Spark readers: We are no longer printing newcomers and marriages in the Class Notes section of Spark. This section will emphasize the service, vocational and Calvin reunion stories of graduates, along with “In Memoriam” notices. We have found over the past few years that Facebook and other social media sources have increasingly become the primary place where friends share personal celebrations.

However, the alumni association remains interested in knowing about these important family milestones. Please continue to send them to alumni@calvin.edu, and in return, we’ll send you a whimsical Calvin bib (for babies) or a beautiful Calvin chapel window nightlight (for marriages).

Heritage

(graduated more than 50 years ago)

James Haveman '66 was honored with the Pine Rest Foundation’s Van Den Berg Leadership Award in November 2016. The award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services and the Pine Rest Foundation. Following numerous positions at west Michigan health institutions, he was appointed as director of the Michigan Department of Mental Health in 1991. He would go on to serve as director of the Michigan Department of Public Health and the Michigan Department of Community Health. Appointed as senior adviser to the Iraq Ministry of Health by President George W. Bush in 2003, Jim brought his expertise in strategic planning and systems management to help rebuild the Iraqi Ministry of Health. His work left a significant impact on Iraqi health and wellness, as the ministry now serves over 26 million citizens through 240 hospitals and more than 1,200 primary care clinics.

Dolores Petersen Huizinga ’57 teaches ESL for seniors at the Mennonite Centre for Newcomers in Edmonton, Alberta. She is also the coordinator for the four classes and 80 students. She has been teaching since graduating from Calvin and still enjoys the teaching and the students. Her husband, Melle Huizinga ’64, is enjoying a second career as a mediator and works in the court one day a week. He also teaches a creative writing class for seniors and is the Indigenous Awareness Leader for student teachers at The King’s University.

For the past three years, Arlo Compaan ex’65 has served as the director of training for the Analyst Training Program of the C.G. Jung Institute of Chicago. He previously served as a pastor in St. Joseph, Mich., a professor at Trinity Christian College and a clinical psychologist in Chicago before becoming a Jungian psychoanalyst. He is a training and supervising analyst at the institute. His area of expertise is shame and shamelessness, particularly in males, and he has presented papers internationally. He is a founding member of the Analytical Psychology Foundation of Chicago and serves as the president of its board of directors.

1960s

Karen De Mol ’61, professor of music emerita at Dordt College (Sioux Center, Iowa), has published a second edition of Sound Stewardship: How Shall Christians Think About Music? (Dordt Press, 2016). The book, originally published in 1999, presents an understanding of music as rooted in creation and an overview of the implications of creation, fall and redemption for various issues in music.

Bruce Hekman ’64 retired as superintendent of Kalamazoo (Mich.) Christian Schools in 2002 and began working at Calvin, teaching in the master of education program. After 12 years, he retired again. Currently, he is on the faculty at the Van Lunen Center for Christian Executive Management, where he is a consultant to schools and a mentor to school leaders from Mexico to Japan, with a special passion for serving schools for missionary children.

1970s

Marilyn Tanis Borst ’77 is associate director for partnership development for The Outreach Foundation of Atlanta. She works with churches around the U.S. to help them discern God’s call to global engagement while connecting them to that work alongside the Global Church in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia, and the Middle East—a particular area of specialty for her. She travels extensively, nurturing relationships with church leaders, assessing ministry initiatives and leading short-term vision teams. Within the past five years, her journeys have taken her to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Oman, Israel/Palestine, Cuba, Pakistan, Russia, Mozambique, Kenya, Rwanda and Malawi.

Dave Tornga ’70 served as the Trump campaign DuPage County, Ill., chair and as the Trump-Pence 2016 DuPage County, Ill., coordinator.

Los Alamos National Laboratory mechanical engineer James TenCate ’79 was recently elected fellow by the Acoustical Society of America. James—who leads the modeling and simulation team in the geophysics group in the earth and environmental sciences division—was honored for his contributions to nonlinear acoustics of earth materials. He holds a doctorate and master’s in mechanical engineering with a specialization in physical acoustics.

Jim ’71 and Tina Bruinsma Bratt ’73 are teaching at Xiamen University in China this academic year. They took their classroom monitors/helpers out for dinner and gave them all a Calvin T-shirt as a token of their appreciation.

