recessions, and many other challenges over the years. Joel Bierling continues the family tradition of innovation, creativity, and perseverance, at Bier Distillery.

These are tough times again for many small businesses, and especially for bars and restaurants.

Bier Distillery has been keeping afloat by offering takeout food and beverages and they introduced food delivery on July 31. Dine-in is also available once again, with all prescribed safety protocols in place.

Outdoor seating is also available.

Come out and support authentic Dutch food in West Michigan! Eet smakelijk!

Bier Distillery 5295 W River Dr NE, Suite 100 Comstock Park, MI 49321-8029 Phone: +1 616 888 9746 bierdistillery.com Facebook.com/BierDistillery

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P

“Carl the Clown” Angelo, the Winningest Amateur Pitcher in Baseball History

laying in the Honkbalweek tournament in Haarlem, Netherlands, Carl Angelo’s entertaining antics endeared him to Dutch baseball fans. Carl would walk the bases backwards after hitting a home run, ride a bicycle to the pitching mound or dress in a Scottish kilt. One year he might show up in a firefighter outfit or wait in the batter’s box in shorts, and as a coach, he once walked to first base in wooden shoes!

by Richard Martinovich

The most popular player at the tournament receives the Carl Angelo Trophy.

Haarlemse Honkbalweek, Haarlem Baseball Week, was founded in 1961 in Haarlem, Netherlands to promote the popularity of baseball internationally.

Carl Angelo died July 1, 2020 in Battle Creek, Michigan at age 88. Although he was known by Dutch fans as “Carl the Clown,” Angelo was a serious athlete, and well-known for his humanitarian work.

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His parents were from Macedonia and the family name was Traijevski, before his father changed it to Angelo.

Carl Angelo was the winningest amateur pitcher in baseball history with 353 wins. Carl is in the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame -- and nine other hall of fames, including the Dutch Baseball Hall of Fame! He pitched for Michigan State University and had a brief stint with the Chicago White Sox organization. Carl was most known around Battle Creek for playing baseball for seven decades, and for his iconic Angelo's Restaurant.

A team from the Netherlands visited Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1961, and a relationship was formed with the Grand Rapids Sullivans baseball team. Carl Angelo would represent the Sullivans as a player and coach in thirteen Honkbalweek tournaments.

In 1996, at age 64, Carl became the oldest player to participate in the tournament.

Images: Painting posted on Honkbalweek Haarlem https://honkbalweek.nl/honkbalweeklegende-carl-angelo-overleden/. Above, Battle Creek Enquirer. Below, Honkbalweek Haarlem.

Richard Martinovich has written articles on a wide variety of topics for dis magazine. In this case he and his family personally knew Carl Angelo.

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The Flying Housewife With the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo cancelled, we look back at the greatest female Olympian of the 20th century.

by Richard Martinovich

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F

rancina Koen was 18 years-old when she scored her most-cherished prize, an autograph from the hero of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Jesse Owens.

“Fanny” Koen was in Berlin competing for the Holland “athletics” -- track and field -- team in the high jump and 4 x100-meter women’s relay. Though she did not medal in an event, she performed well enough to show great potential.

Francina Eslje Koen was born in 1918 in the village of Lage Vuursche, the province of Utrecht, Netherlands. With four brothers, Fanny was active in a variety of sports growing up.

Fanny won the 800 meter run at the Dutch championship in 1935 before switching to the sprints for the Olympic Games in 1936. The 800 meters was deemed too strenuous for women and was dropped after the 1928 Olympics, but the 200 meter sprint was added.

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Koen’s 11.0-second 100-yard dash in Amsterdam in 1938 tied the world record and she went on to win bronze medals at the European Championships in the 100 and 200 meters.

time to warm-up, she received the baton for the anchor leg a good distance behind, but was able to close the gap with a remarkable burst and win the gold for Holland, and secure her fourth gold medal.

Fanny was projected to be among the medal favorites in the 1940 Olympics scheduled for Helsinki, Finland but the world scene was changing.

Germany invaded Poland in 1939 and the Netherlands a year later. The 1940 Olympic Games were cancelled and with World War II raging, there would be no Olympic competition in 1944 either.

Fanny was still able to compete during those years and she set records in 1942 and 1943 in the 80meter hurdles, long jump and high jump. Fanny also married her coach Jan Blankers, a former Olympic track athlete, and was to be forever known as Fanny Blankers-Koen.

