Spark Winter 2021 - Calvin University

SPARK T H E C A LV I N U N I V E R S I T Y M A G A Z I N E

A faith for every square inch p. 18

WINTER 2021

O God, soon it will be time for me to quiet my thoughts and to fall away into slumber. Please push away the frightening dreams and bring forward the sweet ones so that I may sleep under the arch of your blessing. Tomorrow, let me awaken refreshed and ready for a new day.

— Cornelius Plantinga Jr. Morning and Evening Prayers

WINTER 2021 VOL. 67, NO. 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Calvin University equips students to think deeply, to act justly, and to live wholeheartedly as Christ’s agents of renewal in the world.

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.

14 Calvin University is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). For more information, visit cccu.org.

Spark is published three times a year by the Calvin Alumni Association, office of alumni relations, Calvin University, 3201 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546. ©2021 by the Calvin Alumni Association.

Telephone: 616-526-6142.

Email: spark@calvin.edu.

Spark on the web: calvin.edu/spark.

POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to Spark, Office of Alumni, Calvin University, 3201 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546.

CANADIAN POSTMASTER: Publication Mail Agreement No. 40063614. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: CRCNACalvin University, 3475 Mainway, P.O. Box 5070, Burlington, ON L7R 3Y8.

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Discover the new documentary film about a bold prediction made by a Calvin astronomer.

FEATURES

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SCHOOL OF HEALTH

A FAITH FOR EVERY SQUARE INCH

FAITH FORMATION IN TODAY’S CALVIN STUDENTS

Calvin has received a $15 million lead gift to establish the Calvin University School of Health.

Christian faith formation at Calvin might look different today than it did when you were a student—and it’s happening in some remarkable ways.

University Pastor Mary Hulst offers insights into what college students are seeking and how alumni can partner with the university.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE CALVIN SPARK Editor: Jeff Haverdink ’97 Managing Editor: Sarah Potter Johnson ’00 Art Director: Amanda Impens Designers: Erin Barents Elders ’16 Olivia Stallmer ’22 Contributing Writers: Jeff Febus ’92 Matt Kucinski HON Lynn Rosendale ’85 Amy White ’06 Contributing Photographers: Ryan Humm Amanda Impens Adrian Van Stee ’23

CALVIN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD President: Gene Miyamoto ’77 (Holland, Mich.)

Vice President: Jori Brink Hannah ’04 (Chicago, Ill.) Secretary: Karen Zwart Hielema ’94 (Toronto, Ont.) Treasurer: Jim Valk ’87 (Paw Paw, Mich.)

Executive Director: Jeff Haverdink ’97

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Nancy Meyer has been selected for induction to the United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Ryan Struyk’s love for journalism was sparked at Calvin, where he served as the editor-in-chief of the student newspaper.

DEPARTMENTS

ONLINE EXTRAS

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Editor’s Desk

Read Spark online

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Campus News

calvin.edu/spark

10 Sports 12 Scholarship 26 Alumni Profiles 36 Events 38 Legacy 40 Class Notes 49 In Memoriam

Members: Tyler Amidon ’93 (Centennial, Colo.)

Jerry Cooper ex’66 (Holland, Mich.)

Minwoo Heo ’09 (Chicago, Ill.) Dale Kaemingk ’77 (Brier, Wash.)

Casey Kuperus ’97 (Grand Rapids, Mich.)

Maxine Asante Mosley-Totoe ’06 (Minneapolis, Minn.)

Christine Jacobs Mouw ’88 (N. Little Rock, Ark.) Debra Perry ’91 (Grand Rapids, Mich.)

Janorisè Evans Robinson ’92 (Oak Park, Ill.) Levi Stoep ’13 (New York, N.Y.) Stephanie Vogelzang ’07 (Alexandria, Va.) Eliezer Yeong ‘18 (Grand Rapids, Mich.)

Johanna Chambery Zandstra ’91 (Schererville, Ind.)

Follow us on Instagram

ONLINE SUBSCRIPTION

@calvinuniversityalumni

Are you interested in receiving Spark via email instead of print? If so, please email alumni@calvin.edu to let us know. Include your email address and let us know if this selection is for you only, or if it includes your spouse/household. Remember to include any additional email addresses if applicable.

Connect with alumni facebook.com/calvinalumni

Leave a legacy for future alum legacygift.calvin.edu

View the Calvin calendar calvin.edu/calendar

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EDITOR’S DESK

Calvin reflections During our last alumni board meeting, I shared my Calvin story with the board. It’s a new tradition for the board. As I began to sift through my college memories to share with them, a theme emerged—how my Christian faith was deepened and solidified during my Calvin years.

The classroom deepened my understanding of theology and gave me eyes to see God at work in the world.

I remember countless examples of conversations with professors where we talked about what it meant to think and live in a world as Christians.

I was blessed to be born into a family with a deep heritage of faith. At Calvin, that gift became my own. The countless everyday experiences I had at Calvin gave me the confidence that my hope was built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

Many of you have stories like mine. Even as you read this article, you can picture the people who helped shape your faith at Calvin. And you might wonder, what is it like today?

My Calvin memories include Late Night devotions in the residence halls, Wednesday night hymn sings, and retreats. We used to pack into the BeetsVeenstra lobby with song books in hand on Wednesday nights. (Yes, the cute girl from third Veenstra who was our Spiritual Activities Coordinator motivated my attendance to Late Night, but I’ve been married to that same cute girl for 23 years now, so clearly God had a two-fold plan for me all along.)

I remember leading the last hymn sing for Friday chapel our senior year with my friends from Beets. It was an emotional chapel as our dear friend Brian DeWall, who loved hymns like we did, would have been standing right with us. Brian died in a car accident just a few months earlier.

It was a tragic moment prompting all of us to ponder our own faith in a strikingly personal way.

I have the pleasure to see God at work on this campus in 2021. The Holy Spirit continues to dwell and be at work. Yes, how students worship and grow might be different than it was for you or me. Yes, the world and society might look different than it was during your time as a student.

However, if you want to see how Jesus is at work in the lives of our students, please come visit a Friday morning chapel.

You’ll see students eager to worship.

But you better get there early; the place will be packed. Of course, students are worshipping and deepening their faith in many other places. In this issue of Spark, you’ll read some of their stories. We hope it inspires you to reflect on God’s goodness to you during your Calvin years and beyond.

BY JEFF HAVERDINK ’97 DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT

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Throughout my time at Calvin, I was exposed to people from different backgrounds and walks of life—these were professors, faculty members, and students living and studying side by side with me, all who pushed me to think about my faith in a variety of different ways. Through these friends and mentors, I was able to truly dive into my faith through different perspectives and backgrounds because Calvin encouraged me to think about what I believed, not just to blindly believe. Questions, doubts, and thoughts were encouraged compared to looked down on, and I found a community I was fully welcomed into, no matter where I was in my faith journey. ​– Hannah Van’t Hof ’20 Grand Rapids, Mich.

QUESTION FOR YOU

HOW DID GOD USE YOUR TIME AT CALVIN TO DRAW YOU CLOSER TO HIM? QUESTION FOR YOU Calvin students and alumni like you have great stories, ideas, and memories. In the upcoming issues of Spark, we’ll ask you a question and then print some of the responses. You’re invited to answer a question for the next issue—find the question and instructions below.

Lots of things at Calvin encouraged my faith, but probably the most powerful was the experience of being a resident assistant in Kalsbeek-Huizenga.

The community of the dorm staff, the responsibility of leadership, and the mentoring of our resident director, Tom Steenwyk, combined to teach me many lessons of faith and discipleship. ​– Barb Howerzyl Bulthuis ’92 Longmont, Colo.

Throughout my time at Calvin, I was encouraged in my faith through exploratory learning of Christian doctrine and faith traditions. My professors encouraged diverse opinions in the classroom to facilitate thoughtful discussions on matters ranging from the concept of free will to the written history of John’s gospel. I found myself utilizing this conversational approach in relationships with friends and family where discussions of faith

became commonplace and our collective relationships with God were strengthened. God used Calvin to equip me to listen to his voice and pursue empathetic dialogue that affirms others’ humanity. ​– E merson Silvernail ’20 Byron Center, Mich.

I came to Calvin College in ’55 as a 17-year-old with a distorted view on God’s calling to ministry. WIth three close encounters with death as a teenager, I felt that God was calling me to something special in terms of vocation. Such callings were associated with preachers, teachers, and missionaries from my perspective.

In a Bible class entitled “Calvinism X,” Professor John Bratt clearly represented a “rubber meets the road” type of theology by inviting guests from various professions to address the class. In effect, these people identified themselves as

ministers of Jesus Christ working as doctors, teachers, contractors, plumbers, farmers, electricians, engineers, and the like. My view of calling changed significantly and the Bible seemed to speak to me more clearly of Jesus who was the source of life transformation and world renewal rather than mere theological rhetoric. He is Lord of all. ​– D uanne (Bob) Korthuis ’59 Billings, Mont.

I am thankful for my professors whose faith in God and testimony in the classroom to God’s sovereignty helped me come to apprehend and worship a big God. We were challenged to go into the world to serve God, to build the Kingdom, to have a transforming influence. I am thankful for that vision, and much more.

–R on Polinder ‘68 Lynden, Wash.

IT’S YOUR TURN! We’re curious: Do you have a story about a Calvin professor who went above and beyond? We all know Calvin professors are excellent teachers, going to great lengths for their students. Did one do that for you? Let us know your story in a few sentences by emailing spark@calvin.edu.

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CAMPUS NEWS

Kristi Potter has helped shape the January Series for 25 years.

JANUARY SERIES DIRECTOR’S FINALE The January Series 2022 lineup includes New York Times best-selling authors, a renowned theologian, a retired four-star admiral, and a popular public television host. The series kicks off its 35th anniversary year on Monday, Jan. 10.

Kristi Potter ’87, who has been involved with the January Series for a quarter century and served as the series director since 2007, will be stepping out of that role after 2022.

During Potter’s time, the January Series has expanded to reach a worldwide audience through remote webcast locations in over 50 cities throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. In 2021, the audience expanded even greater with the addition of on-demand virtual viewing, reaching a record 98,000 people all over the world.

The series runs from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

EST Monday through Friday in the Covenant Fine Arts Center on Calvin’s campus. In 2022, attendees can watch at live remote webcast locations. The daily lectures will be available virtually both live and until midnight PST on the day of each presentation at calvin.edu/january.

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Search committee is seeking nominations for Calvin’s 11th president.

PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH UNDERWAY This fall, a 16-member presidential search committee, led by vice chair of the board of trustees Mary Tuuk Kuras ’86, launched an international search for Calvin University’s 11th president.

The committee partnered with AGB Search, a widely recognized search consultant in higher education, gathered input from the Calvin community through a variety of listening sessions and a survey. Nearly 1,000 community stakeholders provided input.

This helped in shaping the position profile.

The committee is now seeking nominations and applications and welcomes the candidacies of anyone who shows considerable evidence or aptitude for the desired qualities of leadership detailed in the

search profile regardless of gender or race.

Leaders from fields other than higher education are encouraged to apply as well.

The committee is also calling the Calvin community to pray for discernment and is adding resources weekly to facilitate this on the search website.

To be fully considered for the position, applications must be submitted by Jan. 4, 2022.

The search committee is responsible for recommending a candidate to the board of trustees by March 1, 2022.