Nellie Berg Dykhuis ’75 joined alumnae Marcia Heerema Cochran ’73 and Jean Dykhuis Selles ex’76 on a summer teaching ministry at The Esther School in Zambia, Africa, last June. Jean was one of the original teachers at the school, which began in 2012. Nellie taught literacy classes; Marcia led math activities; and Jean was the pre-K through third-grade science instructor. “An environment of joy pervaded the students,” writes Nellie. “Education seems highly valued.” Students must be sponsored to attend The Esther School, and Nellie encourages alumni to visit for additional information.

Jerrold Schrotenboer ’77 received an Unsung Hero Award from the Michigan Bar Association for giving back to the legal profession through coaching, mentoring, being a resource to others, and hundreds of hours of pro bono work and volunteerism. He has spent countless hours helping and mentoring law students, paralegals, attorneys and others. Jerrold is chief appellate attorney and special assistant attorney general at the Jackson (Mich.) Office of the Prosecuting Attorney.

David Apple ’70 has authored his second book, Neighborology: Practicing Compassion as a Way of Life. He is in his 29th year as mercy minister at Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, Pa. For more on his ministry, see .

1980s

Keith Mannes ’85 and Alicia Jager Mannes ’85 have recently relocated to the Holland, Mich., area. Keith serves as senior pastor at East Saugatuck Christian Reformed Church, and Alicia is a marriage and family therapist with Psychology Associates of Grand Rapids.

Mark Hewitt ’83 is a true crime author. His latest work, Hunted: The Zodiac Murders (Genius Book Publishing, 2016), is an examination of one of the greatest American criminal mysteries. The first volume of the Zodiac Serial Killer trilogy, Hunted examines the killer’s late 1960s spree and its effects on a community.

Mark Jorritsma ’85 was recently appointed president and executive director of Family Policy Alliance of North Dakota. Family Policy Alliance is a Christian organization whose vision is to make our country one where God is honored, families thrive, religious freedom flourishes and all life is cherished.

Bert S. Irwin ’87 has joined the law firm of Plachta, Murphy & Associates (PMA) in Grand Rapids, Mich. After owning and operating his restaurant, The Great Lakes Shipping Company, and practicing law on his own for the past 25 years, Bert decided to join PMA in October when his restaurant lost its lease on the space it had occupied for 45 years. Bert specializes in business and corporate law and uses his experience of owning and operating a large profitable local business to help his clients with their operational and legal concerns. Bert and his wife, Denise, live in Rockford with their two children, where they assist in causes that raise funds for both pancreatic and breast cancer research.

Noralyn Hoitenga Masselink ’81, English professor at SUNY-Cortland, saw the publication of two poetry collections this past fall, both on the topic of domestic violence: Once Upon a Rhyme (or Not?), a chapbook available from The Lives You Touch Publications (2016), and EMerging from DRead, a book-length collection published by Kelsay Books (2016) and available on Amazon. The latter describes the role of Eye Movement De-sensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy in helping victims overcome the effects of trauma and PTSD associated with domestic violence. Noralyn also gives talks on the topic aimed at helping loved ones and professionals involved in supporting those in abusive situations understand the hidden forces that make it so very difficult for victims (in particular, committed Christians) to break free.

Sophia Huyers ’84 has been appointed gender and social inclusion research leader at the Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security Program (CCAFS) of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. CCAFS is an international multidisciplinary research program that unites researchers from around the world in agricultural science, climate science, environmental and social sciences to identify and address the most important interactions, synergies and trade-offs between climate change and agriculture. She writes, “My history degree prepared me for this indirectly, leading to a PhD in Environmental Studies at York University in Toronto and a career in global environment and development.”

Dan Meyer ’89 has been the director of choirs at the Institute of Notre Dame in Baltimore for nine years. This past Christmas his choir was invited to perform at the White House, including a private meeting and performance for former President Obama and Michelle Obama. Dan is also the founder and director of The Dan Meyer Choir, which will tour west Michigan in June 2017, with performances in Grand Rapids and Muskegon.

1990s

Daniel Borst ’97 has been named a partner at Warner Norcross & Judd LLP in Grand Rapids, Mich. His practice focuses on estate planning for individuals, families and those with family-owned businesses.

Jon Swierenga ’90 is the director of safety and health at Thomas Concrete US. Marjorie Streefkerk Swierenga ’91 is director of children’s ministries at East Cobb Presbyterian Church in Marietta, Ga.

