13th Presidential Inauguration: “Reconciliation and Renewal”
p. 14
Spring 2025
“Our faithful God, we praise you today for your steady faithfulness to Calvin University. For almost 150 years you have guided your people to provide a Christ-centered education, first to pastors, and then teachers, and now to nurses, web designers, filmmakers, authors, artists, and engineers. At Calvin, one generation has extolled your works to the next, telling of your mighty acts, and we are grateful.”
—MARY HULST ’91
Left page: Student body president Tyler VerMerris ’25 leads a prayer for God’s blessing upon President Greg Elzinga, as participants in the inauguration ceremony lay hands in support. Top left: Jordyn Holtsoi-Henry ’28, Navajo Nation, and Professor Will Miller deliver a land acknowledgment. Top right: The Calvin University Gospel Choir and Wind Ensemble offer stirring musical performances. Bottom right: President Greg Elzinga joins Pastor Mary Hulst and students in heartfelt worship during the inauguration chapel service.
WATCH THE 2025 INAUGURATION CEREMONY, VIEW PHOTOS, AND READ THE EXTENDED PROGRAM.
Calvin University equips students to think deeply, to act justly, and to live wholeheartedly as Christ’s agents of renewal in the world.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Calvin University is an educational institution of the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA). To learn more about the CRC’s work in North America and around the world, visit crcna.org
Calvin University is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). For more information, visit cccu.org
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FEATURES
10
CULTURAL CUSTODIANS
A commitment to preserving the past while fostering a sustainable economic future characterizes Calvin’s decades-long community partnership with Umm Al-Jimal, Jordan.
14
RECONCILIATION AND RENEWAL
The Calvin community celebrates the inauguration of its 13th president, Greg Elzinga.
16
ONE DEPARTMENT, MANY FOOTPRINTS
Explore the art and science of human movement with Calvin kinesiology.
The archaeological site Umm Al-Jimal, Jordan, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2024.
Rear Admiral Dean Vander Ley ’91 is the Navy’s Chief of Civil Engineers and has served in the U.S. Navy for over 30 years.
NEWS & STORIES
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Linda Den Hartigh Vermeulen ’78 (West Bloomfield, Mich.)
Wei Wang ’14 (Portage, Mich.)
Eliezer Yeong ’18 (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
Eric Yulianto ’02 (Mason, Ohio)
Johanna Chambery Zandstra ’91 (Schererville, Ind.)
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Phanuelle Duchatelier Pillsbury ’12 is a young lawyer and ministry leader committed to conflict resolution, creation care, and the protection of refugees.
Vibrant Community
A few months ago, many of us gathered in person or online to witness the inauguration of Calvin President Greg Elzinga. I had the privilege to work alongside Greg in the advancement division for seven years, and I can tell you firsthand how blessed the Calvin community is to have a leader like Greg serving our institution in this important way.
During the ceremony and in the weeks leading up to the event, it struck me again how vast and wide the Calvin community is. The week before the ceremony on our Knollcrest Campus, I was honored to attend a joint Commencement and inauguration ceremony with Calvin students at our Handlon Campus. Then on January 24, I sat in the Covenant Fine Arts Center with Greg’s family, longtime colleagues, students, and friends of Calvin to celebrate and support an esteemed coworker starting his new role. The array of people painted a beautiful picture of the many ways Calvin intersects with so many different communities.
I trust many share the notion that being in community is generally a good thing. I believe God created us, in part, to need one another. As alumni, our time at Calvin helped shape our picture of what it means to be in community. Participating in traditions like Chaos Night (or Day), jumping in the Sem Pond, Rivalry games, and musical and stage performances crafted core memories and lifelong bonds. If you’re like me, student life at Calvin made a profound impact.
Yet our community experiences are more than fond memories; they are still dynamic and alive today. In this edition of Spark, you’ll learn how professors and students from our kinesiology department interact with kids from the Grand Rapids community at summer Health Camp and with Grand Rapids fire fighters during injury prevention clinics. Calvin’s 53-year partnership with the local community of Umm Al-Jimal has culminated in the archaeological site’s new designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Our Calvin community will soon gather to celebrate the accomplishments of the Class of 2025 as they officially become Calvin alumni and to reminisce with the Class of 1975 who, 50 years ago, celebrated their own Commencement.
We also look forward to formally launching Calvin’s 150th anniversary celebration this summer. Throughout the 2025–26 academic year, we invite you to join with our global community in celebrating God’s incredible blessings over a century and a half.
Wherever you are and whatever community God has called you to serve, I pray that you may join with those around you this Easter to celebrate the glory of our resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ, and the assurance that brings.
JEFF HAVERDINK ’97 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT
KEN ERFFMEYER RETURNS AS VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENT
In late November, President Greg Elzinga ’90 appointed Ken Erffmeyer ’86 as the university’s vice president for advancement. Erffmeyer occupied the role on an interim basis since February 2024, when Elzinga initially vacated that role to serve as interim president.
As vice president, Erffmeyer oversees the development department, alumni and family engagement, the January Series program, and the Calvin Academy for Lifelong Learning.
Erffmeyer is no stranger to this position. From 2008–2021, he served as vice president for advancement, where he helped the university achieve a record-setting fundraising year in 2020. A year later, he left Calvin to serve as senior vice president for advancement for the Fuller Foundation in Pasadena, California.
While he enjoyed the role, he realized his heart was still with Calvin, so he returned in summer 2023 to serve as a major gift officer under the leadership of Elzinga.
In returning to the vice-presidential role, Erffmeyer says he’s excited to be part of the next campaign that will strengthen the liberal arts, provide more scholarship funding for students, continue to develop the School of Health, enhance outdoor athletics, and advance projects like the Commons Union.
Students Design Calvin Solar Farm
In fall 2024, four different classes (three engineering, one physics) were given a big assignment: design a potential solar farm for Calvin University’s campus.
In December, a team of student representatives presented a summary of their findings and their recommendation to their client, Calvin’s chief financial officer Dirk Pruis, during a public event in the Covenant Fine Arts Center’s Recital Hall.
The recommendation calls for just under $4 million in upfront investment. This includes adding solar panels to six different campus building roofs as well as ground installations at the north entrance and near the seminary.
The solar farm is projected to eliminate about 10 percent of Calvin’s carbon dioxide emissions from electricity consumption (and about 5 percent of the university’s total CO2 emissions).
The internal rate of return for the investment, under a number of assumptions, would be approximately seven percent per year, something Pruis finds compelling. “Many investors, given today’s elevated equity market valuations and lower expected returns in the medium term as a result, would happily lock in 7 percent.”
Representatives from the class presented an executive summary of their findings to the investment committee of the board of trustees during its January meetings.
Engineering students modeled some of their recommended campus locations for solar panels in their final reports.
“Awe is an essential component of human experience, and wonder is a consequence of awe.”
Heather Templeton Dill President of the John Templeton Foundation
WATCH THE HIGHLIGHT VIDEO FOR THE 2025 JANUARY SERIES
STAY CONNECTED
Read the full-length stories and more campus news at calvin.edu/news
“When things are brutal and we can’t do it, the beauty of it is we don’t do it alone.”
Todd Komarnicki Screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, and novelist
CALVIN SWIMMING’S POWER PAIR
BY JEFF FEBUS ’92
Elise Bajwa ’27 is the first one to admit she would not be a student at Calvin University if not for her older brother, David Bajwa ’25
The Bajwa siblings had a connection to Calvin through their grandmother and aunt, who are both alumnae. As a senior in high school at The Heights School in Bethesda, Maryland, David visited Calvin and was hooked. “Calvin checked a lot of boxes right away,” he says. “I had relatives close by. It had a strong engineering program and a strong swim program. I came for a campus visit and liked Coach [Dan] Gelderloos, and that pretty much sealed my decision.”
Elise remained in Maryland, competing in both field hockey and swimming while attending Brookewood School, an allgirls academy in the Bethesda area. Her swim times began to drop considerably as a senior in high school, and collegiate swimming came into focus. Calvin was not initially on her radar, but her older brother refused to let her get away.
“Calvin wasn’t on my list because it didn’t have the academic program I was initially interested in, but my brother kept calling me every day for nearly two months telling me I needed to come to Calvin,” says Elise. “Then he started having people on the Calvin swim team call me or text me. People were contacting me every day, many that I had never met before.”
David simply grins when recalling the memory. “I just knew she would be a great fit at Calvin, and the swim program and the community would be great for her as well.”
Elise ultimately elected to join David at Calvin and has not looked back since.
David had a solid start to his Calvin career, scoring points at the conference championships as a freshman and then winning a league title in the 400 IM as a sophomore to earn a spot on the 2023 All-MIAA team. As a junior, he took off like a rocket ship, winning three MIAA individual titles (50
freestyle, 100 and 200 backstroke) while earning MIAA MVP honors and another spot on the All-MIAA team. He later earned All-America honors in seven events (four relays, three individual) at the NCAA III Championships, helping Calvin finish seventh in the final team standings.
“David is a deep thinker who likes to figure things out and get the right answer,” says Calvin head swim coach Dan Gelderloos. “He takes that analytical way of thinking into his training, and that has helped him progress as a swimmer. His teammates look up to him. He is not real vocal, but everyone sees what he is doing in the pool and follows his lead.”
returned to the pool in November to crank out strong swims in the breaststroke and relay events with a return trip to the NCAA III Championships in her sights.
