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Women at Hope College in the 1930's and 1940's

Louise Van Dommelen

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Female Faculty Bios
Dean of Women:
Winifred Durfee
Winifred Hackley Durfee began her career at Hope College in 1909 as the Dean of Women and resided in Voorhees Hall, the only women’s hall at the time. During her 27 year career, she became the head of the French and Drama Departments before her retirement in 1936.
Prior to her time at Hope, Durfee taught at several high schools and earned her Master’s Degree at Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin. She stopped teaching after marrying Abner Durfee in 1892 until his death in 1901. Durfee decided to resume teaching after his death and spent time at several other academies and colleges before finishing her career at Hope College [1].
Durfee developed and enforced many of the Voorhees House Rules during her time as Dean of Women. She also established a structure of student government for the halls. Conserative elders in the Reformed Church of America established guidelines for student behavior and restricted certain subjects like dance and dramatics from the campus. Durfee’s reputation for implementing and upholding rules for women helped establish the first drama class, which was taught by Durfee in 1924. Martha Jane Gibson wrote a letter to Miss Blank on April 29, 1963 explaining this connection:
“As to her coaching of dramatics. She began this when I was there. Up to that time there had been little if any at all done in the way of dramatics in the college. This was so because of the very conservative feeling about the theater or anything dramatic among the older people and many of the clergy in the Reformed churches around us. It began however to be apparent that there must be a break with this old conservatism if the college was to keep pace with life. More and more of our students seeking teaching jobs were finding themselves at a disadvantage because they had not done work in dramatics, as many high schools wanted them to coach” [2].
Durfee’s legacy lived on at Hope’s Campus, which is indicated by letters from Lubbers in 1947, who maintained, “Voorhees Hall and life was lived on a creative and inspiring level” when Durfee oversaw the hall [3]. The name Winifred Durfee is known on campus today because of the survival of Durfee Hall named after her. Built in 1950, Durfee Hall originally served as a female dormitory before converting into an all-male dorm.
Elizabeth Lichty
Elizabeth Lichty began working at Hope College in 1939 as the Dean of Women and a professor of French. Lichty oversaw Voorhees Hall, including the functions of the hall and the residents staying there. Under Lichty, Voorhees Hall attempted an Honor System to encourage the female residents to follow the Voorhees House Rules, which indicates that rules were broken by the women of Voorhees [4].
The Honor System: Rules Governing Women’s Residence Halls pamphlet stated, “In the past there have been rules that one felt it was clever to break or overlook. In the Spring of 1945 the girls of the dormitories voted unanimously to no longer countenance such an attitude. From now on, girls are on their honor to keep the following rules” [5].
Based on articles from the Anchor it appears that this endeavor was unsuccessful because news of the Honors System disappeared after this mention in 1945 and female students only remembered a governing board in the hall.
Lichty also took interest in freshman women by meeting with each female student during their first year at Hope College as well as establishing a “Big Sister” system to provide each freshman woman with an upperclassman mentor.
In 1937, Lichty became a PhD candidate at the University of Wisconsin and in 1940 became the first woman faculty member to earn her PhD.
Ultimately, Lichty took a position at Kalamazoo University in 1947, but she contributed to multiple facets of student life during her 8 years at Hope. Lichty sponsored the Women’s Activity League, May Day celebration, All College Sing, the Women’s Athletic Association, and established the Alcor Senior Girls Honorary Sorority, which is known today as Mortarboard.
Lichty Hall, a co-ed dorm on campus, was renamed after Elizabeth Lichty for her work as a Dean of Women.
Emma Reeverts
The woman chosen to succeed Elizabeth Lichty was a Hope College graduate from 1920 named Emma Marie Reeverts. Hope hired Reeverts in 1946 as an Associate Professor of English after the post-war boom created a high demand for more faculty members at Hope. Reeverts served as the Dean of Women from 1947 until her retirement in 1963 [6].
Correspondence between Irwin Lubbers and Winifred Durfee revealed that Reeverts came highly recommended by Durfee and Lubbers acknowledged that, “We are very happy at the prospect of having Miss Reeverst as our new Dean of Women...We hope that she will also get closer to the town girls than is possible when a Dean is living in a dormitory” [7].
Reeverts resided in Gilmore Cottage, which diverged from past practices when the Dean of Women lived in Voorhees Hall. The 1949 Milestone explains that Reeverts served as an advisor for Alcor society, the Women’s Activity League, the Pan Hellenic Board that oversees Greek Life, and the Women’s House Board. Reeverts also supervised the female students on and off campus [8]. Past descriptions for the Dean of Women did not mention overseeing women off campus and the Dean of Women typically lived in Voorhees Hall. Voorhees served as the only female dorm for years before the conversion of Van Vleck into a female dorm during the war years and Durfee Hall during the post-war boom. It is possible that Reeverts requested her own space or Gilmore Cottage provided a neutral location for Reeverts to split her time between the women on and off campus.
