COLL/332 Guide to the Stanley Wiersma Collection Wiersma, Stanley Collection

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Hekman Library 1855 Knollcrest Circle SE Grand Rapids, MI, 49546 URL: http://archives.calvin.edu Email: crcarchives@calvin.edu Phone: 616-526-6913 Fax: 616-526-7689
This finding aid was encoding in EAD by Archon 3.21 from an SQL database source on March 28th, 2024. The collection description/finding aid is written in English
Guide to the Stanley Wiersma Collection 1953/1989 Heritage Hall, Hekman Library Overview of the Collection Stanley Wiersma Collection 1953-1989 COLL/332 Wiersma, Stanley, 1930-1986 3.00 9 Boxes Heritage Hall, Hekman Library
Hekman Library 1855 Knollcrest Circle SE Grand Rapids, MI, URL: http://archives.calvin.edu Email: crcarchives@calvin.edu Phone: 616-526-6913 Fax: 616-526-7689
Professor of English at Calvin College. The collection includes chapel talks; published articles and poems; book reviews; talks; correspondence; unpublished manuscripts and poems; two plays for the Calvin College Thespians entitled The Potting Shed Program and Lost in the Stars; and recorded lectures and readings. [See also the Campus Titles Database.]
Biographical Information:

Stanley Wiersma was born 15 Jul 1930 in the rural town of Middleburg, Iowa. Wiersma attended Calvin College and earned his BA in 1951. After graduation, Wiersma became an instructor at the Western Christian High School in Hull, Iowa. From 1953 to 1954, Wiersma entered the United States Army serving as corporal, Central Command, Tokyo, Japan. Wiersma then entered the University of Wisconsin earning his MS degree in 1956. During this time, Wiersma married Irene Hanenburg on 11 Jul 1955. Together they had two sons.

In 1959, Wiersma accepted an instructor position at Calvin College. Wiersma furthered his own education even more by earning his PhD in English from the University of Wisconsin. Eventually he was promoted to professor of English at Calvin. Beloved by students and faculty alike, Wiersma was awarded the title of "Teacher of the Year" in 1967.

Next to teaching, Wiersma's other passion was poetry. He often wrote poetry with a nostalgic twist about the Dutch experience in America. He was a member of the International Poetry Society. Wiersma was also a member of the Modern Language Association of America and an active church member of the Mayfair and Calvin Christian Reformed churches. Wiersma also found time to write. He authored several books including More Than the Ear Discovers: God in the Plays of Christopher Fry, 1983 and Style and Class, 1982.

Wiersma was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to analyze the works of Patrick White of Australia. During the last few weeks of his sabbatical, while in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, he went in for emergency abdominal surgery. He passed away during surgery on 21 Jun 1986. His burial took place in the Netherlands.

Arrangement of Materials:

Folder level description

Detailed List of Contents id18957 Correspondence, Articles, and General Papers 1953-1989 id18958 1 id18959 1 1 Biographical information and Curriculum Vitae id18960 1 2 Report cards: elementary, Western Christian High School, Calvin College id18961 1 3 Diplomas: Western Christian High School, Calvin College id18962 1 4 University of Wisconsin diplomas id18963 1 4 MS 1956 id18964 1 4 PhD 1961 id18965 1 5 US Army, Japan 1953-1954 id18966 1 6 Wedding, Stanley Wiersma and Irene Hanenburg 11 Jul 1955 id18967 1 7 Family items id18968 1 8 Explanation of pen name "Sietze Buning" id18969 1 9 Memoirs id18970 1 10 Photographs id18971 1 11 Newspaper articles id18972 1 12 Letters home from trip to England 1975 id18973 1 13 Grant applications id18974 1 14 Award certificates id18975 1 15 Correspondence with parents id18976 2 id18977 2 1 Fulbright Scholarship, Australia University of New England 1985 id18978 2 2 Visit to Australia and the Netherlands 1985-1986 id18979 2 3 Death of Stanley Wiersma 21 Jun 1986 id18980 2 4 Memorial Committee booklet materials 1986 id18981 2 5 Tributes to Sietze 1986-1987 id18982 2 6-7 Condolence letters 1986 id18983 2 8 Eulogy by Steve Van der Weele 1 Jul 1986 id18984 2 9 Published articles about Stanley Wiersma id18985 2 10 Memorial booklet, Adjoining Fields, A Gathering of Works and Tributes, gathered by the English Department, Calvin College 1987 id18986 3 id18987 3 1-7 Correspondence 1958-1981 id18988 4 id18989 4 1-2 Correspondence 1982-1985 id18990 4 3 Correspondence, Australia 1985 id18991 4 4 Correspondence, the Netherlands 1985-1986 id18992 4 5 Correspondence of Irene Wiersma id18993 4 6 Series of letters to Dr. Harmon Hook (suffering brain cancer) 1973 id18994 4 7 Series of letters to Calvin Bulthuis (dying of pancreatic cancer) 1971 id18995 4 8 The Banner published articles by Stanley Wiersma id18996 4 9 The Banner Sietze Buning poems id18997 4 10 Correspondence with Frederic Cassidy 1978-1985 id18998 4 11 Correspondence with George G. (Tom) Harper 1978-1985 id18999 5 id19000 5 1 Thesis, "A Linguistic Analysis of Words Referring to Monsters in Beowulf," University of Wisconsin 1961 id19001 5 2 Manuscript, "Catching the Dove in Flight" id19002 5 3 Script, "The Impossible Possibility" (Calvin College Centennial) id19003 6 id19004 6 1 Manuscript, "More Than the Ear Discovers: The Theology of Christopher Fry" id19005 6 2 "Christopher Fry: A Critical Essay" by Stanley Wiersma 1970 id19006 6 3 Resumes and articles regarding the works of Christopher Fry id19007 6 4 Correspondence, Christopher Fry id19008 6 5 Book, More Than the Ear Discovers by Stanley M. Wiersma 1983 id19009 6 6 Pageant text, "A Celebration of Mercy" id19010 6 7 Poem, "Last Visit" id19011 6 8 Speech, Northwestern's Peace Planter: B. D. Dykstra (1872-1955) id19012 7 id19013 7 1 Book, Purpaleanie and Other Permutations by Sietze Buning id19014 7 2 Manuscript, Purpaleanie by Sietze Buning id19015 7 3 Presentation by Dordt of Purpaleanie, program and cassette tape 1980 id19016 7 4 "Purpaleanie," Calvin Alumni Theater Performance 1987 id19017 7 5 Correspondence with Middleburg Press, Carl Vander Meulen id19018 7 6 Book, Style and Class by Sietze Buning 1982 id19019 7 7 Published articles 1950-1959 id19020 7 8-11 Published articles by S. Wiersma 1960-1985 id19021 7 12 Articles undated id19022 7 13 Comments to M. Howard Rienstra on the poetry of Chad Walsh in "For the Time Being" 1981 id19023 8 id19024 8 1 Essays regarding Patrick Whites Voss 1985 id19025 8 2 Essay, The Point of View of Shelley's "Ozymandias" id19026 8 3 Essay, The Sound of Marianne Moore's "Silence" id19027 8 4 Essays on the lyrics of Ben Jonson id19028 8 5 Poems published in Dialogue 1975-1979 id19029 8 6-9 Poems by Sietze Buning 1960-1965, 1970-1986 id19030 8 10 Poems undated id19031 8 11 Poem, "Teachers in General," class assignment (age 15) 1945 id19032 8 12 Play, "Baroque Permutations" by Sietze Buning id19033 8 13 Student term papers with evaluations by Wiersma 1985 id19034 8 14 Letter re: B. J. Haan and Dordt 1980 id19035 8 15 Villanelles id19036 8 16 Sestinas id19037 8 17 Bulletins and programs id19038 8 18 Article, "The Age of Lowth and Ward: A Reassessment" id19039 8 19 Article, "Creativity" id19040 8 20 Article, "The Fact of Death and Experience of Dying" id19041 8 21 Article, "God's Word in the Here and Now" id19042 8 22 Article, "Franklin Park: Learning to See" id19043 8 23 Article, "No Room for a Peace Planter," B. D. Dykstra id19044 8 24 Article, "The Storytelling Family of God," Church Herald 1985 id19045 8 25 Article, "Teaching Literature to Humanize Christians" id19046 8 26 Psalter Hymnal versifications 1987 id19047 8 27 Hymn and prayer Dutch translations id19048 8 28 "Sietze Buning and the Delicate Lament" id19049 8 29 Tape, Interview for Dutch Radio 1984 id19050 9 id19051 9 1 Talks and speeches id19052 9 2 Paper, "The Role of the Chairman in Improving Teaching" id19053 9 3 Manuscript, "A Distinctively Christian Circus" id19054 9 4 Book and play reviews 1964-1980 id19055 9 5 The Frisian Connection by Bernard Fridsma id19056 9 6 "A Quick Guide to CRC Churchmanship" id19057 9 7 Masques in Honor of Calvin College Colleagues id19058 9 8 Seminar Murdoch University, "My Words Echo Thus in Your Mind," T. S. Eliot's Four Quartets 1985 id19059 9 9 "Litany of Praise," dedication program, Center for the Performing Arts 12 Oct 1980 id19060 9 10 Script, Purpaleanie "Shivaree" by Kurt Schemper 2003 id19061 9 11 "Five Reformed Vows" 1984 id19062 9 12 Translation, Listening to Dreams by H. R. Wijngaarden id19063 9 13 Translation, "An Eye on Israel," by Hans Bouma id19064 9 14 Translations by Sietze Buning, Stories of Jan Wolkers id19065 9 15 Translation by Sietze Buning, All is Made New by Hanna Lam id19066 9 16 Translation, "A Tourist Does Golgotha" by Gerrit Achterberg Nov 1972 id19067 9 17 Translation, Gerrit Achterberg, "Ballade of the Gasfitter" 1953 id19068 9 18 Address to Synod of Reformed Church in Australia 1985