“Elise is different than David in that she is an extrovert. She is social and active and is a leader in her own way,” says Gelderloos. “She hasn’t been fully healthy, which can be frustrating for some individuals, but she has kept a strong focus and been one of our most consistent performers when it comes to meets and high-quality swims.”
Elise had a strong first-year campaign during the 2024 season, finishing fourth in the 100 breaststroke and sixth in the 200 breaststroke at the 2024 MIAA Championships. She later qualified for the 2024 NCAA III Championships as a member of Calvin’s 200 and 400 medley relay teams and earned All-America accolades in both races. Offseason hip surgery slowed the start to her sophomore campaign, but she
The Bajwa siblings also excel in the classroom, though they have their sights set on different professional goals. David is a civil engineering major. His senior engineering project is centered on developing an indoor air quality system designed to remove by-products in pools and aquatic centers. After graduation, he hopes to practice engineering at a water treatment and waste removal facility. Elise is pursuing a double major in philosophy and criminology with minors in German and social work. Her post-graduation goal is to become a police officer.
CUSTODIANS CULTURAL
BY SARA KORBER-DEWEERD ’00
A long-standing partnership between Calvin’s archaeology program and Umm Al-Jimal, Jordan, ushers in a new era of sustainable preservation
LONG-AWAITED CELEBRATION
In July 2024, after a nearly two-decadeslong process, the archaeological site Umm Al-Jimal was added to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) World Heritage List, numbering it the seventh among such sites in Jordan. It joins the ranks of natural and historic landmarks such as the Aswan High Dam in Egypt, the Grand Canyon in the U.S., and the Taj Mahal in India.
World Heritage Sites receive protection through an international treaty administered by UNESCO. To be considered, sites must be nominated by their home countries, meet special criteria, and go through a lengthy consideration and approval process. Their status provides global recognition and impetus for long-term conservation efforts.
RICH HISTORY, MODERN TOWN
Local tour guide and lifelong resident of Umm Al-Jimal Samar al Sroor has dedicated her career to sharing the story of this important antiquities site of the Hauran region (an area
which includes parts of southern Syria and northern Jordan). Sroor has a special connection to Umm Al-Jimal: it has been part of the fabric of her family’s history for generations. “When we speak about Umm Al-Jimal, we speak about 2,000 years of history,” she says. That history tells a story of religiously diverse peoples influenced by the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires.
In the more recent past, herders in the region tended their sheep, goats, and camels there during the winter months, taking advantage of its low elevation. In 1972, when detailed scientific exploration was restarted for the first time since the early 1900s, the Jordanian government closed off the site, and residents built a new town on the outskirts.
“When the [older generation] gathers in the evening, they sit down and start speaking about the days when they lived in the ruins,” says Sroor, who can tell stories about memorable events that took place at specific locations. “This is the personal connection for my family and our whole community.”
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
In November 2024, Sroor traveled to Calvin to celebrate Umm Al-Jimal’s new status as a World Heritage Site. “That moment when we all gathered in the same room to celebrate our achievement was actually very important for the people of Umm Al-Jimal, because most of the time, we were the ones hosting groups here in Jordan, and to be at Calvin has changed our feeling. To have decades of work and our achievement celebrated there is amazing.”
The director of Calvin’s archaeology program and co-director of the Umm Al-Jimal Archaeological Project, Darrell Rohl, says Calvin’s over five-decade relationship with the site began as all good archaeological projects do: “with an interest in the past.” The late Professor Emeritus Bert de Vries ’60 began mapping the site in 1972, and excavation commenced in 1976. It was the beginning of a career-long investment.
Unlike many excavation and preservation projects that receive funding for a limited time, Rohl explains that “Calvin’s scholarship and faith integration approach allowed Bert to stay at Umm Al-Jimal for his whole career and to become a pioneer of what has become the gold standard of archaeology today—doing archaeology for the benefit of the community.”
“From the very beginning, Bert was met with this incredible hospitality,” says Rohl, who emphasizes that de Vries made it a priority from the start to involve the local community in the site’s preservation.
“What drives us is our relationship. It’s for the love of being there that we’ve tried to partner with one another to find a way to conserve this beautiful, important site that represents all this knowledge of the past.”
SUSTAINABLE PRESERVATION & THE COMMON GOOD
Becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site isn’t just a badge of honor; it’s also a pathway to future economic opportunity and sustainable conservation.
In a country with few natural resources or exports, tourism stands as one of Jordan’s largest economic sectors. Yet Umm Al-Jimal remained a little-known site until recently, with the launch of a new national effort to draw more visitors there.
Rohl reports that the local community faces a high unemployment rate. “We have people with master’s degrees and PhDs who work for low wages as day laborers because that is the only work they can find.”
Sroor believes over time this can improve. The first local woman to serve as a nationally licensed tour guide, she is training more local guides to share the story of Umm Al-Jimal’s remarkable history and people. She also sees opportunities for other hospitality-based businesses to grow.
Although tourism in Jordan suffered during the pandemic and now from conflicts along its borders, Rohl, too, remains hopeful. “Inshallah, soon we will see peace and a return of tourists. We are on the cusp. And the pause creates time for us to put systems in place for proper management of the site.”
“
What drives us is our relationship. It’s for the love of being there that we’ve tried to partner with one another to find a way to conserve this beautiful, important site that represents all this knowledge of the past.”
—DARRELL ROHL
UMM AL-JIMAL
TECHNOLOGY IMPROVES CONSERVATION
Currently on sabbatical, Rohl is leading an effort to document Umm Al-Jimal using 3D digital imaging, something that has never been done for an entire archaeological site in Jordan. The images will become part of an online public archive that can be used for academic research and conservation efforts.
“Ground-based 3D scanning creates comprehensive documentation of the site as it exists right now; it’s the most fine-tuned documentation of the site ever created,” Rohl explains.
With more accurate imaging, archaeologists can correct old drawings, discover new inscriptions among the ruins, and keep a current record of how the site changes to “identify compromised structures or other conservation threats” and to address them “before they become tragedies.”
Researchers can also “create more accurate models of how Umm Al-Jimal might have looked in the past.
“This kind of work has almost always only been done in places like Stonehenge or Pompeii. It’s a cutting-edge way to document an archaeological site to aid promotion, research, and site management—all of which contribute to conservation and continue to create opportunities and benefits for the community.”
CONNECTING PAST AND PRESENT
Rohl says many archaeological projects at Christian universities integrate faith and learning by focusing on “marshaling archaeological evidence to prove the Bible’s veracity.” Though that approach has merit, the goal at Umm Al-Jimal has always been different. He describes the relationship between de Vries’ legacy, Calvin, and the local community of Umm Al-Jimal as “covenantal.”
“How can we use archaeology as a means of seeking human flourishing?” Rohl asks. “How can we as visiting archaeologists in a local community do our work in a way that benefits the community rather than exploits them? That’s a real integration of faith. A working out of being an agent of renewal.”
Volcanic basalt stones characteristic of the Hauran region created a distinctive architectural culture.
“Reconciliation is the way forward for our community, our nation, and the world. It is rooted deeply in the gospel of Jesus Christ, which reconciles us and sends us out as those who reconcile.”
—PRESIDENT GREG ELZINGA
From left to right: Paige, Brooke, Greg, Jacqui, and Luke Elzinga
RECONCILIATION AND RENEWAL PRESIDENT GREG ELZINGA CASTS A VISION FOR CALVIN’S FUTURE AT HIS INAUGURAL CELEBRATION
BY AMANDA ARMOUR GREENHOE ’11
On January 24, Calvin University inaugurated its 13th president, Gregory Elzinga ’90, to lead and serve students, faculty, staff, and alumni worldwide. Dignitaries, civic leaders, and campus and community members gathered at Calvin’s Covenant Fine Arts Center for the inauguration service, which included a time of worship and celebration of God’s faithfulness.
The event featured the president’s eldest daughter, Brooke Elzinga ’21, his brother, Brett Elzinga ’93, University Pastor Mary Hulst ’91, Alumni Board member Janorisè Evans Robinson ’92, and Grand Rapids mayor David LaGrand ’88, among others. Elzinga was commended for his leadership at Calvin, prayed over, and charged to continue living out the Christ-centered mission of the institution.
Elzinga was also presented with a commemorative art piece, revealed at the event. The stunning maroon and gold vessel was crafted by Professor Lee Bolt ’05, who incorporated the written prayers of Calvin community members in the creation process. The sculpture’s surface displays these words from a contemporary faith statement of the Christian Reformed Church in North America: The future is secure, for our world belongs to God.
Through reflections on scripture from Romans 12, 2 Corinthians 5, and Ephesians 2 and 3, Elzinga’s
inaugural address shared a biblical foundation for reconciliation and renewal. He also offered a strategic and hopeful vision for Calvin, which faces headwinds in the current higher education climate. The following are excerpts from his remarks, “Reconciliation and Renewal: Calvin University’s Impact in the World.”
“Being agents of renewal means taking responsibility for the world around us. It means striving for sustainability, advocating for justice, and working toward a future where all creation can flourish. Our commitment to renewal is reflected in our dedication to research, our innovative approaches to education, and our efforts to make a positive impact on society. And we do this because this is what followers of Jesus Christ are called and commanded to do.”
“As we move forward, let us embrace our roles as ambassadors of reconciliation and agents of renewal. Let us commit to building a university community that reflects these values in every aspect of our work and our study. Together, we can create a place where these are not just ideals, but lived realities. Through Christ, the true ministry of reconciliation becomes the seedbed for renewal.”
View the full service at calvin.edu/inauguration Send your own words of encouragement to President Elzinga at president@calvin.edu.