Instructors/Professors:
Laura Alice Boyd
Laura Alice Boyd began her teaching career at Hope College in 1921 and taught German until her retirement in 1955. Originally appointed as an instructor in German, Boyd was promoted to a full professor of German in 1929.
To supplement the German course content, Boyd established the German Club and worked with Metta Ross to establish the Palette and Masque theater group. In addition to working with these additional groups, Boyd wrote poems and riddles for a local paper [9].
Metta Ross
Metta Ross began her time at Hope College in 1926 after several years teaching at Holland High School. She accepted a position as an instructor of history and also split her time in the English department during her 34 years at Hope College until she retired in 1960. However, her letters and archival records indicate that teaching history was her preferred subject. The archives are filled with detailed notes on different history classes that Ross developed while at Hope College [10].
In addition to work in the classroom, Ross was active in extracurricular activities on campus. She coached female oratory, was the first faculty advisor of the Anchor, was involved in the Women’s Athletic Association, and founded several groups on campus, such as the Palette and Masque dramatic society with Laura Boyd and the International Relations Club [11].
Students often described Ross as a challenging and demanding instructor. Most students appreciated this style, but a few felt Ross was too tough on students, which was reflected in an archived file containing course evaluations and other personal correspondence [12]. The course evaluations are subjective and one study published in the Cambridge University Press indicates that students are more likely to expect women instructors or professors to be warm and understanding [13]. If students anticipated this and instead Ross was a tough professor, which archival research implies she was, then students may have evaluated her more harshly. Regardless, Ross compiled several letters throughout the years thanking her for her attention to their success and pushing students to succeed. One specific student, Mary Lou Talman expressed gratitude that Ross evolved from an instructor to a friend since Talman graduated [14].
Ella Hawkinson

In 1948, Ella Hawkinson was hired as a professor of history and the head of the history and political science departments. Hawkinson studied at the State Teachers College in Minnesota and earned her PhD from the American University in Washington in 1941 [15].
The Hope College Bulletin highlighted Hawkinson’s passion for the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This organization’s main goal was to establish a culture of peace. On vacations from school Hawkinson would take foreign students to tour the United Nations sessions in New York. Her work as the president of the Michigan Council for UNESCO earned Hawkinson a Fullbright lectureship at a university in Trondheim, Norway in 1953 [16].
After Hawkinson’s leave of absence in 1953 she suffered from an illness and passed away on January 27, 1954. The Hawkinson Memorial Lectures were established to recognize Hawkinson’s contributions to the college and her passion for international affairs.
Eva Van Schaack
Eva Van Schaack was a graduate from the Hope College class of 1929 and the first female member of the science department as a professor of biology from 1956 to 1969. Van Schaack received her degree at Hope, studied botany at Hope for a year following graduation, and attended the school of higher studies of the faculty of philosophy at Johns Hopkins to receive a Doctorate in Philosophy [17].
Nella Meyer
Born in Holland, Michigan, Nella Meyer began her college career at Hope in 1917 before transferring in 1919 to the University of Wisconsin. There, she received her Bachelor of Arts and went on to receive her Masters of Arts from Columbia University in 1940. By 1941, Meyer completed all requirements for a doctorate degree from Columbia except the written thesis.
It was unclear based on Meyer’s file why she transferred from Hope College in 1919, but Meyer began teaching at Hope sporadically while earning her higher education degrees. From 1923 to 1925, Meyer served as an instructor in French, then taught French and piano from 1929 to 1937, and also taught French and piano from 1946 to 1965. Meyer became an associate professor at Hope College in 1946 before earning the title of professor from 1954 until her retirement in 1965.
Time at other programs spent studying or teaching accounts for the gaps in Meyer’s time at Hope College. From 1941-1945, she taught music at both the Turtle Bay Music School in Manhattan, New York and the Brooklyn Music School in Brooklyn, New York [18].
Meyer passed away on December 13, 1974. A former student and a professor of Bible and religion at Hope College, Maurice Eugene Osterhaven, gave Meyer’s Memorial Sermon. He described Meyer as a woman who loved her family, students, and institution, as well as a woman who demanded respect in the classroom.
