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• 1 2021-06-29T16:54:31+00:00 Case Studies - Missionaries and STEM 46 This page will detail case studies of women who studied at Hope and became missionaries. plain 2021-07-29T18:22:02+00:00

  Background

  As featured on the Women in STEM data analysis, eight women who majored in STEM had files in the Joint Archives of Holland. Interestingly enough, we found a connection between women's  STEM majors and their career paths as missionaries. Here are brief descriptions of their lives.
   

  Gallery

  Jeanette Veldman 

  Jeanette Veldman was from Grandville, Michigan. Veldman attended business college in Grand Rapids. She also attended Hope Preparatory School in 1922. She graduated from Hope College with a Bachelor of Arts in 1926 after majoring in science [1]. At Hope, she participated in:
   

  Sorosis; Y. W. C. A. Cabinet, ‘24, ‘25; Gospel Team ‘26; Student Vol.; State Student Vol. Council ‘25; Recording Secretary; Michigan Student Vol. Union ‘25; Student Council ‘25; Milestone staff ‘25; Sweater Club; A. D. D.; Athletic Board ‘25, ‘26; House Com. ‘23; S. G. A., President [2]
   

  After Hope, she went to the Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing in Chicago in 1929. Then, she went to the Kennedy School of Missions in Hartford, Connecticut, Teachers College at Columbia University in 1946, and School of Midwifery in the NYC Maternity Center Association. In 1930, she was sent to Amoy, China and worked in Hope and Wilhelmins Hospital and School of Nursing. In 1946, she received an M.A. in nursing education and administration from Columbia University.
  
  Veldman was employed abroad in Amoy, China as a nurse until the Communist goverrnment ordered her departure from the country. She was there from 1930-1951. However, a short period of employment in India 1937-1938, a prisoner of war interment during World War II, and a return to mission work in 1946. Afterward, she lived in Arabia (Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman) until she returned to the United States in 1967. Veldman passed away in 1994 [3].

   

  Helen Zander 

  
  Helen Zander was born in Schenectady, New York as the youngest of five. She attended grammar school, high school, and Bellevue Reformed Church (Educational Work in Japan). Zander was interested in elocution at a young age and nurtured this interest in church and school work. She acted as a reader with a male chorus and with a group of children who went around giving performances for various groups. Zander decided at 12 to become a missionary after she had a dream in which Christ knocked at the door calling her to service like in the Book of Revelations.

  Her church in Schenectady helped finance her education at Hope. Zander graduated from Hope College in 1928 with a Bachelor of Arts and took a science course [4]. At Hope, she participated in

  Alethea, President ‘25; Y. W. C. A. Cabinet ‘27, President ‘28; Student Volunteers; Gospel Team ‘26, ‘27, ‘28;  Debating Team ‘26; S. G. A. [5]
  
  After graduating from Hope, she was presented as a missionary to Japan by the women’s board of foreign missions. She had not meant to go to Japan (instead, India, Arabia, or China) but had attended a Northfield conference and the theme was Japan. Plus, her big sister’s family at Hope had spent time in Japan. In 1928, after her graduation, she left for Japan. After studying French and German in college, she studied Japanese while in Japan.

  In 1929, Zander entered the Japanese Language School, studied under the Mission Language Committee course until she left the field in 1940. She taught in seminaries in Japan like Sturges Seminary and Ferris Seminary. Zander taught some physical training but specialized in subjects like English (composition, reading, and literature), stenography, typing, commercial English, and office practice. Zander found hobbies in Japanese penmanship, flower arrangements, and collecting envelopes and chopsticks.

  In 1934, she came back to the United States for the first furlough but returned to Japan in 1935. She taught until  her second furlough in 1940. After, she attended Columbia University and got an M.A. degree in Rural Education with emphasis on Industrial Arts [6]. In 1962, she taught at a girl’s high school in Tokyo [7].

  Zander worked at seminaries that specialized in the Christian education of women in Japan. Some notable alumni of her schools were two ladies in waiting for an imperial princess, one of the first Japanese authors to produce Christian literature, president of one of the foremost women’s universities, and minister’s wives. Zander herself said that the students represented “largely girls from a very good class of home and are picked through entrance examinations for scholarship and personality.” Very few of the students were Christians when they came, which was a “tremendous evangelistic opportunity” [8].

