Calvin Alumni Association - Calvin Wire Newsletter

Dr. Spoelhof memorial information

A memorial service for Calvin President Emeritus William Spoelhof was held in the chapel on Monday, December 8, 2008, which would have been his 99th birthday. That service was carried live, by both video and audio, and is available on the memorial Web site. There you can also leave a tribute, read biography information and learn more about the William Spoelhof Sociey.

The Calvin Knights

Did you know that Calvin has revamped the Knight logo to energize the school’s sports brand and better capture the hearts of its students? "A Knight's Tale," in the Winter 2008 Spark (alumni) magazine, tells the history of the logo and how the new one was created. And, in a special for online customers only, there is a 15% discount off new Knight logo items located in the Knight Merchandise Department of the Campus Store, just in time for Christmas.

When you visit the online Campus Store, you can purchase the book, "Forever Faithful," which contains remembrances by friends and colleagues of Dr. William Spoelhof (December 8, 1909 - December 3, 2008), president of Calvin College from 1951-1976.

Books available by professors and alumni

Besides, "Forever Faithful," there are several new books by Calvin professors and alumni for sale at the Campus Store. To see those titles, read the Bookshelf from the online Spark magazine.

Handel's "Messiah"

One of the country's longest-running performances of Handel's Messiah can be heard around the country later this month. The Calvin Oratorio Society presented Handel's "Messiah" on December 5 and 6, under the baton of Calvin music professor Joel Navarro and featuring four outstanding soloists: Maria Jette, soprano; Kristin Brouwer, mezzo-soprano; Bryon Grohman, tenor; Keith Brautigam, bass. The radio broadcast schedule is available on the Oratorio's website. The Oratorio Society will be performing Bach's "Cantata 67: Hold in Remembrance, Jesus Christ," Handel's "Dixit Dominus," and Faure's "Requiem" this spring.

Students craft their Christmas

Students took some time over the weekend to enjoy Handcraft Christmas sponsored by the student activities office. In order to make their own Christmas gifts, and with the help of fellow students, faculty and staff members that taught these crafts, students were able to learn about soap-making, knitting, sewing and card-making, among other offerings.

Greener campus days ahead

As the campus currently enjoys a white winter blanket, thoughts are of greener days ahead and the native plant restoration starting on campus. Parts of campus, with the help of seniors Brian Schaap and Linda Van Andel, are literally going wild. They partnered with professor of biology Dave Warners to transform three managed lawn areas into more sustainable forest areas.

This is the first in a series of stories about the greening of campus.