Osterhaven stated, “I can still hear her correct our pronunciation and encourage us to a higher level or work. Some of us were almost twice her size and strength- in mere muscle, that is- but we knew who was the boss in the classroom. For her we had love and respect" [19]
Louise Jean Van Dommelen
Louise Jean Van Dommelen spent several years at Hope College as an instructor and then professor of physical education. Dommelen began her time at Hope in 1946 as an instructor of women’s physical education, became assistant professor of physical education in 1949 to 1950, and became associate professor of physical education from 1951-1953 [20].
According to a report from Hope College on Dommelen’s workload, she instructed students in teaching kinesiology, volleyball, softball and golf, basketball and tennis, folk dancing and square dancing, archery and badminton, remedial gymnastics, and teaching physical education in secondary schools.
In addition to these courses, Dommelen was on the faculty study committee, the athletic committee, and the health and recreation committee and directed women’s intramurals, advised the Women’s Athletic Association, coached women’s tennis, and directed May Day sports [21].
Dommelen received a leave of absence from Hope College in 1951 to attend Michigan State College and complete her master’s degree thesis on physical education curriculum. She applied her findings to the Hope College women’s physician education program and made recommendations to Lubbers for changes to this program [22].
In 1950, Dommelen received orders from the Air Force Reserves to report for active duty to Denver, Colorado in January of 1951. These orders were deferred to June of 1951 in order for Dommelen to complete her master’s degree from Michigan State College. President Lubbers wrote multiple letters to the Air Combat Command (ACC) requesting another deferment for Dommelen because of Hope’s desire for her to continue leading the women’s physical education courses. It is unclear if this deferment was granted because the ACC correspondent replied that a deferment past July 7, 1951 was not possible in Dommelen’s case. However, the archival record indicates that Dommelen served Hope College until 1953 [23].
Esther Snow
In 1937 Esther Snow began her time at Hope College as an instructor and professor of piano and organ. Her husband, Robert Snow became the first organist in Dimnent Memorial Chapel and Esther Snow aided with music related tasks and received recognition for her talent as an organist and pianist. Therefore, after Robert Snow’s death in 1936, Esther Snow resumed his duties in the music department. In the music department, Snow directed the Women’s Glee Club.
After 18 years in the music department, Snow decided to discontinue teaching piano and organ because arthritis began to impact her ability to play. She attended Michigan State University for a year and resumed teaching at Hope College with her Master’s Degree in German. Snow worked as an assistant professor from 1955 until her retirement in 1965. While in the German Department, Snow became involved in the Vienna Summer School program, a well-known study abroad program founded by Paul Fried. Thus, she accompanied the students to Europe each summer to learn German and experience the culture [24].
Archivists, Assistants, and Alumni Relations:
Janet Mulder
Janet Mulder was a graduate of Hope’s class of 1915. She worked at Holland High School as an English teacher for the majority of her career. However, she transitioned after 33 year of teaching into a library assistant position in 1952. Then, in 1963, Mulder became Hope College’s first full-time archivist before her retirement in 1968 [25].
Mulder worked with Michigan Historical Collections from the University of Michigan to establish the system for the archives because not many colleges in the area began archival work in the 1960s [26].
The Holland Evening Sentinel published an article in 1964 about Mulder’s work:
From 1952 to 1954 and again since 1962, Miss Janet B. Mulder, archivist at Hope College, has been accumulating and systematically organizing information pertaining to the 113-year history of the college. Although the recording of the college’s history and other materials have not been completed, many college students, graduate students, and alumni are already using the Archives for research” [27].
Mildred Schuppert
Mildred Schuppert graduated from Hope College in 1931 and began working as Dr. Wynand Wichers’s assistant, who was the president of the college at the time. During the Great Depression, Schuppert was the only secretary at Hope College [28].
Schuppert served as Wichers assistant throughout his presidency. Thus, when Lubbers became president in 1945, he suggested she take a leave of absence and attend library school at the University of Michigan. A letter described Lubbers recommendation:
“Miss Schuppert is a young woman of capacity and diligence. She is intensely interested in library work. We believe that we should discontinue office work and be given a position more in harmony with her temperament and interest. We feel responsible for giving Miss Schuppert a place in our organization where she can be happy and effective” [29].
Schuppert returned to Hope College and began working as a librarian. Afterward, she accepted a librarian position at Western Theological Seminary in 1950. She worked there for twenty-four years before retiring in 1974.
Marian Stryker
Marian Stryker attended Hope and graduated in 1931. After her husband’s death in 1946, she began her role as director of alumni relations at Hope College in 1947 until her retirement in 1974. While in this role, Stryker significantly increased the donations made by alumni, which was aided through her role as the editor of the Alumni Magazine and publisher of the first Alumni Directory in 1951 [30].