  Zander received an imperial award known as the Fifth Order of the Sacred Treasure from Iwatoro Uchiyama, Governor Kanagawa Prefecture. She was awarded it because of her work in the “furtherance of good Japanese-American relations with your wealthy knowledge, ideas, and love.” In regards to this achievement, Zander wrote “I am grateful that God called me into His service, directed my interests toward Japan” [9].

  Overall, Zander taught at four schools - Baiko Jo  Gakuin, Ferris, Joshi Gakuin, and Woman’s Christian [10]. She was a missionary for the Reformed Church in Japan from 1928 to 1941 and 1947 to 1974. Helen Zander passed away on January 1, 1983 [11].

   

  Eva Van Schaack
   

  Eva Van Schaack was born in Coxsackie, NY in 1904 [12]. She graduated from Hope in 1929 with a Bachelor of Arts and a major in science. She was involved in the Dorian sorority and the Senior Girls Association [13] 

  Van Schaack specialized in botany after she graduated from Hope. From 1931-1937, she studied at the School of Higher Studies at the Faculty of Philosophy of the John Hopkins University where she received a PhD. She taught and worked as a laboratory assistant and taught at many schools. Van Schaack was an assistant professor of botany at Kalamazoo College from 1946-1947, assistant professor of plant science at Mount Holyoke College from 1948-1950, associate professor of biology at Wheaton College from 1953-1956, and a professor at Hope College from 1956-1969. She was a member of Sigma Xi.

  At Hope, Van Schaack’s pay was very low for an associate professor, and she did not obtain full professorship until two years before her retirement even though she had “distinguished herself in the field of biology”. Van Schaack specialized in fungi and was promoted in 1967.

  Van Schaack passed away in 1981 [14].
   

  Bernadine Siebers De Valois
  

  Bernadine Siebers De Valois was born Bernadine Siebers in Grand Rapids. She went to South High School in Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Junior College, and graduated from Hope College in 1930. She received a Bachelor Arts after majoring in science [15]. At Hope, she participated in

  Dorian; Gospel Team 2, 3, 4; Y.W.C.A. Cabinet 3, President 4; Student Volunteer, Secretary-Treasurer 3, President 4; Trumpet Quartet; Orchestra 2, 3; Milestone Assistant Editor; Dorian Basketball 4; Chairman Senior Music Committee; S.G.A. [16]
   

  The Milestone described Bernadine as 

  "Bernie," the capable president of the Y.W.C.A. Let us consider her good characteristics. Purposeful is she, with a good deal of plain vigor in carrying out her plans; sociable to a high degree. For an example of enthusiasm we would direct you to her and leave you to be convinced in a moment's conversation. We must not forget that terrible trait of hers of working so hard that others feel ashamed of themselves [17].

  After Hope, she received an M.D. in 1934 from Rush Medical College. She was a Diplomat of the National Board of Medical Examinations in the United States in 1936. In 1936, she was sent to Vellore, India as a missionary. She worked in surgical wards and clinics with an ear, nose, and throat specialty, taught medical and nursing students, public health programs in villages, and village women’s classes and conferences. She married John James De Valois in  1946 [18]. 

  While in India, Siebers De Valois wrote many letters and pamphlets describing her life in India. She noted that she treated an average of 225 patients a day [19]. In her letters, she discusses the dangers of missionary work abroad. In particular, she detailed religious conflicts, riots, extreme weather, and illness. However, she hoped that the dispensary she was helping found would “become a real source of healing power for physical and spiritual needs,” [20].

  Eventually, India became suspicious towards missionaries and began to make it harder for them to stay. In an article published by the Church Herald, Siebers De Valois argued that mission work was not meant to establish Christian belief or practice as superior or even drastically increase the number of Christians. Instead, it was meant for converts to have a free response and agency in their religious experience [21].
  
  Moreover, she published articles in the Hope College Alumni magazine attempting to get alumni to become missionaries. In one article, she argued that medical outreach is an important part of Christian professional training. Moreover, the Church needed to focus on the new field of preventative medicine. She argued that her job was to provide new dignity and respect to womanhood in areas where women were treated poorly and so, she focused on village outreach, food, maternal and child welfare [22]. She targeted mothers to disperse information. She described the importance of missionary work as similar in the words of Jesus taken from scripture “‘I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.’” [23] Bernadine illustrated how missionary work fulfilled this vocation as she claimed that 

  Hope College cannot have a greater and more important mission today than to send her  well-armed children as the resolute servants of our scientific and spiritual life to all the imperiled posts of American to save the future life of this nation,... and to watch over the freedom of mankind [24].