The website for the presidential search is calvin.edu/go/president-search.

GUIDEBOOKS GIVE CALVIN HIGH MARKS U.S. News & World Report ranked Calvin fourth overall among all Midwest regional universities featured in its 2022 Best College Guidebook rankings.

The report helps prospective students and their families evaluate colleges and universities based on 16 widely accepted indicators of excellence, such as first-year retention rates, graduation rates, and the strength of faculty. The report also takes into account qualitative assessments by administrators at peer institutions.

Dance Guild, shown here in 2019, has provided an outlet for student creativity for 50 years.

DANCE GUILD CELEBRATES 50 YEARS Dance Guild is celebrating its 50th anniversary during the 2021–2022 academic year. On Nov. 19 and 20, one of the most popular and the longest running student organizations on campus performed two sold-out shows in the Covenant Fine Arts Center.

Hundreds of students participate in Dance Guild each year. The student organization connects students of varying backgrounds— cultural, dance experience, physical ability—with the common interest of dance. It allows trained dancers to continue dancing throughout their university experience and provides a safe environment for new dancers to explore.

The variety of genres makes choreographing and participating in Dance Guild a thrilling experience. With an Afrobeats style appearing one year and Dance Guild’s first-ever disco dance making its debut this season, there’s always something new cultivating excitement among guild members.

The student organization typically attracts a few hundred members each year, with dancers performing more than 30 different dances at both their fall and spring shows.

Among Midwest regional universities, Calvin moved up a spot to No. 3 in the “Best Undergraduate Teaching” category and moved into the No. 15 spot on the “Most Innovative Schools” list.

Calvin also continues to move up on the “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs” list, which ranks all colleges and universities in the United States that are non-doctorate-granting institutions. In 2022, Calvin University’s engineering program moved up to No. 39, representing a 29-place improvement over the past two years.

Calvin University is given high marks by a number of other leading rankings guidebooks, including Fiske Guide to Colleges, Forbes, Money, Niche, Washington Monthly, and the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education.

For the 10th straight year, the Princeton Review has Calvin on a very short list of institutions that excel in delivering health services to their students.

STAY CONNECTED Find more campus news daily at calvin.edu/news.

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CAMPUS NEWS

David Smith’s On Christian Teaching challenges and encourages Christian teachers.

PROFESSOR WINS LILLY FELLOWS BOOK AWARD David Smith, a professor in both language and education, is the winner of the Lilly Fellows Program’s Book Award.

Granted biennially, the Lilly Fellows Program honors works that animate the vocations of Christian teaching and theory in university settings. Smith’s book, On Christian Teaching, has been recognized for this prestigious award.

“I’m very happy for David,” says Matt Lundberg ’97, director of The de Vries Institute for Global Faculty Development.

“He’s inviting Christians who teach to think about the subtle yet powerful ways in which pedagogical choices matter for how Christian faith shapes our students’ learning. ... This award is a sign that the Christian higher-ed world is starting to pay serious attention to his invitation.”

On Christian Teaching has made many appearances in The de Vries Institute’s teaching curriculum, influencing how faculty at Calvin and at universities worldwide have established their classrooms.

Through On Christian Teaching, Smith hopes to influence the teaching styles among Christian faculty at Calvin and around the world.

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Students from 47 U.S. states and 49 countries around the world are enrolled at Calvin University for fall 2021.

ENROLLMENT REACHING NEW POPULATIONS Calvin University’s first-year undergraduate enrollment is up 15% year-on-year, and the institution’s incoming graduate enrollment shows a 50% uptick during that time. The incoming class also represents geographic and demographic diversity and shows academic strength.

Calvin’s 2021 entering class totals 983 students, 785 of whom identify as first-time and transfer students in the traditional undergraduate areas. The remaining 198 or just over 20% of the class are nontraditional student populations (i.e. graduate, dually enrolled, Ready for Life, Calvin Prison Initiative, and non-degree seeking). This represents the largest number of nontraditional students in an incoming class in Calvin’s history.

Calvin’s total enrollment for 2021 is 3,256, with students from 47 U.S. states, 49 countries, and four Canadian provinces. More than 12% of Calvin’s students are from outside the U.S. More than 30 denominations are represented in Calvin’s student body.

Since 2020, Calvin has added six new in-person or online graduate programs, with four more set to begin between now and fall 2022. One of the newly added graduate-level programs is an online MBA. For more information about Calvin’s graduate programs, visit calvin.edu/ academics/graduate-programs.

CALVIN RECEIVES $500K NEH GRANT The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded Calvin University $500,000 in relief funding as part of the American Rescue Plan that was passed by Congress in spring 2021.

The NEH awarded 292 cultural organizations and educational institutions grants totaling $135 million. These relief grants are intended to help humanities recover from the economic burdens of the pandemic, enable the reopening of humanities institutions and programs, and to support the retention of the humanities workforce.

Michelle Loyd-Paige with the newly published book she co-authored.

DIVERSITY LEADER SCRIPTS PLAYBOOK FOR CHRISTIAN ORGANIZATIONS

Michelle Loyd-Paige ’81, executive associate to the president for diversity and inclusion, is helping the Calvin University community lean further into its institutional core value of diversity and inclusion. And she is not stopping there.

Rev. Dr. Loyd-Paige and Rev. Michelle Williams recently co-authored Diversity Playbook: Recommendations and Guidance for Christian Organizations.

“We wrote this book because we felt like our experiences, expertise, and insights could be of assistance for Christian organizations and for those within Christian organizations striving to either lead or enhance institutional diversity efforts,” Loyd-Paige said.

In the book, the co-authors build on their years of experience in Christian higher education and share pitfalls to avoid and plans that can extend God’s ministry of reconciliation to everyone.

Loyd-Paige said the book provides a fresh perspective to a topic that is often polarizing.

“We feel like we bring the calm in the midst of all the noise. We offer both truth and grace.

We share our experiences—the good, the bad, and the ugly. We offer stories of real events and situations to illustrate our points—not just the results of research,” she said.

“This relief funding provides an opportunity for us to continue to bolster the humanities, addressing the current challenges while identifying and creating pathways toward a brighter future,” said Benita Wolters-Fredlund, dean for the school of humanities, arts, and social sciences at Calvin University.

More than a dozen tenure track faculty in the humanities will have a lighter course load so that they can think creatively and envision and implement strategic initiatives to reenergize the humanities. Their focus is on three key areas: creating communities of practice, creating engagement with new learning communities, and investing in a foundational humanities course in Calvin’s new core curriculum.

ONLINE EXTRA Read a Q&A with Loyd-Paige and find links to a webinar and podcasts at calvin.edu/go/diversity-playbook.

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CALVIN SPORTS

CROSS COUNTRY COACH EMERITUS INDUCTED INTO HALL OF FAME

BY JEFF FEBUS ’92

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Nancy Meyer ’78, Calvin athletics director and Calvin women’s cross country coach emeritus, has been selected for induction to the United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Hall of Fame.

Meyer is part of a seven-member class and is the only inductee from an NCAA Division III institution.

Her induction comes on the heels of a decorated 42-year career in teaching, coaching, and administration at Calvin University.

“I am incredibly surprised and honored,” said Meyer. “To be inducted with such a prestigious class of coaches is truly humbling. The many runners that I have coached all share in this award. I would not be receiving this award without them. I have been privileged to coach so many talented and gifted young women. To coach them at my alma mater was a blessing.”

“I am incredibly happy for Nancy and her family,” said Jim Timmer ’90, director of athletics. “She has poured so much into Calvin as well as to our league and to Division III athletics. She has done so with great success. To see her receive this award is a great honor for her and for Calvin University. We are extremely proud to call her a Hall of Famer.”

Meyer began her teaching and coaching career at Calvin in 1979 after completing her master’s degree from the University of Arizona. During her early Calvin coaching days, she led the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs as well as its

“I HAVE BEEN PRIVILEGED TO COACH SO MANY TALENTED AND GIFTED YOUNG WOMEN.” women’s tennis program. She departed in the summer of 1983 to complete her doctorate from the University of Northern Colorado.

She completed her doctoral degree in 1986 and returned to Calvin that same year.

It didn’t take long for Meyer to turn the Knights into a juggernaut at the conference level, leading the women’s tennis team to back-to-back MIAA titles in 1981 and 1982.

But the mark of a Hall of Fame coach is being able to turn that conference success into regional and national triumphs, something the women’s cross country team had in spades under Meyer.

From 1988 to 2003, Calvin was unmatched in the MIAA and the Great Lakes Region.

During that span, the Knights won 16 consecutive conference titles and won all but one regional crown.

Calvin qualified for the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships for the first time in 1989 and three years later got its first taste of the podium with a runner-up finish to SUNY Cortland. That would be a familiar sight at the NCAA meet in each of the next two years as the Red Dragons, coached by USTFCCCA Hall of Famer Jack Daniels, proved to be the foil for the Meyer-led Knights, as they finished in the same positions in 1993 and 1994.

As the decade drew to a close, Meyer finally reached the top of the podium after two more top-four finishes. Calvin won back-toback titles in 1998 and 1999 to make Meyer just the third coach in NCAA DIII history to lead a women’s program to consecutive crowns. The Knights were paced by Amy Mizzone Horevay ’99 and Lisa Timmer Alles ’00, both of whom finished in the top 15 in back-to-back years.

Meyer, a two-time National Coach of the Year and eight-time Regional Coach of the Year, stepped down in 2006. During her time as Calvin head women’s cross country coach, she coached Calvin runners to All-America honors 24 times, including an individual national championship performance by Renea Bluekamp Walkotten ‘95 in 1992.

During her time at Calvin, Meyer spent six years on the NCAA Division III National Committee for Cross Country and Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field. “Those were six very busy years,” said Meyer. “It was pretty much a year-round commitment, but I learned and grew so much from my committee members along with the experiences we all shared. It was a very valuable experience for me both as a coach and as an administrator.”

After stepping down from the Calvin women’s cross country program, Meyer remained an integral part of the Calvin athletic department as an athletics director/athletics compliance director and as a full-time professor in the Calvin kinesiology department before retiring at the end of the 2020–2021 academic year.

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CALVIN SCHOLARSHIP

Shooting

Stars FOR THE

Luminous documentary chronicles astronomical prediction

BY SARAH POTTER JOHNSON ’00

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Sam Smartt, Larry Molnar and Matt Walhout

On a sunny afternoon about seven years ago, Matt Walhout stopped

by Sam Smartt’s house. Smartt was in his second year teaching film and media, and Walhout, who was then the chair of the physics department, had a pitch for him. Astronomy professor Larry Molnar and a student were watching an interesting star—a star so interesting it could make history. Walhout thought this discovery might be a good subject for a documentary film.

That conversation turned into years of discussions and work between Smartt, Walhout, and Molnar. And now, it’s a feature-length documentary film titled Luminous.

The film follows Molnar on some visually stunning adventures. He captures data from Calvin’s remote observatory in Rehoboth, New Mexico, explains his prediction on the BBC, and presents his research at astronomical conferences. And the film also captures the less flashy parts of scientific scholarship and shows Molnar as a human being. He walks the dog, goes to church, and checks the data, again and again. Viewers get to know Molnar as a diligent scientist, thoughtful teacher, and humble believer.

