Alumni Weekend Reunion Letter
Class of 1984 - 25th Class Reunion
Dear Friends and Classmates:
"For, lo, the winter is past....The flowers appear on the earth and the time for the singing of birds is come."*
This
morning, Holland is blanketed with fresh snow, but the birds will soon
be singing. And when they do, we'll be gathering to celebrate both the
spring AND our 25th year class reunion! We really want you to join us,
so please mark the date:
Friday, May 1st
7:00 pm
The Butler Restaurant
40 Butler Street
Saugatuck, MI
Cost: $12.00
(Yes,
we pulled a few strings and the Butler is opening it's facility early
just for us. Can you remember how GOOD those Butler Burgers taste???
Beverages and a cash bar, too. It'll be a great way to catch up with
each other and kick start (almost) summer!)
But wait, there's more....
Saturday, May 2nd
Reunion Brunch and Class Photo
10:15 am
Haworth Conference Center and the President's Lawn
Cost: $12.00
(Register
at the Haworth Conference Center (10th & College) beween 8:00
(yeah, right!) and 10:00 am. After you register, work up a good
appetite by walking across the street and climbing the risers for our
class photo. Smile pretty because it will be published in News from
Hope College and we want as many classmates in it as possible.
And speaking of photos....
Send us a current photo of you and yours!
Okay,
it's been 25 years and we've seen a lot of the same photos at each of
our reunion slide shows. Let's mix it up this year with some current
photos of our class!
E-mail or send us your photos (Christmas
pics, vacations, at the presidential inauguration or (gulp!) dancing at
your son or daughter's wedding) and we'll mix the new photos in with
the old for a fresh twist on the Saturday brunch slide show. Oh, and
make sure you label them: we don't all look exactly the same as we did
in college!
E-mail: hope.1984.photos@gmail.com
or
mail to: Class of 1984 at Hope College, 141 E. 12th St., Holland, MI 49423.
The check is in the mail!
Our
support of Hope College as a class is more important than ever in these
tough economic times. The financial gifts that we offer help to
support scholarships for students, attract and keep gifted faculty
scholars and maintain Hope's beautiful and safe campus. These were all
important aspects of our experience at Hope, and we can help to make
sure that the next generation can benefit from them, too.
In honor of our 25th reunion, we've set two fundraising goals:
-Reach a 35% participation rate from our class members
-Raise $42,000 from our class alone.
We
know that it sounds like a challenging goal, especially today, but
we've already made great progress! To date, we've achieved a 17%
participation rate and have raised $23,038.50. We remain convinced
that we can meet these goals. Please consider your gift to the Hope
Fund in honor of our 25th reunion!
We're doing our part, but the rest is up to YOU!!!
-Mark your calendar. (Do it right now, or you'll forget. May 1 - 3, 2009).
-Make your hotel reservations quickly. (Seriously. Those of us who actually live in
Holland can only host so many of you!)
-Contact
your friends and encourage them to come, too. (Yes, even the roommate
who snored LOUDLY and the other roommate who purposely
scheduled 8:00 am classes. We want EVERYONE!)
-Check
out the brochure which highlights other not to be missed activities,
like the Alumni Banquet. (Think about the banquet; it's a good place
to mix with folks from
other classes who might just be even OLDER than we are!)
-Send us your current photos and your gift to the Hope Fund. (We're eager to hear
from you and we're checking the mail every day!)
The
snow will melt, and the birds will sing, and it will be time for our
reunion! Our desire is to have as many of you with us as possible, so
please plan to join us.
The Class of 1984 Reunion Committee:
Ronald Bates
Lynette Witherspoon Burgess
Brian Gibbs
Karen Smith Russcher
Carolyn Ridder Hoffman
David Van Dyke
Kurtis Van Koevering
*Song of Solomon 2:12
Class of 1979 - 30th Class Reunion
Dear 1979 Classmate,
We look forward to celebrating our shared memories of Hope and reconnecting with good friends on May 1-3. This is a great opportunity to rekindle friendships and take in the beauty of all of the changes on campus.
Enclosed are some of the plans for our reunion, outlined in the brochure:
- Friday evening light hors d'oeuvres and entertainment at Till Midnight, 6 p.m.