  Hope presented her with an honorary D.Sc. degree on June 4, 1956 [25].

  Eventually, she went to Africa. Upon returning to the United States, she was a member of many medical societies, taught at Western Seminary, and worked at Pine Rest. Bernadine Siebers De Valois passed away on June 19, 2001 [26].

   

  Anne De Young

   

  Anne De Young was born in Clymer, New York though she lived in Newark, New York. Her father was a Reformed Church Minister and her aunt was a domestic missionary. De Young was the middle of seven children [27]. Her parents were born in the Netherlands and went to Hope. De Young decided to enter the nursing profession after visiting her aunt [28].

  She graduated from the Berea College School of Nursing in 1938 and Hope College in 1942 after majoring in biology [29]. At Hope, De Young participated in

  Sibylline, Treasurer 3; Alcor 4, President; Y. W. C. A 2, 3, 4, Vice President 4; Christian Workers League 2; Band 2; Chapel Choir  3, 4; Music Group 4; German Club 3; Girls Basketball 2, 3; Treasurer of Voorhees Hall 3; Voorhees Hall Nurse. [30]

  While at Hope, she worked at Holland City Hospital. After graduating from Hope, she studied Chinese in Berkeley, California in hopes of being stationed in China as a missionary. However, China closed its doors to missionaries so she was unable to go [31]. Then, she studied at Kennedy School of Missions, Hartford, Connecticut in 1951 for one term and the School of Midwifery in 1952 [32]. 

  De Young was an assistant nurse in Voorhees Hall at Hope College for two years and was the head nurse for one year. While head nurse, she had over 100 girls in her care. Afterwards, she was an instructor in the hygiene department at Hope [33]. She continued to teach at the Berea, Kentucky School of Nursing for nine months [34]. 

  She worked at Scudder Memorial Hospital in India for one year. Then, she served in Amoy, China from 1946 to 1951. De Young was reassigned to Arabia in 1952 where she worked in the medical field. She was furloughed from 1958 to 1959 and transferred to Oman soon after reentering the field [35]. Overall, she had mostly been a nursing teacher and supervisor [36]. Anne De Young passed away in 2007.
   

  Mary Louise Talman 

   

  Mary Louise Talman was born in China in 1921. Her parents were missionaries. They returned to the United States in 1929 where they lived in Hyde Park, New York [37]. She graduated from Hope in 1942 with a Bachelor of Arts and a major in biology. At Hope, she participated in 

  Sibylline, Reporter 1, 2;  Anchor 1, 2; Y.W.C.A. 1, 2, 3, 4, Cabinet 2; Christian Workers League 1, 2, Secretary 1; Chapel Choir 1; Scalpel Club 4; Philosophy Club 4; Tennis 4 [38].

  Talman was a part of the faculty at Presbyterian Green Mountain Conference in Poughkeepsie, NY. She taught science at Attamont, NY High School and earned a M.A. from Albany State Teacher’s College in 1944. She eventually taught general science in Santiago, Chile where she was the head of the middle school department of the College. 

  Talman died in Lima, Peru on her way home from teaching at Santiago College, Santiago, Chile. The cause of death was an accidental gas leak [39].
   

  Marjorie Van Vranken

  
  Van Vranken was born in Schenectady, New York. Her parents were missionaries in India where they quickly returned after Marjorie was born. Her playmates were Indian children of the compound and she  went to Highclerc School for  Missionary Children in Kodaikanal, South India. Van Vranken described this time as having “many opportunities of witnessing to God’s handiwork  in nature and to His word in their Christian training.” [40]

  Van Vranken earned an A.B. from Hope  in 1946 after majoring in biology and chemistry. The Milestone lists her hometown as Hudsonville, Michigan in 1946. At Hope, she participated in 
  
  Thesaurian 1, 2, 3, 4, Treasurer 3; Y.W.C.A. 1, 2. 3, 4, Cabinet Member 4; Milestone 3 ; Alcor 4, Secretary-Treasurer 4 ; Sister Organization of Alpha Chi 4 ; French Majors' Club 1, 2, 3. 4, Treasurer 3; Scalpel Club 2, 3, 4, Secretary-Treasurer 3, President 4. [41].

