This page is referenced by:

• 1 2021-06-29T15:20:09+00:00 United States Enters the War 13 The U.S. Enters the war and Hope College students respond to the war efforts plain 2021-08-16T17:42:33+00:00

  After Pearl Harbor, men began to voluntarily enlist instead of waiting for the draft in order to choose which branch of service they would enter. By April of 1942, Hope’s enrollment deteriorated as men enlisted and left Hope College. This occurred gradually because the government needed time to implement the infrastructure like bases, tanks, airplanes, and ships required for training and active duty. 

  Vern Boersma, an alumni of Hope College from the 1940s explained that each male student knew their number could be called at any moment. Typically, those in good academic standing could defer the draft, while those in poor academic standing were called almost immediately. However, men tended to enlist voluntarily to join a branch that aligned with their future career path. The male students who remained on campus prepared to quickly enter the medical, chemistry, and pastoral fields or stayed because they failed the physical exam for enrollment into the military. There was high demand for chaplains, chemists, and doctors to serve in the war. The men completed three years of school, then joined the military. For example, Boersma completed his three years of pre-med, then entered the Navy [1]. The Anchor published an article on January 28, 1942 urging students to utilize the accelerated program by taking additional classes and cancelling their usual summer jobs to complete their degrees early [2]. 

  Additionally, Edwin and Ruth Stegnenga Luidens became missionaries as World War II continued in Europe. Edwin graduated from Hope in 1940 then became a student at the New Brunswick Seminary, while Ruth completed her time at Hope College in 1942. Donald Luidens described the couple’s journey from Hope College in his book Seeds of Hope, Hate, and Change: Missionary Witnesses to the Middle East in Transition. Edwin was interested in missionary work and eventually Ruth agreed to join him in this field. In 1944, Edwin petitioned the Selective Service System to allow him to leave the country, even though he was draft age and this permission was granted on June 2, 1944. The couple departed in 1944 from Philadelphia to Lisbon, Portugal because Portugal remained neutral. After their arrival in Portugal, Edwin and Ruth continued to the west coast of India and from there to Basrah, Iraq, where the pair would settle for their work as missionaries [3]. Thus, those in pastoral fields had options to join the military as chaplains, but many also continued working as missionaries in a tumultuous time overseas. 

  The U.S. involvement in World War II prompted the women to get more involved in the war efforts as well. The Anchor featured the fundraising efforts by the Women’s Activity League (WAL). The women sponsored everything from book collections to relief drives to bond and stamp sales to peddling sandwiches in the various campus buildings. The chapel housed boxes for monetary donations and barrels collected items for war relief.

  The American Red Cross and WAL sponsored courses in knitting, first aid, and home nursing. There was extensive gas and food rationing that limited off-campus acitivities and the availability of sugar, butter, and other supplies. The few on-campus activities remaining often became less extravagant than in past years. The financial records from the Sigma Sigma sorority indicated that the largest expenses during the war years went towards rush, while the magnitude of social events typically composed a large portion of the budget [4]. Sorority events evolved into a time to knit and sew for the Red Cross. 

  Pinks Mulder Dudley recalled knitting even in Professor Boyd’s German class. Instead of reprimanding her for knitting during class, Boyd announced that knitting would be permitted as long as the yarn was, “khaki-colored and clearly being transformed into socks or gloves or scarves for the troops” [5].  

  On summer break, some women worked in the factories to supply the factories with a workforce. Rosey Maatman worked at Chris Craft, a boat factory converted into a Navy barge manufacturer. Her work there earned her the nickname "Rosey the Riveter" after the popular advertisment for women in the workforce during World War II [6]. 

  In addition to fundraising efforts, the remaining women on campus wrote letters to their peers in the service. Mildred Schuppert wrote to Paul Fried, a student on active duty, stating, “I have been writing to many of the boys who left Hope. In fact I try to write a letter a day. I hope that when you get your new address you will send it on to me so that you may not lose your connection with Hope entirely” [7].  

  The Anchor began to feature addresses for former Hope students now in the military, so the remaining students and faculty could keep in contact with those serving in the military. The women assumed control of the Anchor once the majority of the men were called to active duty. The editors began sending copies of the Anchor to men overseas to keep them in touch with life at Hope and give them a taste of home [8].
  
  References: 
  [1] Eileen Nordstrom and George Zuidema, Hope at the Crossroads: The War Years (Holland, Michigan: Hope College, 2008), 15.  
  [2] “Wake Up, Hope College! Speeded Program Is Designed For Your and Victory's Benefit,” Hope College Anchor, January 28, 1942. 
  [3] Donald A. Luidens, Seeds of Hope, Hate, and Change: Missionary Witnesses to the Middle East in Transition (Holland, MI: Van Raalte Press, 2020), 7-37. 
  [4] Financial Records, 1942, Sigma Sigma Sorority. Records, 1906-ongoing (H01-1413), Joint  Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI. 
  [5] Nordstrom and Zuidema, Hope at the Crossroads, 65-66. 
  [6] Nordstrom and Zuidema, Hope at the Crossroads, 72. 
  [7] Mildred Schuppert, January 24, 1944, Schuppert, Mildred W. (1909-1993). Papers, 1871-1993 (W94-1183), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI. 
  [8] “Anchor Day Among Civvies and Servicemen,” Hope College Anchor, November 24, 1943.