The no-frills 1948 Olympic Games were judged a success by a public anxious to get back to some normalcy.

As the 1948 Olympics approached, BlankersKoen was nearing 30 years-old, an advanced age for a sprinter. She was a mother of two and in her native Holland there was sentiment in some quarters that she should be at home looking after her family. But Fanny only trained two days a week for two hours, and would bring her children along.

The 1948 Olympics in London were referred to as the Austerity Games. With the world slowly recovering from the war, London was forced to host the Games on a shoestring. Competitors brought their own towels and used London public buses for transportation to events. Medals were awarded in shoeboxes! Food was still scarce in countries rebuilding from the war and many European athletes were forced to train under less than optimal nourishment.

Olympic rules allowed Blankers-Koen to only enter three individual events in London. Fanny won the gold in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 80-meter hurdles. Before the start of the 200 meters, Fanny suffered a bout of homesickness and had to be talked into staying for the 200 final, which she won handily.

Fanny had gone shopping in London for a raincoat and nearly missed the 4 x100 relay final. Without

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Fanny had become the star of the London Olympics and came home to Holland a national hero.

Thousands lined the streets in Amsterdam as Blankers-Koen was driven in a horse-drawn carriage.

She was given a bicycle by neighbors “so she didn’t have to run so much!” It was later discovered Fanny had been pregnant during the Games.

Blankers-Koen continued to set records into her thirties, establishing a modern pentathlon mark in 1951 at age 33. The 5-event competition included the shot put, high jump, 200 meter sprint, 80-meter hurdles and long jump. Blankers-Koen entered her final Olympics in Helsinki in 1952 but did not medal.

She competed in track a few more years but retired in 1955, leaving behind a long list of impressive statistics: 16 world records in eight different events.

Blankers-Koen captured five European titles between 1946 and 1950 and 58 Dutch national championship titles! The International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) named Fanny Blankers-Koen the top female athlete of the 20th century.

Fanny Blankers-Koen died January of 2004 in the town of Hoofddorp, south of Amsterdam, at age 85.

Referred to as “The Flying Housewife,” Fanny Blankers-Koen helped break down barriers for women in sport and prove that age and motherhood were no hurdles to success.

Image: Fanny Blankers-Koen wins her third gold medal at the 1948 Olympics in London. (allgemeinezeitung.de)

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DUTCH AMERICAN AMBASSADORS TO THE NETHERLANDS

by C. Carl Pegels

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s of 2019 there have been 69 US Ambassadors to the Netherlands. Among the 69 are six with solid and verifiable Dutch American backgrounds.

The first US Ambassador to the Netherlands was John Adams. He served from 1782 until 1788. His position was very important because the Dutch government was one of the first to officially recognize the new republic of the United States, and much of the early financing for the new republic was provided

by Dutch bankers.

The earliest Dutch American to serve as US Ambassador to the Netherlands was Hermanus Bleecker. He served from May 1837 until June 1842.

It would be another 46 years before another Dutch American Ambassador was appointed. He

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was Robert B. Roosevelt a member of the American Roosevelts. He served from 1888 until 1890.

Twenty three years later the third Dutch American Ambassador, Henry van Dyke was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson. He served from October 1913 until January 1917.

The first three Dutch Americans who served as Ambassadors to the Netherlands were all descendants of the early Dutch who came over in the seventeenth century.

The fourth Dutch American to become the US Ambassador was a descendant of the nineteenth century Dutch. His name was Gerrit J. Diekema. He was born in Holland, MI and his father was a Dutch immigrant. Diekema served from November 1929 until December 1930, the end of his life.

The fifth Ambassador, the first woman ambassador, was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2009. She was Fay Hartog-Levin, an attorney and executive from Chicago. She was sworn in as US Ambassador to the Netherlands on August 19, 2009 and served until 2011.

The sixth Dutch American Ambassador was Peter Hoekstra. He was appointed on January 18, 2018.

He was born in Groningen, the Netherlands in 1953, and moved with his parents to Holland, Michigan in 1957. He was thus the only Dutch-born one of the six.

Below follow brief biographical profiles of the six Dutch American US Ambassadors to the Netherlands in chronological order.

Bleecker, Harmanus [1779-1849] Harmanus Bleecker’s served as a Representative of New York to the 12th US Congress, from March 1811 to March 1813. He was appointed Ambassador, to the Netherlands and served from May 1837 to June 1842.