  To pay for tuition, Van Vranken worked many odd jobs including as a glass grinder, machine mirror engraver, nurses’ aide, and at a chemical plant and wire and spring factory.

  After graduating from Hope, she did graduate work at the University of Illinois and received her master’s degree in physiology in 1949. She spent a summer at the YWCA learning about labor and social problems. At graduate school, she was a member of the University Woman’s Scientific Research Association. She also was a part time assistant in physiology and served as a laboratory instructor. 

  There was a need for women doctors and nurses in India so she got a teaching position in the physiology department of the Vellore Christian Medical College. This was an interdenominational school and international institution which got support from the RCA. She studied Tamil and took exams alongside working. Van Vranken wrote that it was “refreshing to be back in India, but it was also a challenge to be a small cog in the work of God’s kingdom among the students.” She returned to the United  States in 1952 [42].

  Overall, she spent thirteen years as an RCA missionary in Vellore, India, 28 years involved in the activities of the International Protestant Church of Kinshasa, and five years with the Protestant Women of the SHAPE Chapel in Belgium. She passed away in 1995 [43].

   

  Alida J. Kloosterman
   

  Alida J. Kloosterman was born in 1921 She spent her early life in Grand Rapids except for summers spent on her grandparents farm. At the age of six, she went to Rogers Junior High School where she liked school so much that she did not want to take vacations. She was a member of the school safety division where she worked from a patrolman up to the captain of the force. Home was a “wonderful example of Christian nurture and recognition.” During this time, Kloosterman became interested in Christian Endeavor and the Girls’ League for Service. She also loved sports.

  Kloosterman was about to enter Lee High School when her father died, leaving her younger brother to take over the home and support her mother, herself, and her younger sister. The girls sold flowers and babysit as any further education had to be earned through “spartan diligence.” At seventeen, she became a member of the Reformed Church in Grand Rapids. She taught Sunday School and enjoyed listening to the missionaries. She wanted to give her “life to full time Christian service, too, but her finances seemed always to stand in the way.”

  After her mother’s death, she worked to pay off debts and mortgages on the house. She saved enough for one year in college. While at Hope, she worked summers, vacations, evenings, and Saturdays, to finance other years too. She worked for the American Sunday School Union and was the Director of Summer Camps. She taught Vacation Bible School, was an inspector at a wood factory and was in charge of girls in the plant. At Hope, she worked in the dorm collecting and dispensing linen, in laundry as a cleaning girl, in the library, and filing. She viewed college as the background for her life work [44]. 

  At Hope, she was in the varsity club, speech club, red cross, Y. W. C. A., prayer bands, wrote for the Milestone and the Anchor, and was a member in the Theasurian sorority (page 47). She graduated from Hope in 1948 after majoring in mathematics [45].

  Her desire to become a missionary intensified at Hope College as she was encouraged and assisted by Mrs. John Piet who had worked in India as a missionary. She hoped to work in villages with Bible women or teaching. In 1947, during her Junior year at Hope, she applied to the Board of Foreign Missions. She was accepted as a missionary that year with an appointment to India. In 1949, she went to Chittoor, India and studied the language. She was financed by the Reformed Church, American Church, and the Sunday School of the Second Reformed Church [46]. Kloosterman stayed in India for three years and then taught at the North 4th Street Christian School. Alida J. Kloosterman married Bastiaan van Dijk in 1953. According to her marriage notice, Kloosterman planned to move back to the Netherlands where her husband was from [47]. The U.S. Death Index from 1898-2008 lists Kloosterman's death date as February 3, 2001.
  