Luminous is also, of course, a piece of scholarship itself. Smartt sifted through hundreds of hours of footage and filmed interviews with scholars. The narrative includes history of astronomical discoveries, Molnar’s personal story, and the tension in the prediction. Walhout acted as a co-producer on the film, crafting the story and connecting Smartt to interview subjects. The film was screened for the Calvin community in October 2021 and will be premiered at film festivals in the spring of 2022.

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CALVIN SCHOLARSHIP

What is Luminous about?

Sam Smartt: Luminous tells the story of the first astronomer in history to publicly predict the near-future explosion of a star. Nobody’s ever done that before. And I followed Larry on his journey to make that prediction and test it, to see whether he was right.

How did the prediction start?

Larry Molnar: The project came from Dan Van Noord ’14—a student who, by the way, even as a high schooler was interested in eclipsing binary stars. He found this interesting star that we wanted to pursue further. And Matt got the idea that we should record this as we do it and see how it comes out.

Matt Walhout: I was listening to Larry and his student present their initial data, pointing to this idea that this star could explode very soon. I knew that new stars in the sky had historic importance and that nobody in the history of astronomy had ever predicted one and then had been able to see it. And I thought that this has to be documented so people can see the scientific process as it’s happening.

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Why make a film about a scientific discovery?

Walhout: Many people have an understanding of science that is rather caricatured. You don’t see all of the human factors that are involved in science. Projects require you to be adaptable and patient—and to be intellectually humble because you don’t know what’s coming next. Telling the true story of how science works is really what I was after.

What makes scholarship unique at Calvin, which is primarily a teaching institution?

Molnar: Science questions come in different shapes. You can have a high-risk question where you can try something, but it’s likely to fail. Or you can have a low-risk question where you’re almost certain to succeed. You won’t have gained that much, because it was not really a big question to begin with.

Many scientists have to go with the low-risk question because they have to succeed to get the next grant to stay employed. At Calvin, I could ask a high-risk question because I’m employed to be a teacher. It’s so much more fun to ask the big questions—and so I shoot for the moon.

Smartt: The same thing is true with the film. I was fortunate to have the time and space to work on a project for a long period of time. There were a lot of ways in which I found that our experiences were similar.

We had sort of small tools, but we had the ability to dedicate a long time to one project.

Larry, what role does your faith play in your love of astronomy?

Molnar: God created the heavens and a Psalmist says they’re declaring the glory of God. It’s there for us if we’re paying attention. When I look up at the sky, I see how there’s a story there, how there’s a design.

Sam, how did you capture that relationship between faith and science in the film?

Smartt: This is a story about a real person.

We didn’t want Larry to come across as preachy. Instead, viewers get to know him over the course of 90 minutes. They understand why he believes what he believes.

They see faith and science coming together in a happy marriage that isn’t some sort of hypothesis—it’s just who he is. We don’t want this to be trying to make an argument.

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW What did you come to learn about the other’s process and work?

What would you hope that people take away from this film?

Smartt: I knew basically nothing about how astronomy is actually done. I have an interest in the cosmos in the abstract sense, but I had this image of astronomers basically looking through a telescope. In fact, Larry is essentially an applied computer scientist.

He’s gathering data over hundreds or thousands of nights, and then processing that data. It takes a lot of dedication to be able to pull something meaningful from all that information and then share it with the world.

Walhout: I can imagine this being a useful film for aspiring scientists who are entering graduate school and entering certain well-worn paths for how research is done. This film can show perhaps a new way or model of how things might be done. There is a theme of intellectual humility that pervades the whole film. And that’s important, not just for religious audiences, but everybody, especially these days.

Molnar: One thing I learned is the effort it takes to make a film. I know the effort it takes to do research. When my equipment fails, I have to fix it. And when clouds come, we have to rearrange our plans. Filmmakers had exactly the same sorts of things coming up all the time. Although it’s a different discipline, it takes the same heart, if you will, to actually succeed in the end.

Larry, what was it like to watch Luminous for the first time?

Molnar: I saw this parade of students and interactions and things that I had done over these years, all coming back to mind. It was hard to focus on the film because it was like reliving my life in an unusual way.

Smartt: Interestingly, the film has become more relevant for our world. We have a sort of mutual suspicion between people of faith and scientists. I think it speaks to our culture at this moment.

Molnar: Our society needs to know how to think about science to value it.

But our society also needs humility to see what the limits are. That tension is not easy in a time when people want to take one extreme or another extreme.

Watch the complete interview with Larry Molnar, Sam Smartt, and Matt Walhout at calvin.edu/spark.

KEEP UPDATED

Receive updates about the film and learn about hosting a screening at luminous-film.com.

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT Through the years, many students worked alongside faculty on both the film and scientific research.

Research with Larry Molnar: Daniel Van Noord ’14 Cara Alexander ’18 Christopher Spedden ’16 Evan Cook ’19 Byoungchan (Chris) Jang ’19 Kenton Greene ’18 Michaela Blain ’20 Sarah Whitten ’20 Lauren Henderson ’22 Gia Mien Le ’23 Anneke Avery ’22 Jenn Fang Lau ’23

Contributing to the film: Daniel Baas ’16 Joel Riddering ’19 Ian Adams ’20 Annake VandeBrake ’21 Caleb Ackerman ’22 Sebastian Larsen ’20 Natalie Vredevoogd ’22 Christopher Curia ’17 Faith Schultz ’22 Sydney Klimek ’23 Nathan Roels (hired as an alum) ’17 Dario Lirio (hired as an alum) ’20 15

FEATURE STORY

THE $15 MILLION GIFT WILL FUND: Development of new programs, including undergraduate, graduate, and training for non-degree seeking students.

State-of-the-art laboratories, like a cadaver lab for the study of human anatomy.

Additional capacity for community engagement and employer relations.

A new dean for the School of Health

BY MATT KUCINSKI

THE NEXT LAUNCH: SCHOOL OF

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HEALTH

An anonymous alumni donor has provided a transformational $15 million lead gift to establish the Calvin University School of Health. This gift is the second-largest single donation in the institution’s history.

“Everywhere we see growing demand for quality health sciences education,” said Michael Le Roy, president of Calvin University. “We are deeply grateful for the vision that prompted this outstanding gift. Not only will it allow us to significantly expand our programs, but it will also create additional pathways for students who feel called to serve in one of the health professions.”

Noah Toly, provost of Calvin University, says it is rare for a Christian university of Calvin’s size to have both a school of health and supporting state-of-the-art facilities.

A REPUTATION OF EXCELLENCE “The strength of Calvin’s health-related programs is rooted in excellent teaching and research mentoring. Our faculty regularly receive grants from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Michigan Health Endowment, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,” said Arlene Hoogewerf ’86, academic dean. “These grants allow faculty to contribute to their discipline while at the same time engaging students in active research projects. This strong emphasis on mentoring students gives them outstanding research experiences, more than they’d receive as an undergraduate at a Tier 1 research institution.”

Students already benefit from the university’s connections.

Medical schools at Wayne State, Michigan State, and the University of Michigan have partnerships with Calvin. The university’s pre-health adviser also works on the Medical Mile in downtown Grand Rapids.

Calvin also invests in community-based research and service.

Faculty and students work alongside underrepresented populations in Grand Rapids to improve community health.

A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH The School of Health is the second school to be established, after the School of Business. This web of interconnected and interdependent schools at Calvin will work together to prepare students for a complex world with complex challenges— exemplifying a liberal arts education.

“Health covers everything,” said Kevin den Dulk ’92, associate provost of Calvin’s Global Campus, the office charged with helping the university extend its reach to new populations.

“If you are looking at the social determinants of health, generating empathy among nurses through training in literature and the arts, preparing for health administration, or teaching basic diagnostic techniques, it is crucial to draw in different disciplinary expertise and think about health for the whole person.”

A steering committee of faculty, staff, and administrators is working to define the scope of the School of Health, which will include nursing, kinesiology, exercise science, speech pathology and audiology, and public health.

WELL-CONNECTED The establishment of the Calvin University School of Health significantly expands opportunities for students of all ages and backgrounds.

Over the next few months, the group will continue assessing demand and recommend new programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and non-degree-seeking levels. By fall 2022, the university will launch three new master’s programs in health-related fields.

“This strong emphasis on mentoring students gives them outstanding research experiences, more than they’d receive as an undergraduate at a Tier 1 research institution.”

— ARLENE HOOGEWERF ACADEMIC DEAN

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FEATURE STORY

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A FAITH FOR EVERY SQUARE INCH

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It’s a sunny morning and the paths are full of people heading the same direction: to worship God. Chapel attendance shouldn’t be the only measure of the vibrancy of the spiritual lives of students, but it is something to see—students in break from classes, engaged in reading scripture, singing hymns, and listening to preaching.

One of those students is Amber Pocuca.

She transferred to Calvin in the fall of 2020 because she wanted to be intentional about deepening her Christian faith.

“I was a passive Christian,” she said. “I would shy away from doing the right thing, and I didn’t really have a depth of understanding about my own beliefs.”

Pocuca’s life has changed. It’s easy to see the expected markers in Pocuca’s life—she and her roommate go to chapel three times a week, and she attends church each Sunday.

But there’s something deeper going on.

Through her classes, interaction with peers, and mentoring, God has led Pocuca to a fuller understanding, which has changed the desires of her heart. “My life has more meaning than before. God has led me to a deeper understanding of what he is calling me to,” she said.

Pocuca wrote an essay for her English class about why she chooses to study at Calvin.

“I’ve seen how my views at work and with friends and even toward my career choices have been more easily able to factor in my faith,” Pocuca wrote.

In the fall, some chapel services were held on the Commons Lawn.

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FEATURE STORY

From left to right: Caasi Tica, Joey Snella, T.J. Williams

WHOLEHEARTED TRANSFORMATION

LIVING AND LEARNING A focus on relationships is also key for the residence life staff. “Students are at various places in their faith development when they arrive at Calvin,” said Hennie Hultink Schoon ’95, area coordinator for several residence halls.

Cultivating a rich environment for Christian faith formation takes a lot of prayer, planning, and intention.

“There are the practical programs that we administer, but so much of campus ministry is being present with students— eating with them, worshiping with them, “Our role is to equip students to having the door to your office open so become agents of renewal—to guide they can just stop by. Lots of fruitful rethem in that process,” said Schoon. lationships and conversations come from “And a lot of that guiding happens in those providential encounters,” said the context of personal relationships.

Mary Hulst ’91, university pastor.

Students are looking for a Christian faith that’s congruent with their lives.

Campus Ministries is continually We can’t hand that faith to them, but modifying programming to meet the we can provide a context and relationspiritual needs of students and respond ships that will guide them to make to shifts in the university’s resources. that faith their own.”

For example, instead of a weekly Sunday evening service, students can attend a monthly campuswide communion service on Sunday evenings.

“We found that students were becoming engaged in their local churches, which delighted us, so we pivoted to offer a communion service once a month where students, faculty and staff, and their families come together for song, sermon, and sacrament. It’s powerful for faculty members to serve the sacrament to their students,” said Hulst.

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“Being a worship apprentice gave me a way to intentionally put myself in a position that would nudge me closer to God.” — CAASI TICA WORSHIP APPRENTICE

“I learned about God’s timing and how my life doesn’t happen solely because of me.”

As a worship apprentice, I help point people to God. Worship apprentices are a group of students who study and apply the intentionalities behind worship planning, mainly for daily chapel services.