Bleecker practiced law in Albany, NY for most of his life. From 1822 to 1834, he also served as a regent of the University of the State of New York.

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Robert B. Roosevelt Harmanus Bleecker was born in Albany, NY on October 9, 1779. The Bleecker family dates back to the early days of New Amsterdam.

Roosevelt, Robert B. [1829-1906] Robert Roosevelt served in the US Congress for one term. He was closely related to the two US presidents who bore his name. In fact he was one of President Theodore Roosevelt’s uncles.

Roosevelt influenced his nephew, Theodore Roosevelt, on the importance of the preservation of nature. Theodore Roosevelt became a devoted conservationist, and many of our national parks are there because of him.

Roosevelt was admitted to the bar in 1850, and practiced law in NY City. He was appointed by President Grover Cleveland to be the US Ambassador, then known as US Minister to the Netherlands. He served from 1888 to 1890.

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Diekema, Gerrit J. [1859-1930] Gerrit Diekema was the son of Dutch immigrants who settled in Western Michigan during the mass immigration by the Dutch in the 1840s and 1850s.

Diekema graduated from Hope College in 1881, went to Law School and graduated with a law degree from the University of Michigan in 1883. In 1885 he was elected to the Michigan State House of Representatives, and served until 1891. Four years later, in 1895, he was elected to mayor of Holland, MI and served until 1896.

In 1907, Diekema was elected to be US Representative for the Fifth Congressional District of Michigan. He served for two terms until 1910.

Between 1911 and 1929, Diekema was a member of the Republican State Central Committee.

Henry Van Dyke Roosevelt also served in the US Congress form March 1871 to March 1873.

Van Dyke, Henry [1852-1933] Henry van Dyke was a Dutch American author, poet, academic, clergyman and diplomat. He was born in Germantown, PA in 1852, attended Princeton University and graduated in 1873. He then attended Princeton Theological Seminary, and upon graduation was ordained as a Presbyterian minister.

In 1899, van Dyke was appointed Professor of English Literature at Princeton University. In 1913, President Wilson appointed him to Ambassador to the Netherlands and Luxembourg. He served in the position for four years.

Van Dyke was quite active as an author. He wrote at least 12 books, most of them with religious titles.

His first book “The Reality of Religion” was published in 1884, and his last book, “Gratitude” was published in 1930.

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Diekema received an honorary degree from Hope College in 1913. In 1972, at the 125th anniversary of Hope College, a memorial plaque honoring Diekema was placed in Dimnent memorial Chapel of Hope College.

In August 1929, Diekema was appointed US Ambassador to the Netherlands by President Hoover. He would only hold that position until December 20, 1930, the date of his death. At his funeral service, Arthur Vandenberg, the US Senator for Michigan paid tribute to the public service by Diekema.

Hartog-Levin, Fay [1948] President Barack Obama appointed Fay HartogLevin US Ambassador to the Netherlands on August 13, 2009. She was sworn in by Dutch Queen Beatrix on August 19, 2009. She served until 2011.

Fay Hartog-Levin was born in the United States in 1948, the same year her Dutch parents immigrated to the United States. Her parents were of Jewish background and were in serious danger of being arrested and deported to a concentration camp during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. They

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parents immigrated to the United States and settled in Western Michigan in 1957.

Hoekstra became the sixth Dutch American Ambassador to the Netherlands when he was appointed to that post on January 18, 2018. Prior to that post he served in the US House of Representatives for 14 years, from 1993 until 2007, representing a district in Western Michigan.

While in Congress he served as the Chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He had also served on two other Committees before.

During his tenure he was awarded three different awards for his performance as a Congressional Representative. Also Habitat for Humanity named him Public Official of the Year in the year 2000.

Fay Hartog-Levin were fortunately able to escape from occupied Western Europe in 1942, and settled in Suriname, then a Dutch colony in South America.

Her father joined the Dutch army while in Suriname and served in it during the remainder of the war. After the war, in 1945, the family repatriated to the Netherlands, and in 1948 decided to immigrate to the United States.

Prior to her appointment as ambassador, HartogLevin had been an attorney for many years. She had practiced law but became involved in management and consulting activities. She was a graduate of Northwestern University. Following graduation she earned her law degree from Loyola University in Chicago.