- Brunch at Haworth Inn on Saturday
- Alumni College, a new addition to the reunion program, on Saturday
- Alumni Banquet on Saturday night
- Banquet afterglow gathering in downtown Holland
Make your reservations now for Alumni Weekend and encourage your friends and classmates to join us. Also, remember to honor Hope's rich tradition and bright future by making a gift in honor of this occasion before our reunion or before the end of the college year, June 30.
We encourage you to register online at http://myhope.hope.edu today.
Your Class of 1979 Reunion Committee:
Jannette Vandenberg Aardema aardema@sbcglobal.net
John Abe john.abe@stifel.com
Steve Bouma-Prediger boumapred@hope.edu
John Broadbent John.Broadbent@GE.com
Leah Sunderlin Haugneland haugneland@sbcglobal.net
Sheri VanderWerp McCarthy smac6761@yahoo.com
John Hoekstra hoekstra@macatawa.org
Carl Toren ctoren@sbcglobal.net
Class of 1974 - 35th Class Reunion
Dear Hope College Class of 1974:
Since our last letter to you about the reunion a few more details have been decided and we would like to share these with you. We also want to encourage you to attend the reunion and let us know by responding positively on the enclosed registration form. Please come and get reacquainted with many of your former classmates!
Date: May 1-3, 2009
Place: Hope College!
The festivities begin on Friday night at the Boatwerks Restaurant near Kollen Park. Happy Hour is from 6-7 pm and dinner is served at 7. And, get this! Jim McFarland and Paul Body, along with Jan Koopman, are going to present a program that will be fun and entertaining. We need some help with this. Please send to Jan any pictures you have that will jar the memories. These pictures don’t have to be college pictures. Use your imagination! Jan’s email is jkoopmanwhalen@yahoo.com. Scan them and send them!
On Saturday we will enjoy breakfast together and have a class picture taken. The President will stop by to bring greetings from the college as well. Other activities throughout the day include Alumni College, led by Hope faculty, open houses and tours, the annual Alumni Banquet where the Distinguished Alumni Awards and Young Alumni Award are given, and an afterglow event for those who are not ready to call it a night.
We, the reunion committee, have had a great time preparing together for this weekend. We sincerely hope you can come and participate. More details will be in the enclosed registration packet, including a list of lodging options for those of you who will need it. We look forward to seeing a record number for our reunion! The cheerleaders are ready to cheer and the band is about to play! Remember also that we use this time to make a pledge to the Hope Fund so that many more can benefit from the great education that we enjoy. Our goal for this year is $43,000.
We have a great tradition and many wonderful associations from Hope. We look forward to seeing you in May. May God bless you and Hope College!
Your Reunion Committee:
Deborah Koning Kiekover
Virginia Reed Kruisenga
Jack Klunder
Mary Davis Klunder
Gordon Vander Slice
Jan Koopman
Class of 1964 - 45th Class Reunion
Dear ’64 Classmate:
Our
45th class reunion is quickly approaching! We hope that you can join
us for this exciting weekend, May 1-3, 2009, and that you will be able
to attend all – or at the very least some -- of our class events!
The
committee has been meeting since August, planning for an upbeat event
that is designed to take us back to those wonder years of the ’60s.
The committee has organized three nostalgic and exciting events, in
addition to those offered to all alumni throughout the week.
Our
reunion celebration will begin with a cocktail hour and dinner at
Macatawa Legends on Friday evening at 7PM, where we will make our
journey back to the ’60s by “Celebrating Us at Hope” with some
light-hearted and some serious reminiscences and reflections by your
classmates. In addition, the “illustrious” Gregory Award will be
presented. The cost for this event will be $35.00 per person.
On
Saturday morning, we will begin with a class photo on campus at 9:30 AM
taken in front of the President’s house. This will be followed by a
brunch at 9:45 which will be hosted by Ken Dulow. The brunch will reel
us back to the ’60s era when we will “Rewind to the ’60s” and will even
offer an opportunity for a little voluntary group participation. Jim
Bultman, the President of Hope College, will speak to us briefly.