Being a worship apprentice gave me a way to intentionally put myself in a position that would nudge me closer to God. Since the pandemic hit, it became difficult for me to find time to do my daily devotions and to perform spiritual practices. Being a worship apprentice became one of the paths I took to become more focused on serving God and others. I learned about God’s timing and how my life doesn’t happen solely because of me. Everything is within God’s reach.

In addition, multicultural worship became real for me. As an international student, it can be hard to find pockets of home in a place that is predominantly white. It has been a privilege to be able to lead multicultural worship, like the first-ever Sounds of Filipino Worship chapel service.

Caasi Tica ’23, Quezon City, Philippines

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“I have a closer relationship with God because of my on-campus job.”

I love Calvin, so I knew working in admissions would be a good fit for me.

What I didn’t expect is to find people who really understand me and inspire me to grow in my faith. I have a closer relationship with God because of my job on campus in admissions.

My boss Kim Schellenberg has really taught me that you can glorify God through work. She shows me this every day—by praying with me and for me, bringing a Christ-like attitude to tough challenges, and believing in me when I have ideas. For example,

my friend Sam and I came up with an idea to host a YouTube show for prospective students. It would have been easy for Kim to say “no,” but she encouraged us to pursue this idea and plan to make it successful.

She trusted us to be image-bearers of the Lord and represent Calvin well. Now I work with a budget and a staff—in high school, I would never have dreamed of being blessed with this opportunity! The encouragement and love from the admissions office has given me such a firm foundation in my faith that has helped me grow every day.

Joey Snella ’23, Elmhurst, Illinois

“Those conversations sparked a fire in me to love God and serve him with all that I am.”

My dad is a pastor, and I was in church every Sunday. But I was what some people would call a lukewarm Christian. My first year at Calvin, my roommate started a Bible study on our floor. I had honestly never been to a Bible study before. We started talking about how God was moving in our lives. Those conversations sparked a fire in me to love God and serve him with all that I am.

Now I’m a senior. And as a RA [resident assistant], my role is to empower the guys that live on my floor to live for Christ. This happens in a million little ways. I have the freedom to be creative, and we can respond to what we think the floor needs for spiritual development.

T.J. Williams ’22, Muskegon Heights, Mich.

Watch Joey’s School Knights YouTube videos at calvin.edu/spark.

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FEATURE STORY

“My vocation as a Christian doesn’t start and end at the front doors of my church.”

Public health can be a discouraging field. Professor Kristen Alford knows this well. But rather than turning a blind eye to the brokenness of our world, she encourages her students to lean in and look for opportunities for renewal. That’s exactly what I found in my public health capstone course with her last year. It would be easy in this class to feel overwhelmed by the gravity of the topics we discuss—from health inequity to health care policy to mental health, but Professor Alford is a solution-oriented individual. Our discussions never stopped at merely identifying the problem. Instead, every topic was followed up by one primary question: What can I do as a Christian to bring renewal and shalom to this area?

In considering this question, I realized that my vocation as a Christian doesn’t start and end at the front doors of my church. Rather, it expands to every facet of my life, including my profession. My Calvin education has made me acutely aware of the brokenness of our world, but it has also left me confident in my divine calling to restore shalom wherever I find myself, whether it be the sanctuary or the CDC. I take great comfort in knowing that Calvin faculty and staff, like Professor Alford, have already paved the way for me to do just that.

Anna Christiansen ’23, Anchorage, Alaska

Madelyn Hall Anna Christiansen

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“My coach exemplifies what it looks like to walk with Jesus in every step of your life.”

Between large nursing classes and the volleyball team, I have had the chance to witness numerous miracles and walk through tough battles with a wide variety of people. It is moments like this—when believers lean on each other and pour the spirit into one another—that have ultimately changed my life.

My coach exemplifies what it looks like to walk with Jesus in every step of your life. More specifically, Coach Amber Warners has encouraged me to take the step of boldly proclaiming my faith to those around me by choosing to pray out loud over the team and creating conversations during which I ask for prayer requests.

Madelyn Hall ’22, Hudsonville, Michigan

“I became more aware of other viewpoints, while also growing deeper in my own beliefs.”

I have found myself growing spiritually through classes covering anything from biblical studies to geography.

My first year, first semester, I took Philosophy 153 with Professor [Kevin] Corcoran. He covered various philosophical issues from the existence of God to a discussion of hell. What I appreciated about this class and what helped me in my faith was the way in which he taught it: He would describe multiple viewpoints, bring up the pros, cons, and struggles with every viewpoint, and then encourage us to choose our belief concerning it. This could involve more research if need be.

I became more aware of other viewpoints, while also growing deeper in my own beliefs.

Christian Swaim

“Students are hungry to learn what it means to live in a deep relationship with Jesus Christ.”

I see change coming at Calvin. I’ve seen so many of my close friends captivated by Jesus, wanting to live in a deep relationship with him. I didn’t necessarily see that my first year, but the Holy Spirit is moving on campus and in Grand Rapids. Students are hungry to learn what it means to live in a deep relationship with Jesus Christ.

I’ve had a few watershed moments at Calvin. One would be a Gospel Choir concert a few years ago. I was there as a spectator and wasn’t sure what to expect. I certainly didn’t expect to see the spirit of God moving on that stage, but that is what happened. I knew I had to be part of it.

Since then, I’ve joined the Gospel Choir—not for me, I joined to send the praises up to God. That’s what my whole life is about, that one singular goal of living a lifestyle of worship.

When I started to live like that, it changed my desires and what I wanted out of life.

Christian Swaim ’23, Whitinsville, Mass.

Joey Tuttle ’23, Byron Center, Michigan

Joey Tuttle

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FEATURE STORY

BY MARY HULST ’91 UNIVERSITY PASTOR

FAITH FORMATION IN TODAY’S CALVIN STUDENTS Two students come together into my office and sit down. One comes from the Midwest, the other from the West Coast. Both grew up in large, non-denominational churches. “We notice that people really use the Old Testament around here,” they begin. “In chapel, in classes—it comes up a lot. Neither of us have really been exposed to the Old Testament, so we wanted to talk about that.”

Another student stops by to talk about challenges with her parents. “I’m the only Christian in my family,” she says. “They do not understand why I chose a Christian college and tear it down every time I talk with them.”

Chapel one morning is led by a senior from Afghanistan who tells us how her family was at the airport in Kabul along with thousands of others waiting to leave, and are now in a refugee camp praying to come to the U.S.

Calvin students come from all over the world and from many Christian backgrounds, bringing increasing diversity in biblical literacy, theological understanding, and denominational identity.

We have students who passionately love Jesus but don’t know much about the Bible. We have students who come from faith communities where they were taught that doubt was sin, so they are scared to ask their deepest questions about faith. We have others who come in with their guards up,

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having been warned that college is a place where people lose their faith, and they listen to their professors expecting to be offended. We have Korean missionary kids who grew up speaking Spanish, students from rural communities where everyone looked like them (whether in Nigeria or Montana), and students from global cities who find Grand Rapids quaint.

Calvin University is a picture of the global church, and a glimpse of what the church will become.

Many students have grown up with plentiful options for church and worship, and a ripping electric guitar may not be the draw for them that older generations may think it is. They love good preaching and good music (don’t we all?), but as one student said, “I want more than a concert and a TED Talk.”

They long for the holy in worship, for diversity in musical styles and in the languages sung, and a sense that the people with whom they are worshiping really love the Lord and each other.

WAYS TO ENCOURAGE STUDENTS IN THEIR FAITH

1. MENTOR. Would you happily talk with a Calvin student a few times each semester?

We’re looking for local and virtual mentors to support and encourage students. Contact mentoring coordinator Kieychia Likely at kcl7@calvin.edu. Training is provided, but if you can carry on a conversation with someone, you already know how to do this!

2. STAY IN TOUCH. If you have students that you know at Calvin (or any college!), take them out for coffee a few times a semester or have them over for dinner. Mail a card or a care package. Send them texts that tell them you are praying for them.

3. GET YOUR CHURCH INVOLVED. Students who spend the week in the predominantly white setting of Calvin may be eager to gather on Sundays with those who look like them, speak their language, or understand their culture. Because fewer students know the difference between Baptist, Wesleyan or Reformed, the denominational identity of a congregation matters less to them than the vibrancy of the worship, the engagement with the neighborhood, or the strength of the preaching.

But what really draws them in are relationships. Students are eager to learn more about how to follow Jesus, and would love mentors to help them— this is the most common request we receive in campus ministries. They want older, non-parental people in their lives who care for them.

Your church can provide easy, short-term ways for students to get involved. Students can pour coffee, hand out bulletins, sing with a choir, or participate in a Bible study (with food!) that meets right after worship.

The rising generations are curious about what it means to follow Jesus, and they are eager for us to show them. I can’t think of a better investment of our time.

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ALUMNI PROFILES

Alumni 2021 Profiles Alumni

Honorees

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.

Grand Rapids’ Aperitivo manager Evan Talen has taken his passion to a whole new level by winning the Cheesemonger Invitational, a national competition that pitted him against many of the top cheese connoisseurs from around the country.

Jaylyn Gough is the founder of Native THE CALVIN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARDWilderness, RECEIVES which strives Women’s Tim and Andrew Harris are the MANY NOMINATIONS FOR THESE to ANNUAL AWARDS, create a platform for native women founders of ColorHub, an innovative AND THEY PRAYERFULLY CONSIDER EACH THESE to use theirONE. voices to speak out digital printing company specializing ALUMNI HAVE MADE CONSIDERABLE CONTRIBUTIONS against injustices, to bring awareness in high-end graphics packaging and to REFLECT indigenousTHE people and land rights, retail displays.

TO THEIR FIELDS AND THEIR LIVES, RYAN STRUYK ’14 and to serve as adventure-seeking role MISSION OF THE UNIVERSITY. YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD models for native girls.

As a senior producer for CNN, Ryan Janet Staal and Katelyn Egnatuk Struyk is always learning. He gets to write Watch profile videos for each honoree launched one of West Michigan’s first calvin.edu/go/alumni-awards questions for guests and spends a lot of nature-based preschools, a movement time researching and writing. His love for that is rapidly gaining momentum Read more profiles online journalism was sparked at Calvin, where across the country. calvin.edu/spark he served as the editor-in-chief of the Read more profiles online student newspaper. calvin.edu/spark Nominate alumni Email: alumni@calvin.edu

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Janet Lenger Staal ’98

Katelyn Ver Woert Egnatuk ’13

ELBERT VAN DONKERSGOED ’67 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

RODNEY LUDEMA ’83 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

For 35 years, Elbert van Donkersgoed has served in leadership for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario. He sees this work as “faith work” and has helped the organization develop policies on farmland preservation, marketing, land use, and environmental stewardship.

Rod Ludema has served in the U.S. International Trade Commission and the White House Council of Economic Advisors and, most recently, chief economist for the U.S. Department of State.

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ALUMNI PROFILES

A determined quest for truth

Ryan Struyk ’14 Young Alumni Award winner

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“I see a lot of really important ways that the Christian faith maps into the work of journalism, that is speaking truth, embracing the image of God in all people, exposing injustice, amplifying the voices of marginalized people.”

For alumnus Ryan Struyk ’14, journalism is an ongoing education. “I love learning something new, which is one of the reasons I love this gig,” he said.