Hoekstra, Peter [1953] Peter Hoekstra was the only member of the US House of Representatives and the US Ambassadors to the Netherlands who was born in Groningen, the Netherlands. He was three years old when his

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References http://bioguide.congress.gov http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki US Ambassadors: http://thehague.usembassy.gov

Dr. C. Carl Pegels is a frequent contributor to dis magazine and has written extensively on DutchAmericans of note in areas of politics, entertainment, science, and religion. He is 2009 recipient of the New Netherland Institute Alice P. Kenny Memorial Award.

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From Our Members I came to the USA in 1963 as a single person.

Then I became a member of the DIS right away. I was planning on coming for one year. I had to promise my mother to come back to the Netherlands after a year. A year later I went home with a DIS charter flight for six weeks. Then I came back to the States to stay. I had been advised originally to go as an immigrant. Then I had more options as far as work, etc.

A few years later I met my (American) husband who has passed away now. We always went to the Dutch Heritage Day in all the locations. Now I’m renewing my membership plus a gift for one year for my Dutch sister-in-law in Arizona and my daughter in California. I really like your new colorful magazine and all the stories.

Ria Medendorp Kalamazoo, Michigan We have been members for a long time. Fondly remembering our trips to Holland via Grand Rapids/ Detroit KLM. Our meetings at a church, coffee time – such good times.

We moved to Goshen, Indiana in 1957, having family there who immigrated in 1952 and 1955.

There are quite a few Hollanders in the Goshen and Elkhart area. So when we first moved to Goshen we would have a lovely lunch once a month at my Aunt Hennie‘s home with other Dutch immigrants.

Today 75 years ago was liberation day and Holland. We lived near NH Saint Martensvlotbrug.

Dad worked at the creamery De Eensgesindheid. As a small girl the war left many memories, luckily we had food. I remember on May 5, 1945 English planes dropped a small parachutes with chocolate etc. in the farmers’ fields. We had a German army

bunker in our backyard because the North Sea was only 1 km from our home - yes we were “occupied”.

So in honor of May 5, 1945 we are giving our son Rob a DIS membership. We have shared many stories about Holland with him and he is a real Dutch person, loves chocolate and coffee and is studying the Dutch “taal” on his computer via Babbel.

Thank you for our “lifeline” to our heritage, so glad you are keeping the DIS active and educational.

Marijanne Veenstra Rauch Hilton Rauch Shipshewana, Indiana I cannot remember when I joined the, at the time, Dutch Immigrant Society. But it has been ages ago. I came to the USA in 1966. I married my GI (whom I met while he was stationed in Bitburg, GE). We lived the first two years in Rantoul, IL where he served at Chanute Air Force Base. In 1970 we moved to the Minneapolis area where I soon after met a Dutch couple. I assume they introduced me to DIS. At that time someone from Grand Rapids would come out occasionally for a movie night in downtown Minneapolis. So I have been a longtime member around 50 years, I suppose.

Even though I have long been an American citizen, I still find Dutch news interesting. My husband and I traveled (he passed away last year) often to Europe and other places. I still correspond in Dutch with several Dutch friends (one a classmate from the HBS) and in the winter we usually traveled to Torremolinos where I speak a lot of Dutch.

Wallina Dibble Osseo, Minnesota

t Helmus

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d.i.s. Magazine

News in Brief Heatwave Records The Netherlands experienced record breaking heat with temperatures over 30 degrees (86 F) for sustained periods this August. The Netherlands is warming faster than the rest of the planet, with the average Dutch summer about 2.5 degrees higher than in 1900. The world average is 1.2 for the same period.

Officials issued warnings about traffic, the heat, and difficulties following safety measures against the coronavirus as crowds flocked to the Dutch beaches in Castricum, Zandvoort, Bloemendaal, and in Zeeland.

Coronavirus Infections As the heat pushes the population to seek relief at crowded beaches, parks, lakes, and nature preserves, the rate of coronavirus infections has been spiking over the past few weeks. New cases nearly doubled in the first week of August. As of the 7th of August, there were 56,982 confirmed cases of infections and 6,153 confirmed deaths in the Netherlands.

The beach in Scheveningen at 11 a.m. on 8 August 2020, photo NL Times

According to Wikipedia the virus spread to the Netherlands on 27 February 2020, when its first COVID19 case was confirmed in Tilburg. It involved a 56year-old Dutchman who had arrived in the Netherlands from Italy, where the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to enter Europe. The first death occurred on 6 March, when an 86-year-old patient died in Rotterdam.