“When you actually look at the human body and the muscles, you know, it’s artwork.”
—KERRIE BERENDS
One Department,
BY SARA KORBER-DEWEERD ’00
Many Footprints
KINESIOLOGY STUDENTS EXPLORE THE ART AND SCIENCE OF HUMAN MOVEMENT THROUGH HANDS-ON LEARNING AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
Kinesiology
SCHOOL OF HEALTH
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN EXERCISE SCIENCE
MATT STYF ’12
CLINIC MANAGER
BLACKSTONE VALLEY
PHYSICAL THERAPY SERVICES
WHITINSVILLE, MASS.
LAURA NICHOLSON LUTZ ’19 MS’23
ATHLETIC DIRECTOR BINGHAM ACADEMY ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
DISCOVERING A PROFESSIONAL HOME
Matt Styf ’12 majored in math and education before discovering a passion for exercise science in Professor John Sparks’ Kinesiology 201 class. What he loved most was the connection he could make between his passion for exercise and service. He found himself asking, “Where can I go with this? What can I do with it?” After evaluating his options, Styf chose the pre-professional track—an undergraduate program that led him to complete a doctorate in physical therapy.
Professor Kerrie Berends, who co-chairs the department with Sparks, says Kinesiology 201 is a course that introduces students to all five majors the department offers. The course focuses on developing “a sense of camaraderie and belonging” among students who pursue various disciplines, all under one department.
Styf says once he decided to switch his major, faculty advisors helped him choose the right classes to graduate on time. Berends confirms that student advising is a key focus of the department’s faculty members. “We guide them through the whole process,” she says, “from course selection to profes-
HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION
(PRE-K TO 12TH GRADE) MAJOR
THERAPEUTIC RECREATION MAJOR
sional exam preparation to identifying and applying to the right graduate schools.”
CONTINUED GROWTH
In addition to pursuing a doctorate in physical therapy, students in the pre-professional track Styf followed also become physicians’ assistants, medical doctors, veterinarians, and dentists. “Kinesiology has so many science cognates that it can lead to any doctoral program in the medical field,” explains Berends. She notes that student interest in the department’s offerings is on the rise—this past fall, 77 first-year students indicated kinesiology as their desired area of study.
Calvin’s kinesiology department also offers four other majors: Pre-K–12 health and physical education, exercise science, therapeutic recreation, and sport management. Students can also select from two minors in recreation leadership or kinesiology. Four years ago, the department introduced an online graduate program in exercise science.
Laura Nicholson Lutz ’19, MS’23 completed her master’s degree with a concentration in health and exercise rehabilitation from her home in Ethiopia, where she serves as the athletic director
KINESIOLOGY
MAJOR— EXERCISE SCIENCE
EMPHASIS
KINESIOLOGY
MAJOR— PRE-PROFESSIONAL EMPHASIS
and teaches anatomy and physiology at an international school. “The master’s degree program exceeded my expectations,” Lutz says. “Each of the professors demonstrated a depth of knowledge and passion for the content while incorporating their own real-world experiences into each of the lessons.” The program is taught almost entirely by full-time faculty.
OUTWARD FACING
Lutz notes that even though her degree was online, she had the freedom to pursue service and research opportunities from within her community. “The master’s degree provided me with invaluable information that I have been able to implement during volunteer opportunities at medical facilities in Ethiopia, including CURE, a surgical pediatric hospital; Droga Physiotherapy Clinic; and the Hamlin Fistula Hospital,” Lutz says.
Berends echoes Lutz’s emphasis: “Both concentrations in the master’s program require students to be out there. Whether they are serving the community or putting in their internship or observation hours, they’re engaging outside of Calvin.”
KINESIOLOGY
MAJOR— SPORT MANAGEMENT
EMPHASIS
KINESIOLOGY MINOR
That hands-on approach extends beyond classroom requirements, too, as kinesiology students find many opportunities to serve their wider communities.
Three years ago, the department joined the School of Health to participate in its annual HEALTH camp for Grand Rapids area students ages 9–17. The camp reaches youth from diverse socio-economic and racial backgrounds, introducing them to the health professions and healthy lifestyles. Kinesiology faculty and students help lead camp participants in exercise sessions and hands-on lessons in nutrition and exercise science.
RECREATION LEADERSHIP MINOR
For the last few years, kinesiology students have also led the Calvin Classic Youth Fun Run.
SUPPORTING GRAND RAPIDS’ FIRST RESPONDERS
Graduate students find exciting opportunities to serve, too. Sparks developed a partnership with the Grand Rapids Fire Department to offer a lower back and shoulder injury prevention clinic. “A group of exercise science graduate students and I do one-hour sessions with usually 8 to 14 firefighters at a time and take them through an injury-prevention protocol,” Sparks says. The protocol includes
stabilization exercises to prevent lower back injury and improve overall shoulder health. “In the last calendar year, we did 17 sessions and were able to see just about every employee of the department.”
The firefighters typically attend clinics on campus, but last year Sparks and his graduate students visited the Grand Rapids Fire Department Training Center to introduce the injury prevention protocol to 24 new recruits.
ALWAYS INNOVATING
The kinesiology department’s commitment to innovation is evidenced in both its growing partnerships and its physical facilities.
The Western Michigan University Occupational Therapy Clinic moved into Calvin’s fieldhouse in 2023, and that gives kinesiology students the chance to intern right on campus and to get connected to WMU’s graduate program.
In November 2024, Calvin signed an agreement with Baylor University’s doctor of physical therapy program. The agreement reserves two early admission spots each year for Calvin students. “It gives
students a little bit of an advantage as they start to go through the application process,” Sparks says, explaining that Calvin scholars consistently compete with students coming out of the nation’s top pre-professional programs.
“Over the last 13 years, we’ve had an 87% graduate school placement rate with our pre-PT students. We’ve placed a number of students in the top five ranked programs in the U.S.,” Sparks says.
Berends and Sparks believe one reason Calvin kinesiology students perform so well is because they have access to stateof-the-art technology on par with large universities. For example, the Exercise Science Lab recently gained an Anatomage Table (virtual dissection table), and a nutrition lab with a fully equipped kitchen is planned for fall 2025.
But they emphasize that innovations aside, the kinesiology department thrives because its students are excited about and committed to their fields of study. “We’ve had some really high-achieving, top-notch students,” Berends says.
FAITH-FOCUSED
Calvin faculty have a long history of studying and teaching the compatibility between faith and science. That the world is both ordered and intricate points to the intention and artistry of a creator God. And although the kinesiology department serves a wide variety of majors, Sparks likes to remind students of the “common thread” their interests share.
“God created our bodies with wonderful intricacies. There’s beauty contained within those intricacies and how they work together as a whole. We try to point that out throughout all our classes,” Sparks says.
“We may put someone on the treadmill and look at their max VO2, their running pattern, their economy of movement. When you start to exercise, how does the body adapt and adjust? And there’s that awe that our bodies can adapt, adjust, and handle the overload while getting stronger and faster. And that’s just fascinating,” Berends marvels.
She adds, “When you actually look at the human body and the muscles, you know, it’s artwork.”
Stepping Forward in Faith
FORMER STUDENT-ATHLETE TRANSFORMS PERSONAL INJURY FOR COMMUNITY GOOD
BY MATT KUCINSKI
During her junior year of high school, soccer player Macy Gerig ’26 sustained a concussion that ended her soccer career. Just like that, her dream of playing for Calvin slipped away. Devastated, Gerig turned to lifting weights, then cycling. “When I put worship music on, I felt the Lord’s strength. I’d go to the gym, and for that one hour, I was normal,” Gerig says.
When Gerig stepped onto Calvin’s campus as a first-year student, she was confronted with the reality of a prior dream.
“At first, I wasn’t a happy camper. I had to push through the trauma of losing soccer, as my suitemates in the dorm were soccer girls,” Gerig says.
But she soon found opportunities to pursue a deeper passion—helping others make connections between their physical and spiritual well-being.
In her first semester at Calvin, with the help of kinesiology department chair Kerrie Berends, Gerig started teaching cycling and women’s strength training class and hosted a mash-up event where Calvin community members could try an abbreviated version of a Pilates, yoga, and cycling class. She also published a 30-day devotional, A Step Forward: Worship ‘n’ Workout Devotional, her second published book to date.
“It’s incredible to be able to reach people just like me who came to Calvin without that team or without that club. I love seeing people meet other people, hearing their stories, and seeing them find their place. Everyone needs that,” Gerig says.
“I didn’t come to Calvin thinking I was going to make a difference. But the Lord told me, ‘Macy, you are not just fitting in, you are going to create.’”
Read more profiles online calvin.edu/spark
Alumni Profiles
BY SARA KORBER-DEWEERD ’00
Calvin seeks to equip students to think deeply, act justly, and live wholeheartedly as Christ’s agents of renewal in the world. These stories demonstrate how our alumni are living out that mission.
In Liberia, where education is often under-resourced, Comfort Enders MEd’07 is leading the way to improve teaching proficiency nationwide with innovative programming, professional development, and a focus on best practices shaped by her Christian worldview.
Four-time Emmy-nominated cinematographer turned content producer Jon Speyers ’08 loves the challenge of telling stories well and hopes to encourage empathy in his art.
Rear Admiral Dean Vander Ley ’91, the Navy’s Chief of Civil Engineers, has served in the U.S. Navy for over 30 years. The Commander of Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC), he leads the nearly 20,000-member organization that maintains and constructs infrastructure for Navy and Marine Corps bases worldwide.
