In Memoriam

JIM BOSSCHER | 1924–2022

You don’t have to look far in west Michigan to see Jim Bosscher’s fingerprints. In fact, you don’t even have to leave your driveway. After all, Bosscher ’51 helped pioneer curbside recycling in Kent County, Michigan.

He was also a leader in the establishment of Camp Tall Turf, Safe Haven Ministries, the Christian Engineering Society, Hilltop University (renamed University of Mkar) in Nigeria, and Calvin’s four-year engineering program.

Bosscher died on Sunday, August 7, 2022. He was 97 years old.

Bosscher attended Calvin as a student, served in the Army Air Force, and earned advanced degrees from Purdue University and the University of Michigan. He then began his teaching career at Calvin, retiring 33 years later.

He was instrumental in helping Calvin move from a three-year pre-engineering program to a degree-granting four-year program by 1985. Today, that program is among the best in all of higher education. In fact, it’s one of the top 50 “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs” according to U.S. News & World Report.

“While success of the program should be attributed to the many individuals who have shepherded it over nearly 40 years, Jim should be recognized as the one who had the vision and courage to get it all started,” said Professor Emeritus Robert Hoeksema, who was a student of Bosscher’s in the ’70s and later a colleague for nearly a decade.

Bosscher’s former students and colleagues are grateful for his intentionality in integrating faith and learning in the development of the engineering program. In 2000, Calvin’s Alumni Board recognized this work by awarding Bosscher the Faith and Learning Award, which is based on excellence in teaching, spiritual impact, concern for students, and lasting influence.

GIVE TO WHAT YOU LOVE

When you donate to the Calvin Annual Fund, you can choose which area of the Calvin University experience you will impact.

Your gift can provide equipment for athletes or sustain creative spaces for artists. Your support can unlock potential through faculty-student research or strengthen financial aid packages so more students have access to a world-class, Christian education. Regardless of where you choose to invest, your support enriches the lives of every student and opens doors to the transformational power of a Calvin education.

CALVIN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 3201 BURTON ST. SE GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49546

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED (ACS)

CALVIN UNIVERSITY PRESENTS

January 9–27, 2023

Choose your January Series 2023 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.