  References:
  [1] Biographical Materials, Box 5, Veldman, Jeannette (1901-1994). Papers, 1912-1989. (W89-1012.), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
  [2] Milestone 1926 (Holland: Hope College, 1926), 28, https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/milestone/11.
  [3] Biographical Materials, Box 5.
  [4] “Helen Zander: Educational Work in Japan,” Woman’s Board of Foreign Missions, July 1942. Western Biographical File, Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
  [5] Milestone 1928 (Holland: Hope College, 1928), 35, https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/milestone/13.
  [6] “Helen Zander: Educational Work in Japan.”
  [7] Helen Zander, “South for the Holidays,” The Church Herald, April 6, 1962. Western Biographical File, Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
  [8] Helen Zander, “The GI Didn't Know - Do You?” The Church Herald, February 13, 1953. Western Biographical File, Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
  [9] Helen Zander, “A Bridge Across the Pacific,” The Church Herald, April 24, 1964. Western Biographical File, Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
  [10] Helen Zander, "A Bridge Across the Pacific."
  [11] “Helen Zander Dies,” The Church Herald, January 2, 1983. Western Biographical File, Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
  [12] Biographical, 1950-1969. Van Schaack, Eva (1904-1981). Papers, 1911-1976. (H88-0177.), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
  [13] Milestone 1929 (Holland: Hope College, 1929), 37, https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/milestone/13/.
  [14] Biographical, 1950-1969.
  [15] “Dr. and Mrs. J. J. De Valois,” Board of Foreign Missions, October 1955. De Valois Family. Papers, 1938-2001. (W11-1384.10), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
  [16] Milestone 1930 (Holland: Hope College, 1930), 65, https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/milestone/17.
  [17] Milestone 1930, 54.
  [18] “Dr. and Mrs. J. J. De Valois.”
  [19] Bernadine Siebers to St. Ives, September 24, 1938. De Valois Family. Papers, 1938-2001. (W11-1384.10.), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
  [20] Bernadine Siebers to Mission Hospital for Women, June 1, 1939. De Valois Family. Papers, 1938-2001. (W11-1384.10.), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
  [21] Bernadine Siebers De Valois, “The Church’s Right to Send Missionaries,” The Church Herald, May 20, 1955. De Valois Family. Papers, 1938-2001. (W11-1384.10.), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
  [22] Bernadine Siebers De Valois, “Eat too Little - Live too Wretchedly - Die too Young!” The Church Herald, February 17, 1956. De Valois Family. Papers, 1938-2001. (W11-1384.10.), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
  [23] Bernadine Siebers De Valois, “Science Plus-Miracles in India,” Hope College Alumni Magazine, July 1956. De Valois Family. Papers, 1938-2001. (W11-1384.10.), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
  [24] “Nigerian Chicks and Consultations,” Hope College Alumni Magazine, October 1962. De Valois Family. Papers, 1938-2001. (W11-1384.10.), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
  [25] Bernadine Siebers De Valois, “Science Plus-Miracles in India."
  [26] De Valois Family. Papers, 1938-2001. (W11-1384.10), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
  [27] “Miss Anne R. De Young,” Board for the Christian World Mission Reformed Church in America, November 1958. Western Biographical File, Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
  [28] “Anne R. De Young,” Woman’s Board of Foreign Missions, 1946. Western Biographical File, Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
  [29] “Miss Anne R. De Young.”
  [30] Milestone 1942 (Holland: Hope College, 1942), 40, https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/milestone/26.
  [31] “Anne De Young To Retire,” June 25, 1982. Western Biographical File, Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
  [32] “Miss Anne R. De Young.”
  [33] “Anne De Young To Retire.”
  [34] “Anne R. De Young.”
  [35] “Miss Anne R. De Young.”; “The task of Christian missionaries in… Muscat, Newest Oil Town,” The Church Herald, September 19, 1969. Western Biographical File, Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
  [36] “Anne De Young To Retire.”
  [37] “Hope Graduate Buried in Peru,” Holland City News, July 24, 1947. Hope Biographical File, Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
  [38] Milestone 1942 (Holland: Hope College, 1942), 40, https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/milestone/26.
  [39] “Hope Graduate Buried in Peru.”
  [40] “Marjorie Alice Van Vranken,” Board of Foreign Missions Reformed Church of America, September 1953. Western Biographical File,  Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
  [41] Milestone 1946 (Holland: Hope College, 1946), 47, https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/milestone/27.
  [42] “Marjorie Alice Van Vranken.”
  [43] “Marjorie A. Van Vranken,” P.F. PORBEUR - Asquillies, 1995. Van Vranken, Herbert E. (1891-1972). Papers, 1914-1995. (W01-1258.7.), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
  [44] “Alida J. Kloosterman”, Board of Foreign Missions Reformed Church in America, January 1950. Western Biographical File, Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
  [45] Milestone 1948 (Holland: Hope College, 1948), 47, https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/milestone/30.
  [46] "Alida J. Kloosterman."
  [47] "Teacher is Wed to Mr. van Dijk, Netherlander," The Sunday News, December 6, 1953.
  