Liz Tenyenhuis Hoekzema ’03 and Kevin Hoekzema ’04 are the powerhouse design-build duo behind KLH Custom Homes and Ten Design Studio. They create fresh modern spaces for clients in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia.
Katelyn Ver Woert Egnatuk ’13
Comfort Enders MEd’07
Jon Speyers ’08
Dean Vander Ley ’91
Kevin Hoekzema ’04 and Liz Tenyenhuis Hoekzema ’03
Comfort Enders MEd’07
Senior deputy for student learning and faculty development
University of Liberia, College of Health Sciences Monrovia, Liberia
Stay the Course
To hear Comfort Enders’ MEd’07 story is to understand what it means to be a visionary thinker driven by patient resolve and an abiding faith. Enders started a career in science education and youth ministry, co-founded and then sustained a Christian school during Liberia’s civil war, and now serves as the senior deputy for student learning and faculty development at the University of Liberia’s College of Health Sciences.
After fleeing Liberia for Nigeria (her country of birth) during the civil war, Enders and her family returned in 1998 to build a youth ministry with Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ). However, in a country still reeling from war, their efforts floundered, leading Enders and her husband, Johnathan, to instead focus on establishing a Christian school called Kingdom Foundation Institute. They welcomed 77 children to their first schoolhouse—a hut built of sticks, straw, and tarpaulins on an acre of donated land.
Committed to growing strong, faith-based education, the Enders sought additional expertise. While intending to contact one educational nonprofit, they accidently sent an email to Christian Schools International that reached John DeJager ’65, who agreed to travel to Liberia to lead a conference in 2001. Thus began a long partnership.
Enders says Liberia faces significant challenges in educating its youth: many schools exist for profit, are under-resourced, and employ untrained teachers. Unethical practices, such as accepting bribes in exchange for passing grades on exams, seem commonplace.
In 2005, Enders became a full-time graduate student in Calvin’s master of education program. Both she and her husband believed the expertise she could gain from her degree
would benefit their mission to bring stability to Liberia through strong education. She spent 18 months in Grand Rapids and built lasting relationships with the wider Calvin community.
She advocated in partnership with Partners in Learning Across Cultures (a nonprofit cofounded by De Jager and his wife, Elaine), a local church, and individual donors.
“By the time I finished Calvin and came back, a one-story building with an office and 18 classrooms was built,” Enders says. For several summers, teams of Calvin professors came to Kingdom Foundation Institute to train 60 to 70 educators within the Christian school network Enders established. “And we are still building on those foundational things.”
Over the years, Enders’ mission and influence grew through numerous consulting opportunities with Liberia’s Ministry of Education, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the University of Liberia’s College of Health Sciences Center for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation. Today, she brings quality professional development to Liberian teachers on a national scale.
As senior deputy for student learning and faculty development at the University of Liberia, she currently leads a five-year grant-funded project targeted at faculty and student pipeline development. “It has been a joyful experience for me to be involved at the level this is happening,” Enders says.
Since the project’s inception, Enders and her team have shared their work on student pipeline development at the Consortium of Universities of Global Health in Washington, D.C.; implemented mandatory pedagogical and mentorship training for faculty at the university’s College of Health Sciences; and founded a summer science camp for high school students and their teachers, led by trained faculty on the university’s campus.
“We have learned a lot of lessons about how that collaborative arrangement can boost science teaching at the high school level before the students even come to university,” Enders says. “It’s so important to have teaching proficiency, because we are so resource deficient in Liberia.”
Back home at the private Christian school in Paynesville she and her husband still co-lead, Enders says 14 classes of 12th graders have graduated since 2011. “All together we have 191 graduates of our school. And among those, three, including my own daughter, have gone on to earn master’s degrees.”
“I see myself as someone who, by the grace of God, is really intentional and who is blessed with health and energy. All my life as I go on, I cannot seek to separate what I believe about the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ from the practical side of life. If I do what I have to do with intention, like the Bible would say, ‘with all your might,’ he will bless this nation even beyond my lifetime. I live with that every day.”
“I cannot seek to separate what I believe about the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ from the practical side of life.”
The Art of the Ordinary
Jon Speyers ’08 Interdisciplinary, concentration in media production Maker, content producer McCann Detroit Detroit, Michigan
“Look at the infinite levels of complexity with which God wired the universe. The ways he wove it high and low. Be awake.
Wonder. Marvel. And engage with it.”
Jon Speyers ’08 says his favorite project is always the one he is currently working on. A filmmaker and photographer, Speyers credits his grandmother with nurturing his curiosity for the world.
“Growing up, Oma gifted her four children’s families annual subscriptions to National Geographic—the golden bindings lined our home shelves. I think Oma wanted us to know God, and also, have a sense of the world around us.”
Speyers’ grandmother, who survived two world wars in the Netherlands and successfully hid five Jewish families in her home during the second world war, emigrated to Ontario in the 1950s. She dreamed of seeing all four of her children attend Calvin. And they did—as did her 10 grandchildren. Speyers’ parents, Bonnie Duthler Speyers ’70 and Franklin Speyers ’71, went on to build their careers at Calvin, too.
From the age of three, Speyers regularly tagged along to campus with his dad, a visual communications and graphic design professor. He remembers popping into various studio spaces to watch students at work on their craft. As a kid, Speyers borrowed his dad’s video camera at every opportunity. And snuck it out on occasion
as well. “That’s how I learned to keep the camera clean,” Speyers laughs, though he often gave himself away by forgetting to put the lens cap back on.
That sense of wonder nourished in studios and from behind a lens only grew during Speyers’ Calvin years. “I captured Outdoor Rec experiences with a lot of fervor—Huron’s North Channel, the Tetons, Wyoming’s Wind River Range, the Grand Canyon under fresh January powder. The material became the core of my first documentary reel.”
Speyers says his years at Calvin felt rich and robust. “I think in aggregate, what the Calvin education says is, ‘Look at the infinite levels of complexity with which God wired the universe. The ways he wove it high and low. Be awake. Wonder. Marvel. And engage with it.’”
After graduation, Speyers moved to California, “without a plan and less than a thousand bucks.” What at first felt like a risky adventure gradually evolved into a flourishing career. The reel he created of his Outdoor Recreation adventures—with original music composed by his wife, Jenna Karas Speyers ’07—helped land him work with the international travel series Joseph Rosendo’s Travelscope, broadcast nationally on PBS. Within a few years, Speyers had
traveled to 15 countries and garnered four Emmy nominations for outstanding achievement in cinematography. When his first nomination came in, he was in graduate film school at the University of Southern California.
“I hardly knew what an Emmy was or what it meant, but there I was, soon glowed up, strolling the red carpet with Jenna,” Speyers says.
Today, Speyers works as a content producer at McCann Detroit, a global marketing group with offices on six continents. He helps conceptualize and execute content creation as a director, cinematographer, and editor. Speyers works with clients to develop, execute, and deliver content that helps them tell their stories well, a process he compares to the challenge and satisfaction of “solving a puzzle.”
When career and family life with two young children allow, Speyers still relishes producing personal projects and says it fuels his creativity at his job as well.
Last winter found him in South Dakota, for example, photographing a rancher, something he had wanted to do for years. “The guy is in his late 60s and just working like a tank, maintaining his ranch. It just blew my mind the way I was constantly trying to keep up with this individual. It was so inspiring to see.”
Speyers’ love of nature, travel, people, and the Lord continue to influence his vision for his art. “In my personal work, I think there are themes that I can see throughout the years,” Speyers says. “Over time, I’ve grown more and more interested in other people. ‘Le quotidien’ as it would be referred to in French cinema. The everyday. In broad strokes, I hope to encourage empathy.”
“The Navy has been a fantastic place to work, and Calvin did an amazing job of preparing me for that career.”
Of all the experiences Rear Admiral Dean Vander Ley ’91 valued about his Calvin education, top among them was the caliber of his professors. “The person with the PhD was actually teaching the class, and that same guy was willing to have an appointment with you and spend an hour explaining things.” He says it’s a feature that put his education “on par with the Ivy Leagues” and gave him “the confidence to keep up with anybody.”
Vander Ley grew up in Tacoma, Washington, where his dad pastored the same church for 36 years. Brought up in a home with strong Christian values, Vander Ley knew he wanted to pursue engineering at a university “that aligned with how I was raised and how I wanted to live my life.” But a few years into his degree program, he couldn’t envision himself in a traditional work environment. Instead, Vander Ley signed up to serve as a naval officer after a recruiter visited campus seeking recruits to work on nuclear submarines.
At the Navy’s “nuc school,” he graduated third in his class and later earned a master of science in civil and environmental engineering from Stanford University.
Vander Ley received his commission from Navy Officer Candidate School in 1991 and spent three years on the USS Michigan submarine, assigned to the same vessel as Calvin classmate Bill Schotanus ’91
He was put in charge of a division of sailors who were mostly older than him and who
had, in his words, “vastly more practical experience.” However, Vander Ley says, “You learn from who you lead.”
The “Calvin values of humility and intellectual curiosity were important character traits in that environment,” Vander Ley explains. “The Navy also puts a lot of value in integrity and character, and Calvin educates the whole person to have strong character.”
In 1998, Vander Ley transferred to the Navy Civil Engineer Corps (CEC), where he today serves as the Navy’s 46th Chief of Civil Engineers and Commander of Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC). Stationed in Washington, D.C., he leads the nearly 20,000-member organization of CEC officers, Seabees, civilians, and contractors who maintain and construct infrastructure for Navy and Marine Corps bases worldwide.