Following
the brunch, there will also be opportunities to take tours of the newly
renovated Graves Hall and the updated President’s House at an Open
House on Saturday from 1:30-2:30 PM. Other events happening on campus
that afternoon include an opportunity to connect with Hope professors
for lifelong learning at the Alumni College sessions from 12:30-1:30 PM
and various campus tours which will run from 2:30-4:30 PM.
The
third event will be held by Ginger and Jim Jurries who graciously
offered their home on Lake Macatawa for a reception from 3-5 PM. Please
return the enclosed postcard regarding your plans to attend. Following
this reception, classmates will have the opportunity to join others,
from 6-8 PM, at the Alumni Banquet on campus.
Please join us to
help celebrate this important event! Our Reunion Committee has set an
attendance goal of 145 and the contribution of $145,000.00 to celebrate
the 45th reunion of our class. We know, based on our impressive track
record, that we can accomplish those goals!
Sincerely,
Your class of 1964 Reunion Committee
Jackie Schrotenboer Burggraaff
Ann Knudsen Mitchell
Sandra Sissing Church
Diane LaBoueff Murray
Ruggles Church
Audrey Prins Rasmussen
David De Visser
Keith Van Zoeren
Sandra Holmen Harz
Arlene Arends Waldorf
Ginger Huizenga Jurries
For
the Friday evening reunion celebration, the reunion planning committee
is planning a few vignettes about our college years. Please complete
this survey whether you are able to come or not. We hope you’ll answer
as many questions as possible. Please return this questionnaire along
with the other reunion information by April 24, 2009 to the Office of
Alumni Relations.
Name(s):________________________________________________________________
___I/we are planning to attend the reunion in May.
___I/we are not able to come, but would like to receive classmate information.
1. Your Journey That Began at Hope
Please
share some of your most poignant and humorous Hope experiences and
stories such as: best memories, favorite professors, events, humorous
episodes, highlights from extra-curricular activities,
spiritual/social/intellectual experiences, rules you violated, etc…
2. Your Journey from 1964 until Now
Please
share some thoughts or stories that have been influential in your life
since graduating from Hope. For example: the focus of your employment,
accomplishments, skills, volunteer work, service in the military,
hobbies or special interests, awards or recognitions, children and
grandchildren, where you have lived, significant traveling, challenging
life issues, etc…
3. Your Current and Future Journey
Please
share the direction your life is currently headed and where you see it
in the future. For example, how you spend your time, what you still
want to accomplish, your goals, things you would do differently,
reflections about your spiritual journey, etc…
Class of 1959 - 50th Class Reunion
Dear 1959 Classmate:
A
tee shirt philosopher wrote, “Youth knows no age.” Not the stuff of a
Dr. D. Ivan Dykstra lecture, but hopefully you can relate. The 50th
anniversary of our graduation is a milestone to celebrate with youthful
exuberance and pride. Pride in the foundation of learning received at
Hope College and the even greater institution of learning it has
become. Join us for Alumni Weekend in celebration of old friendships
continued for 50 years and reacquaint with those seldom or never seen
since.
Our celebration starts on Friday May 1, 2009 at the
Macatawa Legends, a fairly new country club north of Holland
(directions enclosed). A social hour begins at 6:00pm with a dinner to
follow at 7:00. Please note the enclosed reservation form. Make your
entrée selection and return with a check to cover the $40 per person
cost to the Alumni Office no later than Friday, April 24.
We
have reserved tee times at Macatawa Legends at 1:00pm on Friday for
those interested in a round of golf. Greens fees are paid at the club
house, but we need you to return the enclosed registration from no
later than Wednesday, April 15 to ensure enough tee times. Pairings
will be made for you, but if you want to choose your own partner or
foursome please make a note.
We shall meet in the morning for
brunch at the Haworth Center on Saturday, May 2. A number of our
former professors have been invited to be our guests. Our class photo
will also be taken. In time honored tradition, our class will be
inducted into the Fifty Year Circle in a special ceremony in the
afternoon. There are a number of events scheduled for Saturday that
are open to all reunion attendees including Alumni College, tours and
open houses. We will be the honored guests at the Saturday evening
Alumni Banquet, which is complimentary to members of our class and our
guests.