• 1 2021-06-29T15:26:21+00:00 Female Faculty Bios 25 Read more about several women faculty at Hope College in the 30s and 40s plain 2021-08-16T17:39:42+00:00

   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. 
  
  

• 1 2021-06-29T15:25:28+00:00 Women During World War II 23 The challenges women faced during World War II plain 2021-07-21T18:21:24+00:00

  As I was researching women’s contributions during World War II, I stumbled upon the book We Are a College at War: Women Working for Victory in World War II. The introduction to this book discusses a letter written to a woman at Rockford College from a man in the service, who wanted to know what the woman was doing on the homefront. The text states, “The gist of the discussion was how fortunate you are as a girl, to be going to school, and continuing your normal life with minor unpleasantness, in spite of the war. Of course, no one felt you should endure any undue hardships, but some men were wondering what you are contributing to the war effort and eventual victory” [1]. 

  While there are no recorded letters like this relating to Hope College, it is important to acknowledge that the women faced challenges on the homefront. The majority of the women remained at Hope College during the war years, but many sources from the time indicate the fear and uncertainty that the women felt during the war. 

  An account from Pinks Mulder Dudley claimed, “It was exciting: the uniforms, the passionate goodbyes, the promises to wait for our heroes’ return. But it was also scary. We saw those newsreels. We knew that some of those we hugged goodbye would be wounded, and some would not be coming back at all. And our part seemed very small-sending care packages of cookies and candy, knitting scarves, huddling around radios for the latest news” [2]. 

  Scrapbooks from women, such as Jane Fowler, indicate that marriage was on the minds of the women in the 1940s [3]. When the men began leaving for the war there was a rush to solidify relationships before men went to war. Myra Berry stated, “Civilians and soldiers alike left for Christmas recess or furloughs, and as at other breaks during the war years, the return of students to campus found many a new sparkler on the third finger left hand. As men were being sent around the world, there appeared to be an urgency in establishing permanent ties with loved ones left waiting at home” [4]. The Anchor featured the student who got engaged over Christmas break in the article, “Diamonds Dazzle Dorm Damsels During Definitely Delightful and Dandy Days” [5].  

  Even though many Hope College females got engaged, there was a rule against marrying while still a student at Hope College. Vivian Tardiff, a student at Hope during the war, wanted to marry her fiance, Gerard Cook. Cook received leave for a week in March and the wedding date was set for March 17. The couple got married and had a three day honeymoon in Chicago before Gerard Cook left for the military and Vivian Cook returned to class. 

  Vivian recalled, “I was called to the Dean’s office a few days later and was informed that I could not be married and go to Hope! I was in complete shock. I replied many knew I was getting married, and no one told me this and I only had two months left of college out of four years. I was told that I had to meet with the governing board of directors and they would decide my fate” [6]. The board decided to allow Vivian Cook to complete her last few months of classes, but ultimately this was because Cook didn’t live in the dormitory. 

  The women who got engaged or married then had to worry about the safety of their fiance or husband until they received news or they returned from the war. One writer expressed her fears in her poem, “Come back to me” [7]. 

  It wasn’t just the women’s sweethearts leaving either. Brothers, cousins, etc. were also called into duty. The Anchor published an article about Nola Nies, a senior from Hope, receiving the call from her brother before he was sent overseas and knowing there was a chance he would not return. 

  Rosey Maatman remembers following the war through the radio, newsreels, and newspapers, but not realizing the full weight of what was occurring around her: 

  "We (during our Hope years) were pretty secluded from the war itself, unless you had family over there. It almost didn’t seem real at first. We were still kind of naive. I guess we just didn’t think about the big things. Some time ago my family visited an American military cemetery in Oxford, England. There were all those white crosses and a wall with names on it. When I started to read them, I realized what had happened. I cried all those tears I couldn’t shed at the time because I was too naive” [8]. 

  There were echoes of Maatman’s feeling of nativete in the Anchor as some headlines like, “Take Time to Help Now,” “This Emergency Affects US-or Did You Know?,” and “Let’s Get Going” all called for more participation in the war effort [9]. 