Looking back, Vander Ley says one of his career highlights was serving in Seabee battalions in the Middle East. “Seabees are basically the construction forces for the Department of Navy. They started in World War II.”
During the Iraq invasion in 2003, Vander Ley led a detachment of about 200 Seabees who built roads and camps for the Marines. After the fall of Saddam Hussein, his unit partnered with Iraqi companies to help reconstruct infrastructure such as schools, courthouses, and fire stations. “Iraq has a lot
Rear Admiral Dean Vander Ley ’91
Mechanical engineering
Chief of Civil Engineers, Commander of Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC)
Navy Civil Engineer Corps Washington, D.C.
of kids, so to get them back in school was a way to help stabilize the country. I know over time a lot changed there, but I’m still very proud of what the Seabees accomplished and the impact they made,” Vander Ley says.
In 2010, Vander Ley commanded a Seabee battalion deployed to northern Afghanistan to construct forward operating bases for two incoming U.S. Army brigades. He was awarded a Bronze Star for this service, just one of many naval decorations he has received over the years.
His current focus as Commander of NAVFAC is the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP), an extensive program targeted at upgrading the aging infrastructure at the Navy’s four public shipyards, which maintain submarines and aircraft carriers, platforms important to the Navy’s mission and U.S. national defense. “These are complex projects—we’re restoring dry docks sometimes built more than a hundred years ago, infrastructure designed for very different ships and missions,” Vander Ley says. Optimizing the efficiency of industrial processes and bringing technology up to date are also key aspects of the project.
Vander Ley remains grateful for the opportunities his more than 30-year naval career has afforded. “The Navy has been a fantastic place to work, and Calvin did an amazing job of preparing me for that career. I’ve always been proud to have had my start at Calvin.”
At the Pinnacle
Kevin Hoekzema ’04 and Liz Tenyenhuis Hoekzema ’03
Business and English
Co-founders KLH Custom Homes and Ten Design Studio Kalamazoo, Michigan
Design, Delight, and the Unexpected
PHOTO CREDIT: DIANA PAULSON
As Calvin students, Liz Tenyenhuis Hoekzema ’03 and Kevin Hoekzema ’04 never dreamed they would co-found two of western Michigan’s successful design and build firms, KLH Custom Homes and Ten Design Studio. But a passion for designing and building their own family homes led to a shared mission to create “spontaneous, rad, and modern spaces” for others.
“We favor clean lines, sculptural, playful details, and highlighting moments of shadow and light,” Liz explains. “We believe in leaving space for sparks of inspiration and creativity as we go.”
On paper, starting a design-build firm shortly after the 2008 housing market crash appeared risky. But the married entrepreneurs took a leap of faith anyway and founded KLH Custom Homes, primarily serving clients in western Michigan.
Their modern, family-friendly aesthetic quickly gained an international following, and in 2015 they added Ten Design Studio, an architectural plan and interiors firm that has served clients in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia.
Neither Liz nor Kevin could have anticipated being where they are today.
At Calvin, Liz majored in English but felt unsure about a career path, until a personality test at her first job pointed her toward design, something she really hadn’t considered. Kevin, meanwhile, switched from business toward a pre-med path. The years following Calvin were far from smooth for him. “I was so directionless post Calvin. I lacked any clarity with my career—I had four completely different jobs before we started our companies,” he says.
The Hoekzemas, however, believe those early twists and turns taught them to be flexible and open-minded about God’s plan for their
lives. As it turned out, Liz did have a gift for design; she fell in love with the process when the couple built their first house in Grand Rapids. A move to Kalamazoo for Kevin’s job led to designing and building a second, more modern home, which Liz blogged about, gaining a small following. They sold that house and planned a third. But shortly after the couple had their first child, Kevin suddenly lost his job. Once again, they felt deeply uncertain about the future.
“This was the point where we very clearly saw God’s hand in our story,” Liz says. “One day at Bible study, I was approached by a fellow leader who read my blog and asked if we built custom homes for clients. It felt nothing short of providential and, for us, life changing.”
“It was stunning, everything happened so quickly,” Kevin adds. “Within a few months I had my builder’s license, a truck, and an LLC under our newly created business name. We had endless passion, but no significant contracting experience. It was the best of times, but also the hardest of times.”
To succeed, they leaned into their broad Calvin education, Kevin’s experience in carpentry and business, and Liz’s creativity and eye for design. “I think Calvin prepared
both of us to be able to engage with a wide variety of people and think on our toes. We learned to draw from a breadth of knowledge and experiences,” says Liz, who relied on her strong background in communication and writing, for example, to craft a clear brand presence for their two firms.
The Hoekzemas, now a highly sought-after duo in the design and build world, have climbed the ranks of their industry, and their work has been featured in prestigious publications such as House Beautiful, Dwell, and most recently, The New York Times
Staying open to creativity, inspiration, and learning as they go remains at the heart of their business philosophy; it’s served them well in family life, too. “Owning and running a business carries a lot of weight,” Kevin says. “Couple that with being married with four kids and working together—sometimes we just sit in silence for an hour after a long day.” The Hoekzemas say it’s taken them years to find that just-right balance between running their businesses and being fully present to their four children.
Success hasn’t felt formulaic; instead, the Hoekzemas say, amid the challenges, they continue to delight in the unexpected story God writes with their lives.
“We had endless passion, but no significant contracting experience. It was the best of times, but also the hardest of times.”
YOUNG ALUMNI NETWORKS, PRESIDENTIAL VISITS
The Alumni Association has hosted close to 40 events during the 2024–25 academic year. One focus is bringing renewed energy to young alumni networks: this year, the west Michigan group gathered at Sandy Point Beach House, Founders Brewing, and a Grand Rapids Rise volleyball game. Chicago young alums connected at The Vig and Fifth Third Arena.
President Greg Elzinga is making it his priority to meet with alumni in their home communities, including visits to Whitinsville and Boston, Mass.; Pella, Iowa; North Haledon, N.J.; New York, N.Y.; Elmhurst, Ill.; Toronto, Ont.; Accra, Ghana; Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria; and Washington, D.C.
Young alumni in Chicago took a private tour of Fifth Third Arena, the Chicago Blackhawks hockey training facility.
The men’s volleyball team met up with alumni in Long Beach, Calif., before a tournament at California Lutheran.
Amy Lee ’18 provided music for the Calvin Alumni Association Korea Network Knight’s Night event.
TRAVEL WITH CALVIN
AROUND THE WORLD WITH CALVIN 150th Anniversary Year: 2025–2026
South Korea and Japan October 15–28, 2025
Hosts: Don and Kathy DeGraaf
Begin your adventure in Seoul with a visit to the Demilitarized Zone on the border of North Korea, a Han River cruise, and an outing with local alumni. Then take a bullet train to Busan to experience the Jagalchi Fish Market, Gamcheon Culture Village, and Sky Capsule beach train. Continue the adventure in Japan with stops at Kinkakuji Temple and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Museum. End in Kyoto with a bamboo forest walk, traditional tea ceremony, and Samurai Museum tour.
Red Rocks and Canyons in the American Southwest April 7−18, 2026
Hosts: Gerry and Jan Van Kooten
Highlights: Sedona, Bryce Canyon National Park, Antelope Canyon, Rehoboth, and Zuni
Peru and the Wonders of the Andes April 18−28, 2026
Host: Cynthia Slagter
Highlights: Lima, Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley, and Cusco
View full itineraries and register online at calvin.edu/go/travel
History professor Eric Washington spoke with current and prospective student families while in Accra, Ghana.
Alumni and friends in New York City connected with President Elzinga at Angelo’s Pizza.
Tamory Hall made an ideal gathering space for Calvin friends during President Elzinga’s visit to Pella, Iowa.
Calvin University’s Sesquicentennial Anniversary
From humble beginnings to global recognition, Calvin University is a testament to faith, excellence, and impact. You’re invited to join us in reflecting on our enduring legacy, celebrating our thriving Christ-centered community, and empowering future generations of Calvin students.
CELEBRATION WEEKS CALVIN ON THE ROAD
Fall: September 18–27, 2025
Winter: February 12–21, 2026
Spring: April 30–May 9, 2026
Attend one of the numerous events scheduled throughout the U.S. and Canada
Visit calvin.edu/150 for event details and upcoming announcements.
Faithful Trailblazer
Honoring a pioneering scientist who broke gender barriers to serve her nation
“Tenacious” and “driven” are two words Brian Klassen ’07 uses to describe his mom, Sandra Meppelink Klassen ’74. As a career scientist at Sandia National Labs, a U.S. Department of Energy facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sandra devoted her working life to improving energy storage of lithium-ion batteries and solving national security challenges, specifically in airport security and explosives detection.
Sandra studied chemistry at Calvin, going on to earn master’s and doctorate degrees in organic chemistry. “Chemistry is a male-dominated field,” says Brian. “Later in her life, my mom began sharing stories of what it was like to often be the only woman around. She was often not treated well by her male colleagues.”
Sandra passed away in 2022 after a twoyear battle with ovarian cancer. When Brian thought about how he could best honor his mother’s memory, he turned to Calvin. “Mom cared about education and learning. Calvin was the most formative of the places she studied. She was a deeply committed Christian and a scientist. She really appreciated the foundation Calvin gave her—that there is no conflict between faith and science.”
Establishing the Dr. Sandra E. Klassen Memorial Scholarship felt like a natural choice. The $4,500 gift is awarded annually to a female Calvin junior or senior studying chemistry.
