The Emeritorium
Minds Still in the Making

"Seeking a Renaissance man? Look no further than a cramped room on the campus of Calvin College, where the coffee costs 10 cents, and the conversation is priceless. The little space is dubbed the "Emeritorium," so named for the preponderance of emeritus professors who gather there most weekdays at 10 a.m. to wax on matters both weighty and whimsical."

— Tom Rademacher, columnist, The Grand Rapids Press
"Profs don't fade away," June 19, 2003

During the summer of 2003, art professor Frank Speyers produced original drawings of ten Calvin emeriti. He has entitled the effort "Minds Still in the Making."

The drawings are now on permanent display in the Emeritorium, a small coffee room located in Hieminga Hall, just off the Hekman Library lobby.

The portraits feature William Spoelhof, Conrad Bult, Steve Vander Weele, Richard Wevers, John Primus, Frank Roberts, Clarence Vos, George Harper, Jack Kuipers and Harry Boonstra. All 10 are former Calvin professors and/or administrators and all 10 continue to gather at Calvin to enlighten and enrich the lives of each other and any others who might stop by their meeting spot. Guests are always welcome.

According to Frank, his project "is simply a response to God's kindness as I found it here at Calvin." He adds: "The 10 are already guilty of great kindness. Their lives are testimonies of God's abundant grace."