Struyk’s “gig” is serving as a senior producer for CNN, a role that requires him to know a little bit about everything. “My job is specifically to write interview questions for our Sunday morning show State of the Union, so it’s a lot of research; it’s a lot of writing. One of the reasons I love my job is because you have to have an inch-deep knowledge of just about everything from infrastructure to immigration to foreign policy with China, Russia, and North Korea to, obviously, the pandemic.”

A SOLID FOUNDATION

and fell in love with it and decided that working in a classroom was not going to be my thing. At one point I told my (political science) adviser I was going to drop math, and he was like, ‘no, no you’re not.’

“That was just some tremendous advice that I got from Professor (Doug) Koopman, who was looking out for my best interest,” Struyk said. “That’s why I ended up working as a data reporter for several years right out of college.”

Struyk began work on a polling unit and the 2016 election for ABC News and then moved to CNN, where he has been for the past five years.

Having a broad-based liberal arts education as a foundation has aided Struyk in this regard, particularly his double major in mathematics and political science.

During his Calvin career, Struyk was also encouraged to pursue his interest in journalism, eventually finding himself as editor in chief for Chimes, Calvin’s student newspaper.

“I came to Calvin wanting to be a high school math teacher,” he said. “I was going to major in math. Then I took a political science class

“That was an opportunity that I bring into work every day at CNN,” he said. “The experience I gained in how to navigate a

team, how to lead other people, how to think about news judgment and what’s important and not important was all invaluable.”

HIGH PRESSURE, HIGH REWARD Struyk spends his days catching up on the latest news and thinking about guests he may want to have on the show. Once the guests are booked, he focuses on writing interview questions.

“I’m reading everything the guest has said in the last several weeks, reading what legislation they are working on, continuing to stay up on the news of the day, and trying to figure out how we can conduct the best interview with this guest,” he said.

“It’s high pressure, but it’s also high reward,” he added. “It’s really satisfying at the end of the day to have put a show on the air and have this finished product. It’s also really exciting when your question makes news or your guest gives you an important answer that you feel like really furthered the conversation in Washington.”

SPEAKING TRUTH Journalistic integrity is at the heart of Struyk’s work; the principles of truth and being a voice for the voiceless are fundamentals learned from his tenure at Chimes.

“Currently, we’re in a season where journalism is under a lot of scrutiny,” he said.

“What’s important in these moments is to return to the fundamentals of journalism, verifying facts and reporting the truth.

“I see a lot of really important ways that the Christian faith maps into the work of journalism, that is speaking truth, embracing the image of God in all people, exposing injustice, amplifying the voices of marginalized people. These things run central throughout Scripture. It always surprises me when there are Christians who dismiss the work of journalism. The core goals of news overlap pretty clearly with our calling as Christians and believers in Jesus Christ.”

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ALUMNI PROFILES

Planting a sustainable future Growing up as the son of immigrant farmers, Elbert van Donkersgoed ’67 had a familyassumed career goal: farming.

“My younger brothers eventually took over the family farms,” he said. “But early on, I was saying to my parents, ‘I don’t want to be on the farm. I want to go off and study and do church work.’ And that meant leaving the farm and maybe being a pastor in a church or a Christian school teacher.”

In the end, van Donkersgoed’s career culminated in a combination of farming and “church (or “faith”) work,” serving 35 years in leadership for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario, an organization that promotes economic, social, and environmental sustainability through farming policies based on Christian stewardship principles.

DISCOVERING GOD’S CALL His idea of “church work” was quickly expanded to “faith work” upon his arrival at Calvin in 1963. “During my first year at Calvin, I started reading philosophy with [Calvin professors] Evan Runner, Alvin Plantinga, and Nick Wolterstorff, and those three changed my view of what I should do with my life. I should actually do ‘faith work,’ not just church work. It was a bigger calling.”

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Upon graduating, van Donkersgoed returned to Ontario with a clearer understanding of vocation. “Calvin got me thinking about living a life that recognizes the lordship of Jesus Christ, wherever we find ourselves and wherever we’re called to serve,” he said.

So when he read about a position as a fieldman for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario, he knew it was his calling.

“When I applied for the job, I had no doubt what my career was going to be,” he said.

“When I started the position, I was given a bit of history about the organization, three boxes of paper, the names of 100 farmers scattered all around Ontario, and $20 in the bank.”

He started his career driving the backroads of Ontario meeting with family farmers, and by the mid-1990s that list of 100 names had grown to 4,300 members across the province, about 10% of Ontario’s farmers.

“My role was to strategically encourage discussions among family farmers—as iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17)—on subjects that really counted and on which we could make a difference from a faith perspective,” he said.

WORKING OUT FAITH Under van Donkersgoed’s leadership, the organization developed policies on farmland preservation, marketing, land use, and environmental stewardship.

For instance, in 1990 the government leadership in Ontario changed, and farmers were concerned about government-agencydesigned regulations for environmental sustainability.

“Within two weeks we put together a coalition of 28 farm organizations determined to put together our own plan,” said van Donkersgoed. “The key commitment was to ask all farmers to voluntarily put together an environmental plan for their own farm, identifying strengths and weaknesses for the environment. And where there was serious concern, there was a plan to improve the situation. We got that adopted throughout the farm community, and we presented it to the government, and all of the government agency plans went away.”

His foundation at Calvin helped van Donkersgoed prepare well for his nearly four decades of service to the Ontario farming community, he said.

“My time at Calvin gave me an approach to the world. I’m able to look at a slice of our culture and say ‘how can we make our faith and the lordship of Jesus Christ relevant in this very narrow and specific area like agriculture?’” he said. “And at the same time, Calvin gave me a worldview that looks at the big picture and holds it all together.

“In Genesis, God tells us, ‘It is good.’ So how does one hold onto that notion of the original blessing of the creation along with the nitty gritty of working out one’s faith in fear and trembling? It’s part philosophy and part a life approach, and Calvin gave me that.”

Elbert van Donkersgoed ’67 Distinguished Alumni Award winner

“My time at Calvin gave me an approach to the world. I’m able to look at a slice of our culture and say ‘how can we make our faith and the lordship of Jesus Christ relevant in this very narrow and specific area like agriculture?’”

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ALUMNI PROFILES

PHOTO CREDIT: MARY BETH DENNEY

Rodney Ludema ’83 Distinguished Alumni Award Winner

A worldview that influences the world economy 32

As a youngster on a family trip to Washington, D.C., Rodney Ludema ’83 was inspired: “I remember going to the Lincoln Memorial and seeing this big statue of Abraham Lincoln and going to the Jefferson Memorial and seeing this big statue of Thomas Jefferson and seeing the Gettysburg Address engraved in the wall in marble; I just thought, ‘Wow, this is something.’ I think that is where my interest in policy started.”

He took that interest to Calvin in the early 1980s, thinking he would major in political science. “I asked around and was told if you wanted to become involved in policy, you should be a lawyer,” he said. “But that’s one of the beauties of the liberal arts curriculum at Calvin. It wasn’t until my junior year that I took a course in economics, and suddenly it clicked. Econ was exactly what I was looking for.”

Encouraged by Calvin professors like George Monsma, John Tiemstra, and Evert Van Der Heide, Ludema pursued a PhD in economics at Columbia University in New York, in preparation for a career as a professor, like his father, Ken Ludema ’55, a longtime professor at the University of Michigan.

A PROFESSOR AND POLICY MAKER He reached that objective, spending the majority of his career as a professor at Georgetown University, in the heart of Washington, D.C., the ideal location for a person with an interest in policy.

“Georgetown turned out to be the sweet spot,” said Ludema. “The really great thing about being in Washington, D.C., is I could take a leave of absence to go work for the government, without having to pick up my house and move it. It’s just a different subway stop.”

“Calvin’s emphasis on a Christian world and life view and trying to understand life in all of its facets through that single lens shaped how I think about policy.”

During his 26-year tenure at Georgetown, Ludema has taken leaves for government roles with the U.S. International Trade Commission and the White House Council of Economic Advisors under former President Obama, and most recently, chief economist for the U.S. Department of State.

“There were a number of policies that I contributed to, but these were two I was particularly proud of,” Ludema said. “They were leveraging what the U.S. does best, which is to lead our allies and friends—and in the case of the Paris Climate Accords, even many of our non-allies.”

Ludema was hired by then-Secretary of State John Kerry to help the department gain a better understanding of the world economy, develop smarter policies, and make the economic case for U.S. policies abroad.

Ludema’s involvement in these and other policy decisions was shaped by the “normative perspective that Calvin professors brought to the field of economics,” he said.

SHAPING GLOBAL AGREEMENT

“Normative,” he said, “is thinking about the way things should be rather than the way things are. Many, or at least some, in this field are devoted to understanding how economies work, but understanding how they can get from where they are to where they ought to be is something not all economists are interested in.

It was in his role as chief economist that Ludema helped to promote the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an international free trade agreement that facilitated the development of production and supply chains, and seamless trade between the U.S. and 11 other countries worldwide.

He also helped prepare the State Department for negotiating the Paris Climate Accords, an ambitious global action plan to fight climate change in cooperation with nearly 200 other countries.

“Calvin’s emphasis on a Christian world and life view and trying to understand life in all of its facets through that single lens shaped how I think about policy,” he said. “It made me think about how policy could be used in bringing about something better.”

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THE CULTURAL CALVIN

RETURNING HOM

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BY ANDING SHEN PROFESSOR OF BIOLOGY

THE ART OF FORGIVENESS Despite the gray skies and blustery cold of a Michigan winter, my dad, Yuanhua Shen, decided to visit Grand Rapids in January 2015, traveling all the way from China. He came specifically to visit Calvin and to learn about Reformed theology. Dad wasn’t born into a Christian family; as a matter of fact, he was an atheist and a communist for more than 60 years. Then, he found Christ— or rather, Christ welcomed him home.

With his newfound faith, Dad was so excited to learn about theology. And Reformed theology made particular sense to him, especially the emphasis on God’s election and unrelenting grace.

After we talked with theology professors at Calvin, I took him for a walk around the campus and we visited the art gallery.

He was captivated by the paintings depicting the Prodigal Son and his loving father. It was a story that truly touched his heart—God, the loving father,

waiting for a Prodigal Son (like Dad) to return home. He told me, “I want to do a calligraphy piece on the Prodigal Son.” My dad wasn’t a formally trained calligrapher. In fact, his career as a physics professor and researcher may seem farremoved from any interest in art. But our family always knew Dad had artistic talents, as shown through his photography and his occasional craft projects. After his retirement, Dad devoted all his free time to Chinese calligraphy.

He wrote poems and recorded them using different calligraphy styles.

As promised, after Dad returned from his vacation in the U.S., he produced this piece: a work of calligraphy highlighting not only the story of the Prodigal Son, but also his own life: “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. So they began to celebrate.” Luke 15:24

This story originally appeared in Returning Home: Further Journeys into the Art of Forgiveness. Shen hand delivered her father’s calligraphy from China to Calvin’s Center Art Gallery in 2016.

This artwork and reflection are included in Returning Home: Further Journeys into the Art of Forgiveness. Larry Gerbens ’69 is the editor of the book, which includes art and writing inspired by the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Returning Home is a followup to a similar book, The Parable of the Father and the Two Sons.

Funded by a gift to Calvin Theological Seminary from the Edgar Boevé estate, Returning Home features several authors from the Calvin University community and artwork from the university and seminary, as well as from Gerbens’ and other private collections.