The scholarship is also an acknowledgment of Brian’s family legacy at Calvin. Brian and both of his parents graduated from Calvin. Calvin is also the alma mater of his maternal grandparents, as well as many extended family members.
Upon retirement, Brian’s parents moved from New Mexico back to Grand Rapids. He says his mom always intended to take more classes at Calvin. “She was somebody who was just naturally curious and who loved to learn. A liberal arts education appealed to her, especially the opportunity to take philosophy, art history, and theology classes. She always loved how comprehensive her education at Calvin was, and she wanted to return to it later in life.”
Though his mom didn’t have the opportunity to fulfill that hope, in her later years, she was a devoted grandmother who enjoyed gardening and sewing.
Brian says in all her pursuits and passions his mom held a deep appreciation for order and detail. “She was always so amazed at just how precise the natural world is, even down to the molecular level.”
Brian hopes the scholarship he and his father established will ease the financial burden for Calvin chemistry students, especially women, for years to come. “Being the best scientist was an expression of my mom’s faith,” Brian says. Faithful giving is one way he and his family continue Sandra’s legacy.
Sandra Klassen with grandson Hendrik at the Albuquerque International
DISCOVER HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT the next generation of Calvin students and honor a loved one’s legacy by currently funding or endowing a Calvin named scholarship. To find out more, visit calvin.edu/go/nsp or contact namedscholarships@calvin.edu.
Above: Sandra Klassen conducting doctoral work in her chemistry lab at the University of New Mexico in the late 70s
Below:
Balloon Fiesta, October 2014
CLASS NOTES
Spark readers: This section emphasizes Calvin graduates’ service, vocational, and reunion stories, along with “In Memoriam” notices. Send us news of your promotions, achievements, recognitions, and other announcements at spark@calvin.edu. Photos must be 300 dpi or approximately 1MB or greater in size.
The alumni association is also interested in knowing about important family milestones such as marriages and newcomers. Please send that news to alumni@calvin.edu
HERITAGE
(graduated more than 50 years ago)
01 On March 9, 2024, Wycliffe Bible translators Mary DeBoe Harris ’69 and Larry Harris, along with co-translators Juan and Basilica Sarabia, celebrated the presentation of the printed New Testament in the Southwest Tlaxiaco Mixtec language. The celebration took place in the town of Santiago Nuyoo in Oaxaca, Mexico, and marked the culmination of 40 years of labor by God’s grace.
the 8th Annual Slave Dwelling Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in October 2024.
1970s
03 Two Calvin grads are together in Yaoundé, Cameroon for the 2024–25 academic year. Cal Bratt ’77 is teaching high school at the Rain Forest International School for one year. Tony Westrate ’04 serves on the school board there; he and his family have lived in Cameroon for 11 years, working with Wycliffe Bible Translators.
Patrick Jasperse, a trial attorney in the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions
Section of the U.S. Department of Justice, received an Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in January 2025.
02 Reunion at the Stable, a retelling of the traditional Christmas story from the perspective of the animals who witnessed Jesus’s birth, was presented December 14–15 at First Congregational Church of Rockford in Rockford, Michigan. Steven Steenwyk ’74 wrote, composed, and published the original musical in 1998, while serving as a physics professor at Calvin. The cast of this year’s production performed before two sold-out audiences.
John Wildeboer ’70 prepared An Illinois Slavery Primer: Slavery and Indentured Servitude Through the Lens of the Illinois Supreme Court (available on Amazon Books) in conjunction with his presentation on slavery in Illinois at
1980s
Patrick Jasperse ’87, a trial attorney in the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, received an Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in January 2025, in connection with the prosecution of Ross Roggio, the second person convicted of torture since the federal torture statute was enacted in 1994. Attorney General Merrick Garland presented the 2024 awards to 21 recipients at an official ceremony on January 15. This award is the second-highest award granted by the Attorney General.
Professor Tim Lieuwen was honored as an International Fellow by the United Kingdom’s Royal Academy of Engineering, one of only three engineers from the U.S. to receive this fellowship.
’95
04 In November 2024, Mike McDonald ’88 and Nancy Veenstra McDonald ’76 met Calvin professor Derek Schuurman at a public lecture he gave titled “Personhood and the Perception of Truth in the Age of AI.” The event was organized by the King Institute for Faith & Culture of King University and was held at the First Presbyterian Church of Bristol in Tennessee.
05 Friends and former Calvin roommates met up for a week-long vacation in Kansas where they enjoyed exploring the Truman Museum and much more. Pictured from left to right are Audrey Bruinsma Rose ’81, Nina Sweeney-Haven ’82, Ellen Visser Freestone ’82
1990s
General surgeon Jason Fader ’99 received the American College of Surgeons/Pfizer Surgical Humanitarian Award for his leadership at Kibuye Hope Hospital in Burundi. Once a small, rural mission hospital, the facility is now a major medical center where more than 30,000 patients receive care annually. Fader led efforts to improve hospital infrastructure, to expand surgical services, and to establish a surgical residency program.
Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana appointed Chris Huang ’98 to a newly formed leadership role as vice president for academic systems and completion
strategy. Huang previously served as associate vice chancellor and registrar at Purdue University Fort Wayne.
06 The United Kingdom’s Royal Academy of Engineering selected Professor Tim Lieuwen ’95 as an International Fellow. He is one of three engineers from the United States to receive the fellowship, which recognizes engineers whose work advances a sustainable society and a more inclusive economy. Lieuwen attended a ceremony at the Academy in London with his wife, Rinda Werkhoven Lieuwen ’95, on November 27, 2024, where he met Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal, Anne. Lieuwen is the Interim Executive Vice President for Research, a Regents Professor, and the David S. Lewis Jr. Chair at Georgia Institute of Technology.
Becky Karelse Tubergen ’99 accepted the position of chief executive officer at All Belong, formerly known as Christian Learning Center, in Wyoming, Michigan. Tubergen has served at All Belong for the past 25 years and is also the director of school services. Additionally, Betsy Huizingh Winkle ’98 was appointed to the role of chief operating officer and is also the director of student services. All Belong is a nonprofit that partners with Christ-centered schools in 14 states and the Dominican Republic to foster learning communities where students with disabilities experience belonging in their classrooms.
A Unique Approach to Patient Care
As family practitioners, Doctors Lara Baatenburg ’10 and Jana Baatenburg ’10 yearned for more time to listen to their patients’ concerns, to focus on preventative medicine, and to make decisions free from the constraints of insurance companies.
“So much of medicine nowadays is reactionary—we wait until something goes wrong and then we try to fix it. And that’s not ideal for overall health,” Lara says.
To address that concern, the pair founded Concierge Medicine of West Michigan, a boutique, membership-based primary care practice in Ada, Michigan. It’s an alternative model of healthcare delivery focused on creating a better healthcare experience by offering 24-hour access to physicians, guaranteed same-day or next-day appointments, longer office visits, and specialized services such as genetic testing and menopause management.
The twin sisters, who attended Calvin and medical school together, say their grandfather inspired them to go into medicine. “He was a Calvin grad in the 50s, who went on to become a family medicine physician in Iowa,” Jana says.
Lara adds, “For many years we heard stories about how he was able to focus on and care for his patients as people. We feel like we’re bringing it back to our grandfather’s way of practicing medicine.”
The sisters say their decision to leave the traditional healthcare system was difficult, though; neither had experience in starting a business. They both leaned on their faith in the face of the unknown.
“The greatest benefit I gained from my time at Calvin was learning how to discern God’s will in all areas of life,” Jana says. That mindset nudged both women to take a leap of faith.
“It’s been a great growing experience. I feel like God has led us down this path as we follow his call, even if, looking back, it wasn’t where we expected to be. He has a plan. It’s his practice, not ours,” Lara says.
Calvin alumnae and sisters Dr. Lara Baatenburg ’10 and Dr. Jana Baatenburg ’10 aim to deliver a personalized patient experience at Concierge Medicine of West Michigan.
ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT
Enduring Fellowship
years of sharing
Ron Boes ’68, Brian Bluekamp ’67, and John Moes ’66 were just starting out as teachers at Kelloggsville Christian School when they decided to organize a Bible study. Boes, Moes, and Bluekamp hoped it would be a way to deepen both their faith and the friendship they began at Calvin, where Boes and Bluekamp lived across from each other in Noordewier Hall.
That was 1968. More than 50 years later, the group is still meeting.
Eventually, five couples formed a group that met together on the first Sunday of every month. Ron and his wife, Sandy; Brian and his wife, Kathy; and John and his wife, Claire were joined by Jerry Lameyer ’65 and Laura Van Bruggen Lameyer ’64 Larry Bartels ’67 and Betty Bergwerff Bartels ’69 joined when they returned to Michigan after several years serving as missionaries in Peru.
At first, the friends would read through books of the Bible, researching and discussing scholarly perspectives on the Scripture for each month. Now, they mostly spend time “in communion with each other” and in prayer,
Brian Bluekamp says. In preparation for each month’s meeting, they compile a list of prayer requests over email.
“Because we’ve been together for such a long period of time, it has become like a family, and we all care about each other’s families,” Ron Boes says.
Meeting together for more than five decades, the friends have experienced loss and grief over the years, from job layoffs to losing spouses. Four of the five original couples have experienced the death of a spouse—one died in a car accident, while others succumbed to illnesses like cancer.
“We laugh together and grieve together. And I think that’s something that you have in common when you have your peer group. And to me, that’s been helpful to have a peer group that’s been really steady over all these years,” Betty Bartels says.