The February 1995 edition of News from Hope College discussed Stryker’s contributions to the alumni network through an increase in alumni support. Stryker increased Hope College donations from 170 donors with an overall sum of $10,643 to 3,820 alumni donors worth $424,170 at the time of her retirement. Following her retirement in 1974, Stryker received the Distinguished Alumni Award [31].

References:
[1] Biographical, Durfee, Winifred Hackley (1861-1950). Papers, 1796-1963 (H88-0034), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[2] Kristen Blank, “Winifred Hackley Durfee: Her Life and Her Times,” May 22, 1963 (H88-0045), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland MI.
[3] Irwin Lubbers, July 22, 1947, Durfee, Winifred Hackley (1861-1950). Papers, 1796-1963 (H88-0034), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[4] Biographical, Lichty, Elizabeth Ellen (1899-1965). Papers, 1945-1966 (H88-0094), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[5] The Honor System: Rules Governing Women’s Residence Halls, n.d, (1899-1965). Papers, 1945-1966 (H88-0094), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[6] Biographical, Reeverts, Emma Marie (1896-1973). Papers, 1946-1973 (H88-0129), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[7] Lubbers, July 22, 1947, Durfee, Winifred Hackley (1861-1950). Papers, 1796-1963 (H88-0034), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[8] Emma Reeverts, The Milestone, 1949 (Holland, MI: Hope College, 1949), 16, https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/milestone/45/.
[9] Biographical, Boyd, Laura Alice (1884-1962). Papers, 1922-1963 (H88-0016), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[10] Biographical, Ross, Metta J. (1890-1984). Papers, 1896-1984 (H88-0131), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[11]  Alumni Association of Hope College, "Hope College Alumni Magazine, Volume 13, Number 3: July 1960" (1960). Hope College Alumni Magazine. https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/alumni_magazine/50
[12] Course Evaluations, Ross, Metta J. (1890-1984). Papers, 1896-1984 (H88-0131), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[13] Mitchell, Kristina M. W, and Jonathan Martin. “Gender Bias in Student Evaluations.” PS, Political Science & Politics 51, no. 3 (2018): 648–52. https://doi.org/10.1017/S104909651800001X.
[14] Talman, February 26, 1947, Ross, Metta J. (1890-1984). Papers, 1896-1984 (H88-0131), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[15] Biographical, Hawkinson, Ella A. (1896-1954). Papers, 1984-1956 (H88-0068), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[16] “Hope College Bulletin,” May 1950, Hawkinson, Ella A. (1896-1954). Papers, 1984-1956 (H88-0068), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[17] Biographical, Van Schaack, Eva (1904-1981). Papers, 1911-1976 (H88-0177), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[18] Biographical, Meyer, Nella K. (1899-1974). Papers, 1925-1975 (H88-0105), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[19] Eugene Osterhaven, "Nella Meyer Memorial Sermon," Meyer, Nella K. (1899-1974). Papers, 1925-1975 (H88-0105), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[20] Biographical, Van Dommelen, Louise Jean. Papers, 1951 (H88-1980.70), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[21] Report of Work Load, n.d., Van Dommelen, Louise Jean. Papers, 1951 (H88-1980.70), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[22] Louise Jean Van Dommelen, “Thesis: An Investigation of the Physical Education Curricula in Smaller Colleges and Universities, as Compared to Hope College” (Michigan State College, 1951), Van Dommelen, Louise Jean. Papers, 1951 (H88-1980.70), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[23] Biographical, Van Dommelen, Louise Jean. Papers, 1951 (H88-1980.70), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[24] Biographical, Snow, Esther M. (1895-1974). Papers, 1942-2002 (H88-0140), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[25] Biographical, Mulder, Janet B. (1895-1985). Papers, 1924-1984 (H88-0106), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[26] Janet Mulder, October 17, 1966, Mulder, Janet B. (1895-1985). Papers, 1924-1984 (H88-0106), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[27] “Archives at Hope College In Hands of Miss Mulder,” Holland Evening Sentinel, February 15, 1964, Mulder, Janet B. (1895-1985). Papers, 1924-1984 (H88-0106), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[28] Biographical, Schuppert, Mildred W. (1909-1993). Papers, 1871-1993 (W94-1183), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[29] Lubbers, July 18, 1947, Schuppert, Mildred W. (1909-1993). Papers, 1871-1993 (W94-1183), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[30] Biographical, Stryker, Marian A. (1909-1994). Papers, 1947-1974 (H88-0149), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.
[31] "News From Hope College," February 1995, Stryker, Marian A. (1909-1994). Papers, 1947-1974 (H88-0149), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI.