Editor’s Desk

Meet the director

Do you ever wonder what you would tell yourself if you could travel back in time? A few months after I graduated in 1997, I was getting to know Calvin alumni director Mike Van Denend. I was serving on the Calvin Spring Classic 5K race committee, and Mike’s deep knowledge of Calvin and the fact he seemed to know almost everyone on the planet impressed me. I always read Mike’s columns in Spark and admired his passion for Calvin and its alumni.

Would I have believed back in 1997 that one day I would be here writing this column? Who, me?

Yet here I am, grateful and blessed for the opportunity to serve as Calvin’s director of alumni engagement. It’s remarkable to see how God crafted and prepared me for this moment in time.

As I recall my career goals after graduating, writing articles like this was never on the list. Now I find myself using yet another one of the invaluable skills I learned as a Calvin student. I think of my speech class with Debra Buursma, or English 100 with Susan Felch. Those courses weren’t a part of my business major, yet I marvel again at how Calvin prepared me.

One common element of my career is connecting with people. When I worked in banking, I thrived making connections with clients. I joined the planned giving team at Calvin in 2012, and in that role, I formed meaningful relationships with cherished supporters of Calvin.

My enjoyment of connecting with people isn’t limited to my professional career. More often than not, our family is the last to leave events. “Dad’s still talking to someone” is the phrase accompanied by an eye roll that only two teenage daughters can provide.

As I begin this new adventure, I sincerely look forward to connecting with you. We each have a story that makes us unique, just as God intended. Yet we all share a common thread that connects us in ways that ordinary life might not—this place called Calvin University.

I look forward to hearing from you how Calvin impacted your life. Even in these first few months, I’m delightfully surprised to learn of the amazing things our alumni are doing all over the world. Calvin has been affecting lives for generations. I’m honored to now help share and tell your stories so that all of us can see God’s handiwork in action.

BY JEFF HAVERDINK

DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT

QUESTION FOR YOU

?OUTSIDE OF YOUR MAJOR, WHAT WAS ONE CLASS THAT MADE A LASTING IMPRESSION ON YOU? QUESTION FOR YOU

Calvin students and alumni like you have great stories, ideas, and memories. In each issue of Spark, we’ll ask you a question and then print some of the responses. For this issue, we asked a question to some members of the Calvin Alumni Association board.

“American Women Writers.” It was an interim class and it opened my eyes to gender issues and how to respond as a Christian woman in a modern world. – Maxine Mosley Totoe ’06

Eden Prairie, Minn.

I think it was “Christ in Culture” with Gordon Spykman. He was such a nice man and a good prof. Everything he taught me in that class, funnily, was stuff that I already knew and had been taught to me all of my life, but that class just pulled it all together and helped me give understanding and organization to my thoughts. – Christine Jacobs Mouw ’88

Little Rock, Ark.

I loved my children’s literature class with Charlotte Otten. I was not an education major and took the class to fulfill a core requirement. She instilled a love for children’s literature in me that lasts until this day. My husband always knows where to look for me in a bookstore; without fail I end up in the children’s section paging through picture books and looking at the latest YA selections. – Johanna Chambery Zandstra ’91

Schererville, Ind.

I would say that Larry Louters’ chemistry class was one of my favorites—probably because he blew things up in class. Also, “Outdoor Activities” for one of my PE credits was memorable as it involved camping in below-freezing temperatures. – Casey Kuperus ’97

Grand Rapids, Mich.

English 101 taught by Dale Brown had the biggest impact, because he left one really memorable sentence for me. Since I was an international student whose English was not very good, I often asked professors if they would deduct any grade off because of my poor English. Virtually all professors told me that they would be merciful with me. But only Dale Brown told me something to the effect that meaning only comes with a structure. He probably meant that the grammatical structure of my sentence and paragraph would determine the meaning. Therefore, he contradicted my naive thought that I could present a good meaning in the paper without the proper structure. Since then I never asked other professors to show mercy to me, because Dale Brown told me the truth about English writing. I just finished my master’s and started a doctoral degree at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and if I have to pinpoint to one greatest teaching, it would be from Dale Brown. – Minwoo Heo ’09

Deerfield, Ill.

Beyond my philosophy major, two classes made wonderful contributions to my striving throughout life to think deeply, act justly, and live wholeheartedly as one of Christ’s agents of renewal in the world: Professor Henry Holstege’s “Marriage and Family” and Professor Del Nykamp’s “Small Group Communications.” Nona and I have been married for over four wonderful decades and small group dynamics have been a constant part of family, church, and professional life. – Gene Miyamoto ’77

Holland, Mich.

One course that had a major impact outside my major was the course entitled “Reformed Doctrine” taught by none other than Lewis Smedes. This course more than anything else laid the foundation for me regarding Calvin’s world-life view. This course was so instrumental in my career as I approached decisions, and further understanding of a Christian’s responsibility in the world. Dr. Smedes had the unique ability of conveying his thoughts clearly and in a most interesting and challenging manner. He became my inspiration and mentor. – Jerry Cooper ’67

Holland, Mich.

IT’S YOUR TURN!

We’re curious: How did God use your time at Calvin to draw you closer to him? How were you discipled or encouraged in your faith? Let us know your story in a few sentences by emailing spark@calvin.edu.