Our class reunion committee has set a goal to give
$65,000 to the Hope Fund this fiscal year which runs from July 1, 2008
through June 30, 2009. This goal is nearly two times the amount of our
giving last year, but we believe it is attainable. All giving by our
class during this fiscal year will count toward this goal so if you
have already given to the Hope Fund since July 1, 2008 please consider
an additional gift before June 30. The 14 member committee has pledged
to give $14,000, a benchmark for your consideration and challenge. If
you make your gift before May 1 we can announce having reached our goal
at the reunion. 100% participation would be great!
Finally, and
most importantly, we urge you to attend the reunion. The committee has
enjoyed the mini-reunions of each meeting; times of sharing,
remembering, reacquainting and planning. We would love to see you and
enjoy the youth that lives within each of us!
Your 50th Class reunion committee,
Carroll Bennink
Ron Lokhorst
Cal Bosman
Don Paarlberg
Bill Brookstra
Artel Newhouse Scheid
Paulo & Janet Wessels Elzinga
Don Scott
Harold Gazan
John Ten Pas
Sue Huizenga Kanis
Carl & Sandy Dressel Ver Beek
Class of 1954 - 55th Class Reunion
Dear Fellow Classmates of 1954,
"And when we're old our song will still be H-O-P-E".
"The
dear old town of Holland Michigan" is calling us back again to our 55th
reunion. We have physically left HOPE but if you are like me, we
mentally are always Hopeites and "always will be". What an influence
Hope has sustained in our lives through all the years.
How can
we continue to honor Hope College? Come to our 55th class reunion on
May 1-3 (for any or all three days). There will be time for
reconnection with friends, plenty of activities and updates, and a
wonderful alumni banquet to celebrate Hope’s longevity and successes.
The
other way to honor Hope College is to continue to stretch your giving
to the Hope Fund. Hope has meant so much to us through the years. Is
there any better way to help keep Hope alive for us and future
generations?
Here are the plans for the weekend, which are also available in the enclosed brochure:
-A Friday evening buffet dinner for our class at the AlpenRose Restaurant
-A Saturday morning class brunch at the Haworth Center on Hope’s campus
-Alumni College on Saturday afternoon featuring Hope faculty presenting a variety of back-to-the-classroom style workshops
-Tours and open houses
-The Fifty Year Circle ceremony with the class of 1959
-The Alumni Banquet where Distinguished Alumni and Young Alumni Awards will be bestowed
So,
mark your calendars for May1-3. Contact other 1954 classmates and
encourage them to come. Make room reservations early as Alumni Weekend
coincides with Tulip Time in Holland.
Looking forward to seeing you in Holland in May,
Bob and Sue (Zwemer)Visser
Dave Kempker
Dick Kanode
Bill Forth
Mary Lou VanHeest
P.S.
One last request from the Advancement Office: The enclosed supplement
on "Hope at the Crossroads: The War Years" and the corresponding 1940s
Memorial Scholarship, that honors the Hope students who lost their
lives during World War II, is a specific and unique way you could
support student scholarship this year.
Class of 1949 - 60th Class Reunion
May 2nd, 2009
Please join us on Saturday, May 2nd for a day full of fun as we celebrate our 60th Class Reunion.
The Alumni office has many wonderful things planned for us. The day begins with our class brunch at 9:00 am at the Haworth Inn and Conference Center.
Here are few highlights from the day:
9:00 am Class Photo in front of the President’s home
9:15 am Class Brunch with visit from President Bultman – Haworth
12:30 pm Alumni College – Interesting topics presented by Hope Faculty
1:30 pm Presidential Open House
2:30 pm Campus tour
4:30 pm Fifty Year Circle reception and ceremony
6:00 pm Alumni Banquet
8:00 pm Afterglow
We look forward to seeing many of you this spring we truly hope you can join us for this milestone.
Sincerely your 60th Class Reunion Committee:
Connie Hinga Boersma
Mary Vande Wege Boeve
Ted Boeve
Duane Booi
Robert Froelich
David Hoogerhyde
Roger Kempers
Robert Snow
Gerard Van Heest
George Zuidema
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