Mike MacKay ’99 has been appointed president of the Cross Platform Division of Bloomberg BNA in Arlington, Va., which leverages content and market expertise to deliver a range of marketing and live-event services to the company’s clients. He joined the company from Bloomberg LP, where he held a number of leadership roles in nearly 15 years with the organization. Mike most recently served as chief of staff in the office of Bloomberg’s chief operating officer, where he helped establish strategy and manage day-to-day operations.

Jackie VanderBrug ’90, managing director of U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, is the co-author of Gender Lens Investing, a book that examines, in-depth, the advantages of integrating gender into investment analysis.

Kent De Reus ’93 is the president and principal architect for A. Perry Homes, a luxury home design-build firm, based in the Chicago area and working in the Midwest, D.C. Metro and South Florida.

Michael den Haan ’93 is the vice president of advancement and alumni engagement at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia. Christy den Haan-Veltman ’92 is an eBranch analyst for the Simon Fraser University Libraries. She works with a unique interdisciplinary team to provide top-line user experiences for the electronic patrons of the library

Krista Hoekstra Jackson ’99 has joined the Kotz Sangster Wysocki P.C. Grand Rapids, Mich., office. After graduating from the University of Virginia School of Law, Krista focused her career in Michigan on business litigation and trial work. Her experience includes contract disputes, construction lien cases, landlord-tenant matters, environmental litigation and insurance disputes. Most recently, Krista has been recognized by Michigan Super Lawyers as a Rising Star for 2016.

2000s

Brian Yeazel ’07 is the president and CEO of the family company Frigid Fluid in Northlake, Ill., which provides embalming fl uids, casket-lowering devices, cemetery equipment and funeral service products. He is the fifth generation of family members to head the company, started in 1892.

Three Calvin alumni couples—Nick ‘01 and Beth Meyer Dekker ‘01, Karl ’02 and Jessie Glover Boettcher ’01, and Ryan ’03 and Jacqui De Boer Hoke ‘05—who met while engaged in the Calvin Theatre Company as students, were the initial core of Wild Goose Creative, a community arts collective in Columbus, Ohio. Begun 10 years ago, Wild Goose produces poetry readings, cooking, workshops, exhibitions, festivals, yoga, comedy, crafts, concerts and other artistic ventures. The initiative has grown to the point of hiring the first Wild Goose executive director in 2015. And the Calvin grads have handed over the keys to Wild Goose to a new generation of arts activists. You can view the eclectic off erings of Wild Goose at

Jessica Van Marion Visser ’04 has been named vice president of patient care services at Mount St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston, N.Y. She graduated from Calvin with a nursing degree and has been at Mount Saint Mary’s since 2004, serving as a nursing director, supervisor and unit manager. Jessica lives with her family in St. Catharines, Ontario.

Zachary Meyer ’07 has been named a partner at Varnum in Grand Rapids, Mich. Meyer is a corporate attorney, focusing on corporate governance and structuring, mergers and acquisitions, and regulatory compliance, and advises clients in a variety of industries including health care, manufacturing and emerging technology.

Airin Efferin ’09 is the executive director of the newly founded Bandung Philharmonic. Airin was joined in the eff ort by her former professor Robert Nordling. The idea surfaced after Airin, who was then residing in Indonesia, mentioned in a call to Robert the dearth of performing opportunities for musicians in Bandung, a city comparable in size to Chicago. “The impact this orchestra can have on my city is enormous,” Airin said in an interview. Airin is also a performing member of Trio Cascade, which has performed all over Indonesia. (The photo includes the Bandung Philharmonic founders: Airin, Robert and Michael Hall.)

Emily Wenstrom ’07 has authored her first novel, Mud: Chronicles of the Third Realm War (City Owl Press, 2016). The book was awarded the Florida Writer’s Association’s highest honor for 2016: Book of the Year. It also took top honors in the Published Fantasy category. Mud is inspired by a blend of Judeo-Christian tradition and Greek mythology, and one of its themes address the role of faith in a world without hope.

2010s

An Kurosu ’10 earned her master of arts degree in educational leadership principalship K-12 in December and has been appointed head administrator at West Side Christian School in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Julia Bouwkamp ’15 has been enlisted through the AmeriCorps VISTA Program (Volunteers in Service to America) to serve the Downtown Wayland (Mich.) Main Street/DDA. Julia will research, develop and put into place a comprehensive marketing strategy. She said her focus will be on promoting a better understanding of the resources and services offered by the Downtown Wayland Main Street/ DDA to reach its goal of making downtown Wayland an economically thriving and vibrant community.