For Larry and his wife, Mary, this project is very personal. The couple have been collecting and speaking about art inspired by the Prodigal Son parable for many years. Larry traces his passion for art to a class he took from beloved art professor Edgar Boevé. “When speaking, I often share this quote from a Banner article by Nicholas Wolterstorff, ‘Art is the human spirit made visible. It is indispensable to our flourishing as God’s human creatures,’” Gerbens writes in Returning Home.

The book will be available in the Calvin University bookstore in early 2022.

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EVENTS

After an entirely virtual event in 2020, it was exciting to be back on campus for Homecoming & Family Weekend. For the first time, the Calvin Classic 5K was held in the fall and helped kick off the festivities. Visitors cheered on the Calvin Knights in men’s soccer, D1 hockey, and women’s volleyball. Athletes also competed in scrimmages in men’s lacrosse, men’s basketball, and women’s softball. There was a Calvin improv show, a photo scavenger hunt, a Calvin Theatre Company production, and even a screen-printing workshop.

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From left to right: Anthony Diekema ’56, Michael Le Roy, Bob Berkhof ’72, and Gaylen Byker ’73.

THREE PRESIDENTS HONOR BERKHOF’S RETIREMENT

At homecoming, alumni visited their favorite Calvin places. The Calvin Ecosystem Preserve & Native Gardens hosted an open house with games and activities. The Center Art Gallery and Dice Mineralogical Museum were also open for alumni to explore.

It was a rare moment as three of Calvin University’s 10 presidents gathered. Anthony Diekema, 1976–1995; Michael Le Roy, 2012–present; and Gaylen Byker, 1995 –2012 gathered to celebrate Bob Berkhof’s retirement in the spring. Berkhof served several roles at Calvin during his 33 years of service, most recently as senior advisor.

Friends, family, and Calvin supporters gathered to acknowledge his achievements, which include setting up nearly 200 scholarships, raising money for seven academic chairs and five institutes, and leading the charge on raising funds for several buildings.

We want you to join the fun next year!

Make plans to come for Homecoming & Family Weekend Sept. 30–Oct. 1, 2022.

See more photos

ALUMNI BOARD MEETING Over two days this past fall, the Calvin Alumni Association was able to host its first in-person board meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic began. For many board members, this was the first time being on campus in this capacity, and it was an uplifting experience to be able to serve together in this way. On the agenda were meetings with Calvin’s leadership, classroom visits, a campus tour, and discussion on what it means to be an ambassador for the university.

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LEGACY

THE GIFT OF

Education

BY AMY WHITE ’06

Pictured here as teenagers, John S., Richard, and David Vander Heide all have scholarships established in their names.

In the early 1950s, Jane King Vander Heide ‘71 had planned to attend Michigan State University. When her plans changed, a friend recommended Calvin. She hadn’t previously considered it as an option, but “it was within walking distance of my house,” Vander Heide explained, “so I enrolled.”

Coming from a Baptist background, she says she hardly knew what to expect from the Christian Reformed school down the road, but the decision ultimately had a profound impact on her life. Her first year, Vander Heide met her future husband, John Vander Heide ’53, who was a third-generation Calvin student. After that year she left school to start working so the couple could get married and raise their family. But she was convinced Calvin had something she needed, and she wanted to go back. So, 14 years after she first began, with three small kids at home, she committed to finishing her degree. “I was so short on study time that I kept a book propped up in my car when I drove, so if I hit a red light, I could read another paragraph.”

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Five years later, her conviction paid off and she left Calvin with an education degree. She taught and tutored for 10 years, and then she went into business with one of her sons. “Baking was my hobby,” Vander Heide said, “and fresh cookie companies were sweeping the country in malls,” so they started one of their own—Janie’s Cookie Co. With time and energy, their market grew, but when her son unexpectedly passed away, she chose to sell the business, noting, “Without him, it wasn’t fun anymore.”

A PATHWAY TO FOLLOW Through each stage of her career, Vander Heide knew her Calvin education was affecting what she did and how she did it. “Calvin gave me a general perspective that guided a lot of my plans and decisions,” she said. “The values that [my family] learned at Calvin have given us all a pathway to follow.”

Because of its effect on their lives, she and her husband decided to establish a scholarship in their son’s honor. “We just continued to be so impressed with Calvin and had such good memories of our time there,” she added.

Christian Reformed Church. The couple later established a scholarship for Calvin Seminary, as well.

ITS OWN REWARD In the years since the scholarships were created, Vander Heide has been able to meet and communicate with many of the recipients. “It’s very rewarding for me,” she said. “It’s satisfying to know that I helped a student and that they appreciate it.”

Vander Heide says she would encourage others to consider this kind of investment.

“The world needs Calvin,” she said. “The university has kept up with changes in the world and changes in our denomination.

There are a lot of options for higher education, but Calvin has it all together.”

With five successive generations of the Vander Heide family having now attended the university, they are expanding their impact with two additional scholarships.

“I think it’s a gratifying experience for both the person who establishes the award and the person who receives it,” Vander Heide concluded.

In addition to the John S. Vander Heide III Memorial Scholarship, the Vander Heide family has established the Richard S. Vander Heide Pre-Med Scholarship and David J. Vander Heide Business Scholarship. In 2021–22, 1,200 students are being supported by 1,449 individual awards through the Named Scholarship Program.

While many awards are in memoriam, others are gifts of gratitude for the role Calvin played in an individual or family’s life. Donors can indicate criteria for students, including financial need, program of interest, residency, high school attended, and diversity.

To hear testimonies from the scholarship recipients and another moving story of generational impact, watch this year’s virtual event that honors named scholarship donors. Visit calvin.edu/go/nsp

Even though her son eventually pursued business, he had considered being a minister, appreciated the leadership of his pastors, and was actively involved in the work of his church. That’s why the John S. Vander Heide III Memorial Scholarship was created to support students interested in going into fulltime ministry. Each year, two students entering their senior year receive this award based on their potential for leadership in the ministry of the John ’53 and Jane Vander Heide ’71 met at Calvin and were committed to giving back.

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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.

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CLASS NOTES

HERITAGE (graduated more than 50 years ago)

Lynwood “Woody” VandenBosch ’68, Jack Van Coevering ’80, Steven Tjapkes ’85, Jennifer Siebers Van Regenmorter ’90, and Mindi Jelsema Johnson ’01 have been selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2022. And Michael Zahrt ’11 has been recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch. All six alumni are attorneys with the law firm Foster Swift Collins & Smith PC.

1970s After more than 17 years in the editorial department at Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Linda Marie Bieze ’77 retired Aug. 28, 2020. She reports that retiring in the midst of a pandemic has been strange but that retirement still has been a welcome change.

01 At the end of June, Dirk Holkeboer ’77 retired from his work with Habitat for Humanity after 33 years. During his time with Habitat, Dirk served as the executive director of three local chapters (Miami, Fla.; Holland, Mich.; Visalia, Calif.) and worked for Habitat for Humanity International as the assistant director of the annual Carter Work Project and as an affiliate adviser. After graduating from Calvin, Dirk received a JD from Wayne State University and worked for the Michigan law firm Miller Canfield. He credits these experiences and his time at Calvin with developing the critical thinking he needed in his leadership roles. Dirk and his wife, Betsy Murphy, live in Visalia, Calif.

In October, Dick Walstra ’77 ran his fourth Boston Marathon, finishing in a time of 3:31:45. His time placed him in the top 5% (17th place) of the 65–69 age bracket for the competitive Boston race. When not running, Dick works as an accounting professor at Dominican University in River Forest, Ill. In September, Thomas Geelhoed ’79, a Social Security disability lawyer in Grand Rapids, Mich., was presented with the Michael Dudley Award by his peers in the Social Security section of the State Bar of Michigan “for years of dedicated service to people with disabilities and the Social Security Section of the State Bar of Michigan.”

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Eric Jager’s ’79 book The Last Duel has been adapted for the big screen.

The movie, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer, and Ben Affleck, was released in October to positive reviews.

Eric is currently an English professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.

1980s Baptist Children’s Home’s (BCH’s) board of directors has presented Linda Simmelink Brooks ’81 as its next CEO. Linda has displayed a passion and love for the ministry of BCH for almost 40 years. She has served in numerous positions within BCH and most recently served as COO and interim CEO. The board of directors enthusiastically looks forward to the future with Linda leading the BCH team to meet the needs of at-risk children all around the world with the gospel and love of Jesus Christ.

02 Lori Reichelt Beason ’84 has been

teaching piano, voice, and clarinet for 36 years in her private studio in the states of Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. This is her 15th year teaching for West Michigan Homeschool Fine Arts (WMHFA) in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, directing choir, teaching private lessons, and developing and teaching a new music theory/ appreciation course for elementary students. In the summer, she is the director of the Banner Carriers of the WMHFA Northern Lights Marching Band that consists of 200 homeschool students including banner carriers,

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instrumentalists, drum line, and color guard. She volunteers in the music ministry portion of the church services led by her church at the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission, the Kalamazoo County Jail, and Bronson Commons Assisted Living.

03 After a 30-year career, Dale Vander Wall ’87 recently retired from the University of Maryland (UMD), where he most recently served as assistant dean and chief operating officer of the Robert H. Smith School of Business. After a long and rewarding six-day retirement, Dale joined Salesforce as a higher education industry adviser. He uses the knowledge and insights he gained working in almost every area of UMD (e.g., academic affairs, student affairs, research, finance, and administration) to help higher education leaders understand and strategically leverage the Salesforce platform to more effectively engage and serve their prospective and current students.

Since graduating from Calvin, Mark Gurley ’88 has been a financial adviser.

In 2002, he was ordained and opened one of the Healing Rooms of Grand Rapids. In 2021, Mark completed an MDiv in healing and prayer, an MMin in business administration, and a ThD in financial planning and business leadership. His dissertation requirements will be published and made available on Amazon under the title One Person Can Make a Difference. The work contains revelations and insights on how each person can make an impact in the world around them with the advance of the kingdom of God.

Thomas Geelhoed was presented with the Michael Dudley Award by his peers in the Social Security section of the State Bar of Michigan...

’79 41

born. Can you imagine if you didn’t have the resources to navigate those questions and fears? Can you imagine if you had no support system?”

These questions kept coming to mind, and the Grandholms decided to act.

They started a nonprofit called Rising Kites. The organization is funded in part from sales of cut flowers from a garden that Danielle planted while she was pregnant with Sammie.

“We want to make sure that families in the Down syndrome community get more support right from the beginning...”

The mission of Rising Kites is to provide hospitals, birthing centers, and prenatal clinics with resources for parents who have just learned their child has a diagnosis of Down syndrome.

Danielle Grandholm founded a nonprofit that provides resources to parents who have just learned their child has Down syndrome.

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT

Alumna offers the support that she didn’t get

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In May 2020, Danielle Pile Grandholm ’10 and her husband, Matt, welcomed their second child, a daughter named Sammie, into the world. When Danielle first saw her baby, she thought Sammie looked different than she expected. Doctors confirmed Danielle’s suspicion— Sammie has Down syndrome.

defect that caused three holes in her heart. And they learned about other possible health concerns that come with a Down syndrome diagnosis, like hearing loss, vision issues, and feeding concerns. After 48 hours in the hospital, they were discharged with a Google printout of what Down syndrome is.