  One article entitled “I’m a Coward” references the difficulties on the homefront. The writer of the article asserts life on the homefront is more difficult than being in the service as a woman. There are a lot of ways for women to help the war effort, but those back home compose the foundation of the war effort and must remain hopeful while facing the unknown [10]. 

  The women on Hope’s campus saw the headlines that a former Hope College student had died in duty or the son of a professor was killed. Many of the women traveled to the train station in the evenings or on the weekends just in case a soldier came through with news on a loved one [11].

  Vivian Tardiff Cook also got a taste of the politics of the war in one of her most impactful memories from the war. Vivian Tardiff Cook participated in oratory. and wrote a speech entitled “Americans with Japanese Faces.” The coach at the time, Dr. Schrier, wanted his students to choose controversial subjects. Therefore, Cook chose to write about the Japanese Americans placed in internment camps during World War II. Tardiff began her speech by establishing her ancestry and explaining how fortunate she was to be a child of parents who were neither German nor Japanese. Dr. Shrier expected Tardiff to win the competition and was surprised when she came in third instead. Tardiff and Shrier discovered that each judge scored her first except one, who scored her at the very bottom for each category. When asked why he scored the way he did the judge stated, “‘No damn Japanese’ was going to stand there and tell him America was wrong in their treatment of those ‘damn, dirty Japanese.’ The problem was his son was fighting the war in the Japanese Theater at the time” [12]. Tardiff explained this was an impactful moment for her during the war and she taught her communications students about the power of prejudice. 

  Even after the war ended, the women continued to be impacted. Libby Hillegonds stated, “All the profs were glad to see the service men come back to campus to raise the academic level a notch, finish their education and get on with their lives. They had a little different perspective after their war experiences and were more serious about life” [13].  

  Metta Ross, a professor at Hope, also noted this change in the men. In an oral interview she explained, “The girls’ attitude toward their men friends changed, not because of me but because of the changes in life, these men coming back from wars mutilated and nerve sick” [14]. The atmosphere in classes evolved because veterans wanted to know why things happened as they did [15]. 

  World War II remains the most costly war in terms of loss of life and the veterans witnessed a lot of that first hand. The trauma from World War II changed them and this change would have impacted the females in classes and through their relationships with returning veterans. 
  
  References: 
  [1] Mary Weaks-Baxter, Christine Bruun, and Catherine Forslund, We Are a College at War: Women Working for Victory in World War II (Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 2010), ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/hope/detail.action?docID=1354648.
  [2] Eileen Nordstrom and George Zuidema, Hope at the Crossroads: The War Years (Holland, Michigan: Hope College, 2008), 65.  
  [3] Scrapbook, Fowler, Jane F. (Waldbillig). Papers, 1942-1943 (H95-1249.50), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI, 
  [4] Nordstrom and Zuidema, Hope at the Crossroads, 39. 
  [5]“Diamonds Dazzle Dorm Damsels During Definitely Delightful and Dandy Days,” Hope College Anchor, January 13, 1943. 
  [6] Nordstrom and Zuidema, Hope at the Crossroads, 54.
  [7] "Come Back to Me," Hope College Anchor, May 6, 1942. 
  [8] Nordstrom and Zuidema, Hope at the Crossroads, 70. 
  [9] “Take Time to Help Now,” Hope College Anchor, November 11, 1942.“This Emergency Affects US-or Did You Know?,” Hope College Anchor, September 17,1941.“Let’s Get Going,” Hope College Anchor, January 28, 1942. 
  [10] "I'm a Coward," Hope College Anchor, February 9, 1944. 
  [11] Nordstrom and Zuidema, Hope at the Crossroads, 71. 
  [12] Nordstrom and Zuidema, Hope at the Crossroads, 52. 
  [13] Nordstrom and Zuidema, Hope at the Crossroads, 58-59. 
  [14] Dick and Phyllis Huff, “Metta Ross Oral Interview,” March 15, 2002, Ross, Metta J. (1890-1984). Papers, 1896-1984 (H88-0131), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI. 
  [15] Metta Ross, February 20, 1945, Ross, Metta J. (1890-1984). Papers, 1896-1984 (H88-0131), Joint Archives of Holland, Hope College, Holland, MI. 
  
  
   

   

• 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.