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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 91 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 91

   Honoring the life and service of Dr. William Spoelhof, president 
         emeritus of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 27, 2009

 Mr. Ehlers submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                  the Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
   Honoring the life and service of Dr. William Spoelhof, president 
         emeritus of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Whereas Dr. William Spoelhof was born on December 8, 1909, in Paterson, New 
        Jersey, and passed away on December 3, 2008, at the age of 98;
Whereas in 1931, Dr. Spoelhof graduated from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, 
        Michigan, and began teaching social studies at the middle school level;
Whereas in 1937, Dr. Spoelhof received his Master of Arts degree from Columbia 
        University and began his doctoral studies at the University of Michigan;
Whereas during World War II, Dr. Spoelhof served our country by joining the 
        Office of Strategic Services in 1942 and enlisting in the Navy in 1943;
Whereas following the war, Dr. Spoelhof completed his doctoral work at the 
        University of Michigan, and, in 1946, returned to Calvin College to 
        teach history and political science;
Whereas in 1956, 5 years after becoming president of Calvin College, Dr. 
        Spoelhof oversaw the process of moving Calvin College from its original 
        Franklin Street campus located near downtown Grand Rapids to its current 
        Knollcrest campus in southeast Grand Rapids;
Whereas Dr. Spoelhof carefully balanced Calvin College's vision for excellence 
        in academics with its relationship with the Christian Reformed Church, 
        as he effectively steered the College through church conflicts and the 
        tumultuous, nationwide student protests of the 1960s;
Whereas in 1976, after 25 years of service as an administrator, Dr. Spoelhof 
        became the longest-serving president in Calvin College's history to date 
        and announced his retirement;
Whereas after his formal retirement, Dr. Spoelhof was named president emeritus 
        and maintained an office and steady presence at the College, offering 
        continued support and goodwill whenever needed;
Whereas Dr. Spoelhof was a Christian role model and mentor to many faculty 
        members, staff, and students, as he provided wisdom and counsel to 
        thousands of individuals during his more than 6 decades of service to 
        Calvin College;
Whereas Dr. Spoelhof is fondly remembered for his contributions to daily 
        discussions with retired faculty and students at the ``Emeritorium'' and 
        for his kind words to passersby around the campus;
Whereas on December 3, 2004, Calvin College physics and astronomy professor, 
        Larry Molnar, discovered an asteroid, and named it Asteroid 129099 
        Spoelhof in honor of Dr. Spoelhof;
Whereas Dr. Spoelhof was a respected leader in the Christian Reformed Church 
        denomination, an educator of generations of teachers and ministers 
        through programs at Calvin College, a faithful presence at the 
        denominational Synod meetings, and a loyal member of the Neland Avenue 
        Christian Reformed Church;
Whereas Dr. Spoelhof was awarded the Bronze Star Medal by the Navy for his 
        service in World War II;
Whereas, for his contributions in liaison with the Dutch Resistance Movement, 
        Dr. Spoelhof was honored by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands with the 
        Order of Orange-Nassau with swords and a laurel wreath;
Whereas in 1935, Dr. Spoelhof married Miss Angeline Nydam, and they had three 
        children, Robert Spoelhof, Elsa Scherphorn, and Peter Spoelhof;
Whereas Ange, as Dr. Spoelhof lovingly called his wife, passed away in 1994; and
Whereas Dr. Spoelhof lived a life of gratitude and desired to bring God's glory 
        in all he did, and, on December 3, 2008, the Calvin College community 
        lost a visionary leader and wise friend: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors the life of Dr. 
William Spoelhof and his outstanding devotion and service as a member 
of the military, teacher, and professor, president, and friend of 
Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
                                 <all>
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