In those first days in the hospital, Sammie was doing well for a newborn, but her parents had a lot to catch up on. The unexpected diagnosis was difficult to wrap their minds around.

Sammie also had a congenital heart

“My husband and I are white, upper middle class, well-educated individuals.

We have communities of support. We have resources,” Danielle said. “And we still felt lost when our daughter was

Rising Kites bags have educational resources, gifts, and items to encourage families that are new to the Down syndrome community. “We want to make sure that families in the Down syndrome community get more support right from the beginning—so they don’t have so much fear. So they feel a sense of community. So they know they aren’t alone. So they might actually see what a gift their child is,” said Danielle.

Danielle, who studied speech pathology and works as a speech therapist part time, says that her Calvin education has equipped her to advocate and care for her daughter. “Whether it be knowing what services she is entitled to, or knowing how to work as a team with therapists and doctors, or, most importantly, knowing how to express to others that her life—despite any disability—has as much value as yours and mine as she is a human made in the image of God— I just don’t believe I would have been as well equipped to know how to address or express these things without my education.”

To find out more about Rising Kites, visit risingkites.org.

CLASS NOTES

04

1990s In July, Alicia Wilson-Ahlstrom ’93 joined the Children’s Funding Project (CFP) in Washington, D.C., as a senior fellow. She provides leadership and support to growing CFP’s research and development efforts and partnerships in order to expand equitable opportunities for children and youth through strategic public financing and strengthening local and state capacity to understand and use the policy tools available to take a more proactive approach to expanding and sustaining children’s funding. This summer, she also joined the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning’s (CIRCLE’s) advisory board at Tufts University, a nonpartisan, independent research organization focused on youth civic engagement in the United States.

After being named Wisconsin Senate president for the 2021–2022 legislative session, Chris Kapenga ’94 released the following statement: “I want to thank each of my colleagues for choosing me to be a part of the leadership team for the Republican Senate Caucus. It speaks volumes that we flipped two seats from Democrat to Republican in the state Senate and now hold a 21-12 majority. The people of Wisconsin see that our reforms are working. We will continue to push for limited government, lower taxes, and deliver meaningful results for the people of Wisconsin.”

Jennifer Yeazel Coakley ’96 achieved a lifelong goal and earned her master of arts in literature with a specialty in British literature from Northwestern University’s School of Professional Studies in June of 2021. She was bestowed with the department’s Distinguished Thesis Award for writing on marriage in the minor novels of Thomas Hardy.

04 With a focus on helping companies transform for the future, Thomas Storteboom ’97 recently founded i2e Solutions. Using his 20-plus years of experience working for companies like Ford, CHEP, and Cox Automotive, Thomas is helping companies answer the question that many lack the resources or expertise to answer: What’s next for the industry? He has developed a holistic team approach to find solutions based upon his industry experience and the knowledge gained while earning his BSE from Calvin and his MEng and MBA from University of Michigan-Dearborn.

In August, Bryan Dik ’98 and Chris Heinz ’00 had a conversation about work and calling on the latter’s podcast, Life Calling Today. Bryan is a psychology professor and the department chair at Colorado State University and co-founder and chief science officer at jobZology. Chris is a certified life coach and founder and CEO of Chris Heinz Co., a personal and professional development company dedicated to helping people know themselves, serve others, and live their life calling. Listen to the podcast at chrisheinz.com/blog?tag=podcast.

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Sarah Dornbos ’99 is featured in the award-winning documentary Expedition Ayiti, a film that centers on a narrative of strength, beauty, passion for the journey, and expanded understanding of our world. This documentary follows a group of Haitian and American hikers through the gorgeous terrain of Haiti’s southern peninsula and helps unpack Haiti’s historic legacy as the first independent Black republic in this hemisphere. Learn more at filmfreeway.com/expeditionayiti.

2000s Stacey Wieland’s ’00 peer-reviewed article Constituting Resilience at Work: Maintaining Dialectics and Cultivating Dignity throughout a Worksite Closure was honored as 2020 Article of the Year by Management Communication Quarterly.

05 David Hutchful ’02 and Yaw Bediako ’04 are two of four founders of Yemaachi Biotechnology, a Ghanabased cancer research company that incorporated in June 2020. The company seeks to redefine how cancer is diagnosed and treated in Africa and is focused on improving cancer care through greater understanding of human genetic diversity. Using cutting-edge immunogenomics, artificial intelligence, and bioinformatics to accelerate the development of cancer detection and cure strategies, Yemaachi is working to lower the economic burden of cancer on the African continent. David is the CTO, and Yaw serves as CEO.

Chris Kapenga was named Wisconsin Senate president for the 2021-2022 legislative session.

’94 43

CLASS NOTES

06

06 After four years at Cornell University,

Marla Love ’02 has been named the university’s Robert W. and Elizabeth C. Staley dean of students. She also serves as one of Cornell’s three presidential advisers on diversity and equity. Marla is a longtime advocate of student well-being as well as equity and inclusion and is very excited to continue working with students and building systems to improve the campus community.

Lyndsay DeGroot received the F31 Award from the National Institute of Nursing Research for her dissertation.

’15 44

07 After three years as a senior manager, Steve Triezenberg ’02 has been promoted to shareholder at Hungerford Nichols CPAs + Advisors.

Steve celebrated the completion of his 16th tax season this year. His primary focus is managing the compliance and consulting needs for employee benefit plans across multiple industries. He also has extensive experience providing auditing and consulting services for financial institutions, service companies, and various other industries.

08 Diane DeKorte Ford ’03 was published in the Winter 2021 issue of Art Journaling, a 144-page magazine that explores artists’ journals, shares art journaling tips and tricks, and inspires readers.

The Christian Reformed Church’s Council of Delegates approved Lindsay Wieland Capel ’05 as the new director of Disability Concerns. Lindsay started as a volunteer in 2008 after coming across Breaking Barriers, the Disability Concerns newsletter. In addition to building the ministry’s social media presence, she has also been a church disability advocate and a member of the advisory committee.

07

In October 2020, Comfort Akpan Enders ’06 was hired as an education consultant for a five-year project funded by USAID’s BRIDGE-U program that includes a partnership between Yale University, Vanderbilt University, and University of Liberia College of Health Sciences (ULCHS). Comfort’s responsibilities include developing a first Center for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation Center at ULCHS and starting a vacation program for high school students to strengthen their science learning and soft skills in preparation for entry into health and medical professions. Comfort is excited and says it is a privilege to participate in providing solutions.

2010s To raise awareness for Type 1 diabetes and support Type 1 diabetes research through the Chicago Diabetes Project, Marian Cardwell-Aldin ’11 completed a record-setting two-way crossing of Torch Lake, Mich. She covered over 35 miles in 18½ hours of continuous swimming and has raised over $36,500 through her related GoFundMe. Learn more and donate through thegreatdiabetesswim.com.

Anand Divakaran ’13 recently completed his PhD in medicinal chemistry at the University of Minnesota. Bethany Cousineau Divakaran ’11 completed her doctor of nursing practice, master of public health (DNP/MPH) in 2018 also at the University of Minnesota. Anand is now conducting postdoctoral research in the department of chemistry at the University of California Berkeley, and Beth was hired as a nurse manager with the Transitions Clinic Network, a San Francisco-based nonprofit improving health outcomes for people coming home from incarceration.

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Lyndsay DeGroot ’15 received the F31 Award from the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) for her dissertation, Palliative Care Needs of Community Dwelling Patients with Advanced Heart Failure & Physical Frailty.

Since graduating, Jon ’15 and Kailey Dahlman Knott ’15 have accomplished a lot. Jon earned a PhD in forestry from Purdue University and completed a postdoc at MSU. He is now a research scientist for the U.S. Forest Service based out of Saint Paul, Minn. Jon is part of the Carbon Science Group, a team within the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program that studies how forests capture and store carbon and that is responsible for compiling greenhouse gas emission estimates for forestland in the United States as part of the U.N. climate change reports.

Kailey has taught second grade at two elementary schools and began as a special education paraprofessional at Sunrise Elementary School in Blaine, Minn., this fall.

2020s In July 2021, Annie Needs ’21 and Kelli Laube ’21 ran the Quick Bix race in the Quad Cities in Iowa. Annie came in first place for the females, and Kelli came in second out of 768 females in the race.

They both were on the Calvin cross country and track and field teams all four years.

Calvin alum and CEO Curt Vander Meer visits farms in Africa where the cacao is grown for Endangered Species Chocolate Co.

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT

CEO’s chocolate company funds conservation efforts When Curt Vander Meer ’89 has a good day at the office, he celebrates with a piece of chocolate. And when he has a bad day, he has a piece of chocolate, too.

As the CEO of Endangered Species Chocolate Co., he’s close to the source. “Every day, I go to work at a chocolate factory. It is fun, but it is also business. It comes with the challenges and rewards of doing business,” Vander Meer said.

Endangered Species Chocolate produces premium chocolate bars. They’re certified Fairtrade International and non-GMO and sold in stores like Kroger, Meijer, and Target. A mission-driven organization, Endangered Species Chocolate donates 10% of net profits to organizations that focus on wildlife conservation.

Vander Meer grew up in Indianapolis.

His older brother attended Calvin, and his parents were impressed.

“I took an accounting class in high school, and it was when the Apple IIE computer came out,” he said. Because he had that prior experience, he did well in his first accounting class and just kept going.

“I’m so glad that I specialized in accounting,” said Vander Meer. “Having the CPA credentials has opened up opportunities that I don’t know would have existed if I didn’t have that level of professional designation.”

After graduation, he moved back to Indianapolis, worked in public accounting and eventually a local manufacturer as the director of finance. That experience, along with the accreditation, gave Vander Meer the opportunity to come to Endangered Species Chocolate.

“I didn’t start the company. I’m not the entrepreneur,” he said. “But I’ve been blessed by being part of this organization.”

Endangered Chocolate started in 1993 and was bought out and moved to Indianapolis in 2005. That’s when Vander Meer joined to oversee the finance department.

“I’m proud to work for a company that’s bold enough to put its stewardship pledge on the outside of the product,” Vander Meer says.

“It tells consumers that we’re going to donate 10% of net profits. As an accountant, I guard that brand promise with the highest integrity.”

Vander Meer and his wife, Lisa Konynenbelt Vander Meer ’91, have two daughters at Calvin and support Calvin in many ways. “I didn’t appreciate my Calvin education when I was there,” said Vander Meer.

“It’s years after that I look back and appreciate the type of education that I got and how they equipped me to think, learn, and apply. That’s what makes me excited about Calvin—it’s still doing that with students.”

“I look back and appreciate the type of education that I got and how they equipped me to think, learn, and apply.”

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BOOKS BY CALVIN ALUMNI AND PROFESSORS

SAVE THE DATE!

Mark your calendar for these events January Series Jan. 10–28, 2022 Calvin Symposium on Worship Jan. 21–Feb. 4, 2022

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Festival of Faith and Writing (virtual only) March 24–26, 2022 50 year reunion celebrations (Class of 1970, 1971, 1972) April 29-30, 2022 Details coming soon

TRAVEL WITH CALVIN

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Join alumni and friends for one of Calvin’s unique travel opportunities.