The friends have no plans to stop meeting. When asked about goals for the future, they expressed one shared ambition: to end life well and to pass on their legacy of a deep and committed faith.
—Ethan Meyers
Calvin friends mark 57
their lives and faith together.
’25
07 On Sunday, December 15, 2024, the Rev. Father Brian Vander Wel ’90, obl. OSB (Oblates of the Order of Saint Benedict), celebrated 25 years of ordained ministry as a priest in the Episcopal/Anglican church. Father Brian has been serving as the 43rd Rector of Christ Church in Accokeek, Maryland, since January 2007.
08 In the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, professional landscape and cityscape photographer Liesl Walsh ’91 documented storm damage in her hometown of Venice, Florida. To uplift her fellow Floridians, Walsh composed and shared peaceful, healing images on social media. She also posted photographs of historic landmarks and beaches, captured before their destruction by Hurricane Milton. Having lost her own home during Hurricane Ian, Walsh aims to provide comfort to those facing similar hardships after this latest storm.
2000s
Kitchen and bath designer Anneke Miersma Huisman ’03 was recognized as an industry innovator by Kitchen and Bath Design News magazine, was selected to be the featured designer in the winter edition of Michigan Home and Lifestyle magazine, and was invited to host a clinic at the National Kitchen and Bath Show 2025. She presented on how businesses can partner with local nonprofits to connect industry resources and talent to local needs. Huisman also enjoys mentoring young designers in the profession.
Jon Tony ’00 celebrated his 5th year as pastor of Hackberry Creek Church in Irving, Texas.
Associate professor of Nordic studies and linguistics Seán Vrieland ’09 published Úr gomlum ritum: Faroese Manuscripts from the Middle Ages to the Nineteenth Century. The book, the result of a research project conducted at the University of Copenhagen in collaboration with the University of the Faroe Islands, introduces manuscripts from or connected to the Faroe Islands and is written in three languages: English, Danish and Faroese.
2010s
Sarah Van Tubergen Entingh ’19 is the assistant curator of Water Street Art, an art gallery in Douglas, Michigan, committed to elevating local and global talent. October 2024 marked the opening of Water Street Art’s second gallery location in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Rising Kites, founded by Danielle Pyle Grandholm ’10, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating the gift of Down syndrome by bringing encouragement, resources, and support to those within the Down syndrome community. The organization recently expanded its reach with a new coffee shop in Bridgman, Michigan, that provides job training and employment to individuals with disabilities.
Senior Finance Manager at United Airlines Jack Musser ’10 led the financial
Photographer Liesl Walsh documented Hurricane Milton’s damage in her hometown of Venice, Florida, and shared peaceful, healing images on social media to uplift her fellow Floridians facing hardship from the storm.
modeling team for United’s onboard Wi-Fi deal with SpaceX, the first deal of its kind in the commercial industry. Musser and his team were responsible for running the financial model for all costs associated with the project, which was made public in September.
Three best friends from Calvin, Krista Johnson Umanos ’10, Heather Loock Baar ’10, and Allison Boender VanderLugt ’10, live as direct neighbors in three consecutive houses on a cul-desac in Jenison, Michigan. They enjoy many aspects of shared life together, including raising kids, eating meals, and swapping childcare. With seven kids between three families, “It’s just a unique and awesome way to live, and every single day is a Calvin reunion!” Umanos said.
Two alumni serve their local community at Plainsong, a 12-acre community farm in Rockford, Michigan, dedicated to farm-based environmental education and Christian discipleship. Emily Ulmer ’15 recently began serving as a co-director of the organization, while Mike McIntosh ’78 served on the board for over six years, three of those years as president.
08
A Life Like Daniel’s
A native of Haiti who spent childhood summers in Connecticut with her cousins, Phanuelle Duchatelier Pillsbury ’12 says she grew up straddling two worlds. At the age of 13, when political tensions and gender-based violence in Haiti escalated, Pillsbury’s parents made the difficult decision for her to move to Minnesota where she lived with extended family and attended high school. She describes that time as “a Daniel moment.”
“I was in a new country, learning in a different system, in a different language, away from my parents. You know, my faith really helped me.” So did friends, two influential teachers, and Pillsbury’s own tenacity.
At Calvin, Pillsbury, already fluent in three languages, studied Spanish and interdisciplinary studies with a focus in sociology. Though she remembers the challenges of being an international student, she also recalls, “Calvin had a huge impact on me, and I’m so grateful. It’s such a breath of fresh air to think about it.”
After Calvin, Pillsbury moved to Washington, D.C., where her cousin and sister lived. She interned at the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants and was quickly hired for a full-time position helping unaccompanied minors resettle in the U.S. Rewarding as the role was, she sometimes felt frustrated that she “lacked the authority to contribute to a lasting solution.” In response, she applied to law school.
Pillsbury attended Vermont Law School, completed a clerkship at the public defender’s office, and engaged in gender-based violence work. She also completed a oneyear fellowship at Conservation Law Foundation where she was tasked with developing an environmental justice strategy for the state of New Hampshire.
“That’s when I really fell in love with community lawyering,” Pillsbury says. “As legal advocates, you need to share your expertise without infringing on a community’s views.”
To maintain a healthy work-life balance, Pillsbury volunteered at her local church. “I would say that throughout this whole time, ministry was always at the forefront of who I was and am.”
Today, Pillsbury authors devotionals, leads retreats, and preaches on a bi-monthly rotation at her church among other speaking engagements. More recently, she’s combined her experience in law and ministry to focus on conflict mediation. “I’m very passionate about creating a space whereby people can get things done if they can only sit down together and put their differences aside to see the other person as a human being.”
Still leading a ‘Daniel life,’ she continues to ask: “Where am I? Can the name of God be glorified here? Am I fulfilling my mission to go and make disciples of all nations?”
Phanuelle Duchatelier Pillsbury ’12 is a young lawyer and ministry leader passionate about conflict resolution, creation care, and safe-guarding the dignity of vulnerable people.
01 American Eyes on the Netherlands: Film, Public Diplomacy, and Dutch Identity 1943–1974
Henk Aay, emeritus professor of geography Van Raalte Press 02 Fetch and the Not So Fine Art of Making Friends
Ken Bloem ’78 Self-published
03 A Step Forward: 30-Day Challenge to Kick-Start Your Spiritual and Physical Devotion to the Lord
Macy Gerig ’26 Self-published
From Glory to Glory: The Imitation of Christ for Cultural Engagement
Charles Geschiere ’80
Redeemer: God’s Lovingkindness in the Book of Ruth
06 Nature Explorer: Get Outside, Observe, and Discover the Natural World
Jenny deFouw Geuder ’04 MEd’11 AdventureKEEN
07 Mulled Words: A Word a Week from God’s Word
Marjorie Ribbens Gray ’68 Outskirts Press
08 OBSESSED: My Relentless Pursuit of the Zodiac Killer
Mark Hewitt ’83
Genius Book Publishing
09 The Mediterranean Dish: Simply Dinner
Suzy Kades Karadsheh ’01 Clarkson Potter
10 Plant Strategies: The Demographic Consequences of Functional Traits in Changing Environments
Daniel Laughlin ’99
Oxford University Press
11 The Ashes of Amori
Andrew Reichard ’13 Ypa Press 12 Vessel
Andrew Reichard ’13 Solum Literary Press
13 Why I Am: Discovering Your Reason for Being (2nd edition)
Fred Vander Ploeg ’70 and Nelson Miller Crown Management
14 Everyday Christian Teaching: A Guide to Practicing Faith in the Classroom
David I. Smith, professor of education and director of the Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning
15 Hopeful Realism: Evangelical Natural Law and Democratic Politics
Jesse Covington, Bryan T. McGraw, and Micah Watson, Paul B. Henry Chair in Political Science
InterVarsity Press
REUNION IN A BOX
Request your party kit for a gathering of four or more alumni: calvin.edu/go/reunion-box
Former tennis teammates celebrated milestone birthdays in Austin, Texas, where they once again hit the courts together.
Left to right: Annie Huizenga Hoekzema ’06, Kari Lipinski Pater ’07, Allyson Logan Vriesman ’07, Kristina Plaisier Schrik ’06, Amy Zeilstra Diepstra ’06, Kim Bosscher Zondervan ’06
Three generations of the DenBleyker family gathered in Waynesville, North Carolina, in summer 2024.
Left to right: Stacey Benthem DenBleyker ’95, Kirsten DenBleyker ’25, Michael DenBleyker ’96, Kristi DenBleyker Dvorak ’02, Noah DenBleyker ’22, Donna Hendricks DenBleyker ’69, Jeff DenBleyker ’94, Lynette DenBleyker Brander ’99
These four Calvin couples have rung in the new year together for over 50 years.
Left to right: Harold “Herk” Vanden Bosch ’71, Linda Schoon Vanden Bosch ex’71, Wayne Brower ’71, Sharon Lamer Brower ex’70, Ken Baker ’71, Annelle “Dee” Schoon Baker ’72, Gary Tinklenberg ’72, Karen DeVries Tinklenberg ’71
These friends from Michigan, Minnesota, and Illinois enjoyed fall adventures in Nederland, Colorado.
Left to right: Marc Verkaik ’91, Lisa Klingenberg Verkaik ’95, Lisa Hubers TerHaar ’92, Keith TerHaar ’91, Steve Bult ’92, Pam Winkle Bult ’91
In June 2024, these friends enjoyed the beautiful countryside of Blyth, Ontario.
