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Heritage Hall


Calvin University Collection

Calvin University yearbooks


Heritage Hall serves as the institutional repository for Calvin University. This includes documents about the university’s history, papers and correspondences of university presidents, departmental records, and more. Search the Calvin University collection through our online database of finding aids: https://heritagehall.libraryhost.com/


The reading room at Heritage Hall contains bound copies of every yearbook (Prism), student directory (Bod Book), and issue of the campus newspaper, Chimes

Read on below to learn more about the history of Calvin Theological Seminary and its presidents.

Calvin University 1876

University Chronology

Calvin University and Seminary Timeline


1876   August 4, school opened, located on Spring Street, Grand Rapids, MI 
1892   Move to campus at Madison Ave. and Franklin St. (Fifth Ave.). Grand Rapids, MI 
1894   September 8, literary course begun education preliminary to seminary instruction (comparable to present-day high school curriculum) 
1900   Literary course extended to five years and opened to non pre-seminary students 
1901   September 4, first women students admitted 
1906   John Calvin Junior College opens - 6 year program included 4 years academy training and 2 years of college; first public commencement at LaGrave Ave. Christian Reformed Church 
1907   Student journal/newspaper Chimes begins Alumni Association begins 
1914   Junior College expanded to three year course; Franklin Campus purchased 
1917   Move to Franklin Campus, Grand Rapids, MI 
1919   First college president 
1920   Curriculum expanded to four year college course 
1921   First graduate with bachelor's degrees 
1924   With opening of Grand Rapids Christian High School, last year for preparatory students; first dormitory opened 
1925   Teacher training becomes part of college curriculum, previously there had been several separate teacher training programs
1926   First dean of women, Johanna Timmer 
1928   March 8, Hekman Library dedicated 
1930   October 29, Franklin seminary building dedicated 
1946   Enrollment jumps from 503 to 1245 in one year 
1950   College enters M.I.A.A. 
1956   Knollcrest campus purchase approved by Synod of Christian Reformed Church 
1960   Theological Seminary begins classes on Knollcrest Campus 
1962   First college classes at held Knollcrest 
1973   Move to Knollcrest complete 
1991   Seminary and College have separate boards of trustees 
2019   Calvin College becomes Calvin University

The Presidents of Calvin University

When the Theological School of the Christian Reformed Church opened in 1876, it had one instructor, whose title was Docent and was in charge of the school's day-to-day affairs. As other instructors, also called docents, joined the staff, the title Rector was applied to the person in charge of daily affairs. When the literary curriculum was added in 1894, the head of the Literary section went by the title of Principal, while the head of the Religious section was called the Rector. The office of College President was created in 1918 to replace the office of Principal. The seminary head remained the Rector until 1931, when that title also was changed to Seminary President.  

Geert Egberts Boer
Albertus John Rooks
John J. Hiemenga
Johannes Broene
Rienk B. Kuiper
Ralph Stob
Henry Schultze
William Spoelhof
Anthony J. Diekema
Gaylen J. Byker
Michael K. Le Roy
Weibe Boer
Greg Elzinga

 

The Presidents of Calvin University

G.E. Boer (1832-1904)

Docent, 1876-1902

Biography
Geert Egberts Boer was born in Roderwolde, Drenthe, the Netherlands. A graduate of the Theological School at Kampen, the Netherlands in 1864, he served churches in Sappemeer and Niezijl, and accepted a call from the (First) Grand Rapids (Michigan) Christian Reformed Church in 1873. The denomination's General Assembly (Synod) called him to assume the first full-time instruction of theological students in 1876.

Since the General Assembly (now Synod) had not made provisions for a place of instruction, the Grand Rapids congregation offered the use of the second floor of its school on Williams Street for a nominal $52 annually rent.

On March 15, 1876, with Boer's own books as the library, the Theological School (now Calvin Theological Seminary) opened. The curriculum, modeled after that at the Theological School in Kampen, was six years long, divided evenly between literary and theological courses.

The 1880s saw the denomination grow from 12,200 members to 37,834, and a corresponding need for pastors. About one-half of the 36 ministers new to the denomination during the 1880s were graduates of the new Theological School. In 1884, as enrollment grew, Gerrit K. Hemkes joined the faculty. At the same time, Boer became convinced that in the United States Christian primary instruction was only possible in independent Christian day schools. To provide teachers for such schools, Boer was in the forefront of efforts to open the literary portion of the Theological School's curriculum to non-seminary students. This came in 1894 when Albertus J. Rooks and Klaas Schoolland joined the faculty to teach the literary courses.

In 1902, the 70 year-old Boer retired, at the time the school's enrollment stood at 78. Two years later, in apparent good health, he died from a heart attack. His wife Jetske Holtrop (1839-1926) and six of their eight children, E.H. Boer, Jessie Boer, Roelfina Boer, Gerard A. Boer, William Boer, and Lena Bruinooge, survived.