Netherlands Explore geological wonders and experience Dutch life Hosts: Henk Aay and Robert Hoeksema April 3–15, 2022 Ireland Walk through a variety of museums, ruins, and castles Host: Debra Freeberg June 16–25, 2022 See calvin.edu/go/travel for details.

Email alumni@calvin.edu to request tour brochures for specific trips.

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More on these events and others calvin.edu/calendar

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Gracie and the Real Santa Robert ’71 and Elizabeth Zoet Bode ’72 Saratoga Springs Publishing Evangelism in the Old Testament: The Unfolding Drama of World Missions Norman De Jong ’57 North Star Ministry Press LLC All God’s Critters Sing Allelu Pam Lyons Eicher ’93 Beaming Books Holland 1940: The Luftwaffe’s first setback in the West Ryan K. Noppen ’01 Osprey Publishing Thirsting for Living Water: Finding Adventure and Purpose in God’s Redemption Story Michael Mantel ’83 IVP, InterVarsity Press

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Sin Gregory Mellema, professor emeritus of philosophy University of Notre Dame Press Diversity Playbook: Recommendations and Guidance for Christian Organizations Michelle R. Loyd-Paige ’81 and Michelle D. Williams Abilene Christian University Press Remnants Stan Poel ’69 Heritage Beacon Fiction, Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas Dutch Preacher Boy: Coming of Age in Grand Rapids, Taking Wing Beyond* John Kommerinus Tuinstra ’66 TunaFisch Publishing A Certain Slant Mary Petter Vander Goot ’68 Resource Publications, Wipf and Stock Publishers

Your gift to the Calvin Annual Fund becomes art shows and basketball games and summer research. It provides smart classrooms and service-learning opportunities. It helps create a vibrant environment on campus where students can ask hard questions as they discover more about who God created them to be.

The annual fund fills the gap where tuition dollars stop, and your support opens the doors to a Christ-centered education even wider for our students.

GIVE

calvin.edu/go/annualfund

Richard Brandt ex’69 March 11, 2018, Pompano Beach, Fla. Paul Bremer ’64 Aug. 2, 2021, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Muriel Hulst Buurma ’52 Aug. 6, 2021, Holland, Mich.

Greta Haverhals Cavanaugh ex’54 Jan. 18, 2017, Riverdale, N.Y. Robert De Nooyer HON Aug. 7, 2021, Holland, Mich.

Ivan De Witt ’60 Sept. 13, 2020, Holland, Mich.

Deaths

HERITAGE Ella Vander Molen Aasen ’57 May 4, 2021, Seal Beach, Calif.

Sonia Tjoelker Achtyes ex’62 Aug. 18, 2021, Byron Center, Mich.

J. George Aupperlee ’69 Aug. 31, 2021, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Andries “Andy” Batelaan ’60 Nov. 15, 2020, Cobourg, Ont. Gertrude “Trudy” Brower Borst ’51 July 30, 2021, Los Angeles, Calif.

Edgar Bosch ’62 Aug. 30, 2021, Kalamazoo, Mich.

Gary Bouma ’63 Aug. 19, 2021, Melbourne, Australia Earl Bouwer ’60 Sept. 18, 2021, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Mary Robbert Bouwman ex’44 Aug. 8, 2021, Holland, Mich.

Tryphena “Jean” Dykstra Boyd ’61 Aug. 26, 2021, Rockford, Mich.

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Joan Venema Duininck ex’54 Aug. 21, 2019, Rapid City, S.D. Harold Dykstra ex’52 Sept. 27, 2020, Sioux Falls, S.D.

Carl Kromminga ’45 June 25, 2021, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Paul Sterenberg ex’60 Sept. 3, 2021, Holland, Mich.

Barry Kuiper ’69 Aug. 16, 2021, Astoria, Ore.

Elaine Rykse Stroo ’59 Oct. 2, 2021, Caledonia, Mich.

Richard Lenger ex’67 July 13, 2021, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Debra Tilstra ex’82 May 25, 2020, Surprise, Ariz.

Paul Mac Donald ’55 April 23, 2021, Carmel, Maine

Lynn Dryfhout Tos ’61 Aug. 31, 2021, Walnut Creek, Calif.

Sherman Mels ’63 Nov. 23, 2014, Orland Park, Ill.

Ronald Vander Kooi ’60 Sept. 14, 2021, Arvada, Colo.

Winifred Miersma ’56 April 21, 2021, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Marvin Vander Pol ’50 Sept. 16, 2021, Lynden, Wash.

Joy VanderSchie Miller ex’54 Aug. 9, 2021, Hudsonville, Mich.

Marvin Vander Wall ’57 Oct. 4, 2021, Caledonia, Mich.

Marjorie Dobben Moon ’51 Sept. 9, 2021, Fremont, Mich.

Marilyn Vande Riet Van Dokkumburg ’55 Oct. 9, 2021, Jenison, Mich.

Roger Fritsma ’57 July 17, 2021, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Kathryn Goudberg NobleSchlamm ’51 Aug. 6, 2021, Lynden, Wash.

Ruth Feierabend Gendzwill ’55 May 7, 2017, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.

Matthew Okkema ex’51 April 12, 2021, Zeeland, Mich.

Kenneth Van Dyke ’69 Sept. 20, 2021, Grand Haven, Mich.

John Girard ex’84 Aug. 19, 2021, Lansing, Mich.

David Olthofl ’67 Aug. 15, 2021, Lake Worth, Fla.

Marilyn Doorn Van Dyken ’58 Oct. 10, 2021, Jenison, Mich.

Bernadine Ledeboer Hedrick ex’53 Sept. 25, 2021, Stuart, Fla.

David Ondersma ’63 Oct. 7, 2021, Hudsonville, Mich.

Kenneth Van Gilst ex’57 Feb. 22, 2020, Oskaloosa, Iowa

Ardith Ploegstra Heemskerk ex’55 Oct. 9, 2021, Bradenton, Fla.

Warren Otte ’62 Sept. 29, 2021, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Herman Van Laar ex’49 July 3, 2021, Grandville, Mich.

Beverly Hoekstra ex’63 Aug. 30, 2021, Jenison, Mich.

Harvey Ouwinga ’54 Oct. 13, 2021, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Marian Dice Van Tongeren ex’50 Sept. 10, 2021, Jenison, Mich.

Stanley Hoekstra ex’60 July 17, 2021, Katy, Texas

Joyce Ryskamp Pettinga ’51 Sept. 23, 2021, Rockford, Mich.

John Hoogstra ’55 Sept. 17, 2021, Holland, Mich.

Marilyn Dekker Roeters ex’57 Aug. 1, 2021, Willowbrook, Ill.

Carol Aardema Van Valkenburg ’59 Aug. 16, 2021, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Harry Huizenga ex’54 Aug. 6, 2021, Windermere, Fla.

John Rosier ’59 May 7, 2021, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Martha La Maire Hules ex’69 July 23, 2021, Calabasas, Calif.

Robert Ruis ’54 Sept. 30, 2021, Council Blufis, Iowa

Ruth Jansen HON Jan. 31, 2021, Portage, Mich.

Philip Ryskamp ’53 July 16, 2021, Baldwin, Mich.

Peter Kamper ’58 June 30, 2021, Ontario, Calif.

Gladys De Haan Schipper ’63 July 22, 2021, Middleville, Mich.

Carroll Keegstra ’56 May 4, 2021, Spring Hill, Fla.

Inamae DeKorne Skutt ’56 Aug. 31, 2021, Caledonia, Mich.

Lois Geers Klompien ’52 July 21, 2021, Manhattan, Mont.

Emma Wispelwey Stanivukovich ’53 June 26, 2021, Clifton, N.J.

H. Rose Kossen ’56 Oct. 12, 2021, Lake Forest Park, Wash.

Ronald Van Donselaar ’67 June 27, 2021, Aurora, Colo.

Paul Veltman ’69 Sept. 21, 2021, Bonita Springs, Fla. Calvin Vork ex’67 July 21, 2021, Muskegon, Mich.

Victor Vroegop ’92 Oct. 2, 2021, Stevensville, Mich.

John Vroon ’58 Sept. 6, 2021, Grand Rapids, Mich.

John Waanders ’57 Sept. 5, 2021, Grand Haven, Mich.

Joy Hietbrink Witte ’61 Sept. 11, 2021, Wyoming, Mich.

Eleanor De Boer Zwier ’50 Aug. 8, 2021, Grand Rapids, Mich.

1970s Judson Grassmid ’70 Jan. 29, 2021, Grand Rapids, Mich.

IN MEMORIAM Cornelius Hegewald | German | 1929–2021

James Hoekema ’70 July 19, 2021, Newburgh, N.Y. Douglas Vander Wall ex’71 Oct. 1, 2021, Allendale, Mich.

1980s James Apol ex’80 July 25, 2021, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Donald Brookhouse ’82 Sept. 6, 2021, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Debra Schipper Kuiper ’88 July 22, 2021, Grandville, Mich.

Dianna Brummel Rathbun ex’84 Sept. 27, 2021, Lowell, Mich.

Rick Temple ’80 Jan. 20, 2021, Erie, Ill.

1990s Betsy Zimmerman Beldock ’99 Sept. 4, 2021, Ludington, Mich.

Kerri Gritter Hill ’92 July 30, 2021, Simpsonville, S.C. Wendy Winger ’90 Oct. 9, 2021, Wayland, Mich.

David Zuidema ’92 April 25, 2021, North Haledon, N.J.

2000s Maryangel Brown ’20 Aug. 14, 2021, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Robust singing, stories of his heritage, and cultural dress are all a part of the indelible impression that German professor emeritus Cornelius Hegewald ‘62 made on hundreds of students at Calvin over nearly three decades.

“I can still see him in his lederhosen, playing the accordion, and singing with gusto the song ‘Tomatensalat,’ which I think is tomato salad,” said former student Bob Bolt ’80. “He made the class a German experience.”

Hegewald, who taught at Calvin from 1965 to 1993, died in February; he was 91.

Growing up in Leipzig, Germany, inducted to Hitler’s Youth at age 10, and drafted at age 15, Hegewald captivated students with his stories of life during World War II. “He told us riveting stories of growing up in Nazi Germany that gave us personal and nuanced understandings of a horrific time. While he was a tireless promoter of German language and culture, he was also aware of its complicated past,” said former student and longtime family friend Doug Bratt ‘80.

“I remember being glued to his stories of growing up in Nazi Germany and wondered that it made him the kind man that he became,” said former student Harold Pranger ’84.

He successfully taught the entire range of classes in the German department, and his “Nazi Germany” interim class consistently attracted large numbers of students from all majors.

“Herr Hegewald loved teaching German language, sure, but even more he wanted students to grow in their understanding of people and culture and history,” said former student Lisa Baar Hoogeboom ’89. “He helped me understand one of the key reasons to learn another language: to listen to people’s stories so that we can learn to connect with, learn from, empathize with, and love them.”

Hegewald is survived by his children, Sarah ’84 (Jim) Breuker; Heidi ’86 (Jack) VanSledright; Tammi ’88 (David) Haaland; Thomas Hegewald ’90; 11 grandchildren; and one greatgranddaughter.

49

CALVIN UNIVERSITY PRESENTS

CELEBRATING 35 YEARS

January 10–28, 2022 Choose your January Series 2022 experience: attend the live presentation on campus at 12:30 p.m. EST, watch the simulcast at a remote site, or watch digitally on demand until midnight PST. Visit calvin.edu/january for details.