The government issued basic rules in March which included social distancing of 1.5 meters, handwashing, and avoiding busy places and travel. In August the government implemented an mandatory quarantine for people who had contact with a Covid-19 patient.

Leaders of the country’s intensive care associations are warning that there could be a second wave of coronavirus as soon as September, resulting in an overwhelming of the Dutch healthcare system.

Summer 2020

Check out makethatcatwise.nl for more

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The Dutch Connection Calendar Find the latest event news on our website dutchinternationalsociety.org/dutch-connectioncalendar/ or search Facebook for “dutch international society”. Help us spread the word about Dutch and Dutch American events, exhibits, clubs, fairs or anything related by sending us your events or other items of interest.

Netherlands America Foundation Live TV Wednesday September 9, 2020 8:30 pm - 9:15 pm Humberto Tan, a well-known Dutch TV presenter, will host a 45-minute live stream program from the Scheepvaartmuseum, themed Oceans of Friendship.

The live stream will include interviews with NAF Fulbright fellows, Dutch2USA Interns, alumni and corporate supporters of the NAF.

ZAAGMAN MEMORIAL CHAPEL, INC. ZAAGMAN MEMORIAL CHAPEL Since 1890 James E. Koops-Manager 2800 Burton St. SE Grand Rapids, MI 49546 Phone: (616) 940-3022 Email: office@zaagman.com Web site: www.zaagman.com

Before and during the program, viewers can bid on silent auction items and pledge their financial support to the NAF. NAF Live TV can be viewed free of charge. You can register for this event on www.thenaf.org/naflivetv.

You will receive details of the broadcast and the silent auction after registration.

TIMOTHY L. ZYLSTRA, CPCU President

DAVE ZYLSTRA AGENCY, INC. P.O. Box 141517 4201 Richmond, N.W., Grand Rapids, MI 49514-1517

If it’s worth insuring we insure it!

Call (616) 791-4200

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d.i.s. Magazine

Taalsplinters “Taalsplinters” (language splinters) was created by longtime contributor Dr. Martinus Bakker, for dis magazine. Dr. Bakker’s idea for “taalsplinters” was to present small tidbits of wisdom and whimsy about the Dutch language. Sadly, this will be the last time we will be able to publish a new piece from Dr. Bakker since he passed away on June 30 of this year.

Hartelijk bedankt voor alles, Dr. Bakker!

Nederlanders en Amerikanen zijn het niet altijd eens over het nut van broekzakken.

Zijn ze nu wel of niet voor mannenhanden gemaakt?

Ook over het gebruik van de tong denken ze verschillend. Nederlanders gebruiken zeker meer olie want ze praten meer.

Is het nu wel of niet gezellig of sociaal om allemaal tegelijk te praten? Of is het juist onbeleefd? Het is wel goed voor de gang van de conversatie wanneer je de ander eerst uit laat praten. Dan weet je beter wat hij of zij te zeggen heeft en je loopt hem of haar niet voor de voeten.

Ook letterlijk iemand voor de voeten lopen kan ongelukken veroorzaken. Dus maar niet doen. Dan loop je niet als op glad ijs.

Vroeger moesten we altijd met twee woorden spreken. Dat betekende Meneer of Mevrouw of Oom Joop of Tante Nel moesten we zeggen in een gesprek of begroeting, Dankuwel, Mevrouw.”

Summer 2020

“Mevrouw” bestaat niet meer. Zeg maar gewoon “Hoi, Griet.”

Misschien gaan we ooit(one day) weer allemaal klompen dragen. Dat zou gezellig zijn! Maar niet in huis, hoor. ”Klompen buiten, aub.”

Klompen maken ook zo’n herrie (noise). Als je altijd op klompen loopt, krijg je heel snel gaten in de zolen. Dat wilgenhout is zachter dan het lijkt. In geval van nood, kan je een klomp wel als wapen gebruiken.

Als je lang op klompen gelopen hebt; of de hele middag geschaatst) kun je kiezen tussen drie gerechten: boerenkool met worst, snert (erwtensoep met worst) en hachee: uien, wortelen en aardappelen (met worst). Niets anders smaakt goed bij op klompen lopen Toch zijn er Nederlanders die al snel hun goede smaak verliezen wanneer ze naar Amerika emigreren en die vervolgens overslaan van bijvoorbeeld hachee naar hamburgers. Moeilijk te geloven!

Spreek netjes: HET IS JE VISITEKAARTJE!

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