WALLY BRATT, 1933–2021 Wallace “Wally” Bratt ’55 taught in the German department for more than 35 years. And he had high expectations for himself and his students. Herm De Vries, a student and later a colleague of Wally’s in the German department, said, “Wally took learning dead seriously; and as his student, you had better take your work seriously, too. Learning mattered. Studies mattered.” He received Calvin’s most prestigious teaching award in 1994, the Presidential Award for Exemplary Teaching. And Wally never really retired from teaching or learning. After his official retirement, he continued on as one of the founding members and curriculum director of the now thriving Calvin Academy for Lifelong Learning (CALL) program.
“Wally was supportive, always helpful, eager to listen, and happy to celebrate the successes of his departmental colleagues,” said Barbara Carvill who taught with Bratt for 21 years in the German department. To sum up Wally’s legacy at Calvin: It’s the investment he made in people. “There are some people whose gift it is to touch other people in their lives—to make a mark on others, to guide others, to have a lasting influence on others. There are quite a few of such people around Calvin, but Wally stands out,” said De Vries. Wally, 87, died April 5 and was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Marianne. He is survived by his children, Doug (Diane) Bratt, Sue (Ron) Bratt Cok, and David (Margaret) Bratt; his 10 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and his siblings and siblings-in-law.
BERT DE VRIES, 1939–2021 While archaeology and the Umm el-Jimal Archaeological Project (UJAP) were the focus of the majority of history emeritus Bert de Vries’ ’60 career at Calvin, his real passion was the Jordanian people. His enthusiastic zeal for his project and his people infused his teaching for over 50 years. “For Bert, the whole point of his scholarship was to serve other people, especially the voiceless and powerless,” said Andy Rau ’97, a former student who worked at Umm el-Jimal. “As a champion and voice for the refugees, he never let us forget that the pursuit of justice was at the heart of what he did—and that it should be at the heart of what we did, no matter where our careers and interests took us.” Bert’s involvement in UJAP would lead him to become an advocate and ambassador of Middle Eastern culture.
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In 2009, concerned about refugee children, Bert and his wife, Sally, helped found Healing Children of Conflict, which works to bring injured children to the U.S. for treatment. Colleague Will Katerberg said: “His greatest legacy lies in this aspect of Bert’s work and life: integration of faith, work, and life is not just about ideas but about how following God’s calling for us leads us to love our neighbors.” Bert, 82, died March 28 and is survived by Sally; children Tara (Rob) Cahill, Tanya (Paul) Bulthuis (of Calvin’s audio visual department), Jenna (Michael) Morton, Guy (Ann) de Vries, and Muaffaq and Fatima Hazza (honorarily); and many grandchildren.