Left to right: Lindsay Manis Dyke ’05, Shara Balk DeBlaay ’05, Julie VandenEnde Tetreault ’06, Jacqueline Bakker Brouwer ’05, Becky Hielema Bosma ’04
These 1964 Calvin grads held a reunion at Raybrook on October 28, 2024. They enjoyed reminiscing about their alma mater as it was 60 years ago, while appreciating continued opportunities for engagement on campus.
Front row left to right: Charlene Bolt Ter Haar, Ann Strayer Stapert, Marge Hage Hoogeboom
Back row left to right: Betty Vander Haak Grit, Judy Oosterhouse Fletcher, Diane Ottens Nykamp, Carol De Mots Woltjer, Virginia Vander Meer LaGrand, Jan Weesies Scheffler, Jan Hunderman Quist
These 1997 grads gathered for a fall weekend in Long Beach, California.
Left to right: Christine Baas VanWoudenberg, Pam Stuursma Krombeen, Anna Slager Willoughby, Jana Dykstra Rigterink, Sarah Unger Lestina
Deaths
1940s
Mary Kooistra Haven ’49
Oct. 28, 2024, The Villages, Fla.
Hester Van Dam Hinken ’49
May 31, 2024, Grandville, Mich.
Cora Verburg Huizenga ex’49
Nov. 1, 2024, Wyoming, Mich.
Charles Kuiper ex’49
Sept. 10, 2024, Bradenton, Fla.
Barbara Porte Louters ex’48
Sept. 26, 2024, Hollandale, Minn.
Mary Starn McLean ’47
Aug. 2, 2024, Reisterstown, Md.
Alton Sheridan ’48
Oct. 23, 2024, Mount Airy, Md.
Annabelle Hertel Shooks ’47
Oct. 3, 2024, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Bernice Van Halsema VandenBerg ’48
Nov. 15, 2024, Grand Rapids, Mich.
1950s
Mark Aukeman ’50
Dec. 6, 2024, Hudsonville, Mich.
Gertrude Slagter Block ex’52
Nov. 10, 2024, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Ruth Van Arkel Bos ex’58
April 6, 2024, Louisville, Ky.
Myrna Brune ex’51
Nov. 18, 2024, Lynden, Wash.
Carol Bloem Clarisey ex’58
June 12, 2023, Mishawaka, Ind.
Frank De Boer ’50
Nov. 20, 2024, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Roger De Graaf ’58
Aug. 16, 2024, Zeeland, Mich.
Alice De Boer De Vries ex’57
Nov. 2, 2023, Cedar Grove, N.J.
Eloise DeZwarte ex’55
Jan. 5, 2025, Granville, Ohio
Ruth De Waard Diephuis ex’51
Nov. 14, 2024, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Elizabeth De Young Dix ex’55
Nov. 15, 2023, Grandville, Mich.
Roger Duininck ex’56
July 26, 2024, Saint Cloud, Minn.
Since 2020, 211 alumni parties have participated in the Reunion in a Box program! Scan to view more great photos on Facebook.
Earl Dykstra ’50
Aug. 28, 2024, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Donald Gerard ’56
Aug. 18, 2024, Lowell, Mich.
Joyce Pastoor Gjeltema ’59
Jan. 4, 2025, Kalamazoo, Mich.
Jacob Heerema ’57 Oct. 11, 2024, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Ruth Hoeksema Hiskes ex’57 May 16, 2023, Lansing, Ill.
Donald House ex’50 Oct. 18, 2024, Jupiter, Fla.
Kenneth Hoving ’58 Feb. 22, 2024, Rockford, Ill.
Edna Bruins Hulst ex’55 Nov. 22, 2024, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Elisabeth “Lizzie” Knot ’24, a fifthyear graduate student in the master of accounting program at Calvin, died unexpectedly in her sleep on Sunday, January 26. She was 23 years old.
“Lizzie was the most thoughtful, intentional, caring, loving, and loyal friend, and I consider myself so lucky to have been able to live a small part of this life with her,” said Kate Klaver Visser ’24, a close friend.
Knot’s legacy within the Calvin community and beyond is tied to her embodiment of Galatians 5:22–23, which says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
“Lizzie’s faith was evident in everything she did. The way she treated others, the way she spoke of her family and friends, the way she made people feel special, and the love she brought everywhere she went,” said Justine Bronkhorst ’24, a close friend and roommate. “God was working through her for her entire life and was spreading his love through her.”
“How blessed we were to have known and been so near to Lizzie,” said Bethany Bergquist ’24, a housemate and close friend.
“As a man of faith, I cling to the hope that we will see Lizzie again someday,” said Sam Niewiek ’22, Lizzie’s boyfriend. “I know it to be true.”
MICHAEL PETRUSMA
1963 – 2024
On Friday, November 22, 2024, Mike Petrusma ex’85, age 61, the longtime hockey director and head ACHA Division I coach at Calvin University, died due to complications from an extended illness.
“The hockey program wouldn’t be anywhere near where it is today without Mike,” said Austin Huizenga, Calvin’s ACHA Division III hockey coach.
More than 500 wins, multiple national tournament appearances at all three ACHA division levels, and a 2004 ACHA Division III National Championship are among Petrusma’s achievements on his 28-year resume as a hockey coach.
But those stat lines and impressive feats pale in comparison to the impact Petrusma had on his student-athletes and fellow coaches off the ice.
“Each day, Coach would leave you with advice to better your day, as if he knew exactly what you were going through,” said Joe Messina, who coached alongside Petrusma and his son Josh for the past nine years. “I look back on this now and it’s almost as if he knew he had a higher calling, leaving his legacy in each one of us. Coach might be gone, but a part of him will live on forever in so many of us.”
HOWARD SLENK
1931 – 2025
For more than a quarter century, Howard Slenk ’53 played an instrumental part in Calvin’s music department. On January 2, 2025, Slenk passed away. He was 93 years old.
Slenk’s love for music was stoked during his time as an undergraduate student at Calvin in the early 1950s. In fact, during the 1953–54 academic year, he was a Fulbright Scholar at the Amsterdam Conservatory of Music, after which he served in the United States Army in Germany.
Upon returning to the United States, Slenk completed a master’s degree and a PhD in musicology from Ohio State. In 1965, he founded the music department at Trinity Christian College.
A few years later, he returned to his alma mater, where he taught full time for nearly three decades.
“Professor Howard Slenk was an accomplished musicologist, choral conductor, organist, church musician, and author,” said John Witvliet, the director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. “He expanded the horizons of the music department by recruiting excellent faculty colleagues, pioneering international tours for music ensembles, and pulling off some remarkably complex musical performances with student and community-based ensembles.”
LARRY NYHOFF
1938 – 2024
“Larry was one of the founding fathers of Calvin’s computer science program,” said Joel Adams, emeritus professor of computer science.
Larry Nyhoff ’60 spent four-plus decades serving as a professor of mathematics and computer science at Calvin. On November 13, 2024, he died following a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s.
After earning a master’s and PhD in mathematics from the University of Michigan and Michigan State University respectively, Nyhoff returned to Calvin to teach mathematics. But midway through his career, leaders noticed a growing interest in computers and asked Larry to consider helping with the development of new courses in that area.
Nyhoff, partnering with colleague Sandy Leestma, put together course materials for this developing field. Their goal was to learn as much as they could so they could prepare their students well.
“Larry’s professional interests and pursuits have always been determined by what his students needed rather than by what he himself was inclined to be interested in,” wrote Gerard Venema, emeritus professor of mathematics.
“What followed was two decades of ground-breaking work in computer science education,” wrote Keith Vander Linden, professor of computer science, in his retirement tribute to Nyhoff.
CHARLES STRIKWERDA
1946 – 2024
On Tuesday, November 19, 2024, Chuck Strikwerda ’68, who taught in Calvin’s department of politics and economics for two-plus decades, died following a long period of mental and physical decline.
After earning his master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and his PhD from the University of Kentucky as well as serving as a chaplain’s assistant with the U.S. Army, Strikwerda returned to his alma mater to join Calvin’s faculty in 1979.
Corwin Smidt, a former colleague of Strikwerda’s, noted that while he was a trained Americanist, Strikwerda often selflessly took on the challenge of mastering a new course within a different subfield of study to help balance the departmental offerings.
“He was not driven to publish nor to establish his scholarly credentials within some narrow field of research,” said Smidt. “Rather, he focused on teaching the classes to which he was assigned. And, given his breadth of interests, he was able to place his discussion of class material within a broader historical and cultural context.”
Strikwerda also led many off-campus interim courses, served on a wide variety of committees, and assumed the roles of pre-law advisor, chair of the political science department, and Calvin’s first director of academic advising.
ROBERT TERBORG
1941 – 2024
For 40 years, Robert Terborg ’63 served in Calvin’s psychology department, both as a faculty member and department chair. On December 2, 2024, he passed away as the result of a stroke. Terborg was 83 years old.
After graduating from Calvin in 1963, Terborg received his PhD in experimental psychology from Michigan State University. He returned to teach at his alma mater in 1968.
A trailblazer at Calvin, Terborg was the institution’s first experimental psychologist. He also played a central role in designing the psychology department’s physical facilities and in helping to shape its curriculum.
Terborg’s teaching specialized in the psychology of learning and experimental psychology. His students saw him as both a rigorous and—at the same time—a fair and supportive teacher, who equipped them well.
“For more than a quarter century, every psychology major who pursued graduate study in the discipline completed Bob’s experimental psychology course. Those alumni reflect with gratitude on his teaching as having prepared them particularly well for the challenges of graduate school,” wrote a former colleague in a 2007 retirement tribute for Terborg.
