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John A. Van Bruggen Collection, 1877-1972

Collection Overview

Title: John A. Van Bruggen Collection, 1877-1972

ID: COLL/262

Creator: Van Bruggen, John A. (1899-1976)

Extent: 2.75 Cubic Feet. More info below.

Arrangement: Folder level description

Abstract

Professor of education at Calvin College, 1953-1964; director of the National Union of Christian Schools; and editor of the "Christian Educators Journal," 1947-1953. The collection includes: class notes, student papers, Bible study outlines, lectures, speeches, reports, correspondence, articles, pamphlets, clippings, an interview regarding the National Union of Christian Schools and class pictures from Roseland, Timothy, and Oakdale Christian schools.

Biographical Note

Dr. Van Bruggen began his teaching career in his native Chicago in 1921 at the age of twenty-two at the Roseland Christian School.  Three years later he became principal.  In 1936 he assumed the principalship of Timothy Christian School in Cicero, Illinois.  After five years, he moved to Grand Rapids to take over the principalship of Oakdale Christian School, where he remained until 1947.  He served as one of the first lay members of the Calvin Board of Trustees.  As board member, he filled terms as a member of the Executive Committee and as Vice-President.

Dr. Van Bruggen joined the Department of Education at Calvin College in 1953 and remained there until his retirement in 1969.  He served both the Discipline and the Education Policy Committee for several years.

Dr. Van Bruggen passed away December 14, 1976 after a heart attack at Butterworth Hospital where he was being treated for a kidney ailment.  At this writing, he is survived by his wife, Johanna, three sons, two brothers, and seven grandchildren.

His services to the community included directorships at the Grand Rapids Teachers Credit Union and the Evangelical Christian Scholarship Committee.  He served on one of the planning committees as a delegate of the 1950 White House Conference.  He was a delegate in the U.N.E.S.C.O. Conference in 1952.  From 1958 to 1962 he served on the Board of the Christian Guidance Bureau in Grand Rapids.  Further information concerning Dr. Van Bruggen's activities can be learned from the biography files of Heritage Hall.


Box and Folder Listing

Series 1: Papers and Reports --- 1877-1972
Box 1
Folder 1: Bible study outline for grades 1-4; language course of study for the grades --- undated
Folder 2: Term papers while a student at the University of Chicago:
Item 1: "On a System for Marking" --- 1925
Item 2: "On Tests for Classifying According to Individual Differences" --- 1925
Item 3: "Reading and Arithmetic Tests for the 7th Grade" --- undated
Item 4: "On Tests for Classifying Students" --- 1926
Folder 3: Loose-leaf notebook with class notes for several courses at Chicago --- 1925
Folder 4: Term paper: "Improving Instruction by Means of Teachers' Meetings" --- 1926
Folder 5: Class notes on "The Curriculum" --- 1925-1926
Folder 6: Term papers:
Item 1: "Making a Salary Schedule" --- 1929
Item 2: "Teacher-Training Through a Demonstration School" --- 1929
Item 3: "The Organization of City School Boards" --- 1929
Folder 7
Item 1: "A History of Psychology in Chart Form" --- undated
Item 2: Report on "Lewis B. Terman, a Psychologist" --- 1930
Folder 8: Class notes and papers for an education class at the University of Chicago --- 1931
Folder 9: Book report on "Pivotal Problems in Education" --- 1938
Folder 10: Term paper: "The Relation of Motor Ability to Intelligence, Chronological Age, and Sex" --- 1939
Folder 11: Class notes: "Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction" --- 1940
Folder 12: Correspondence re: soliciting funds for a project for his PhD. thesis; data taken for the project --- 1941
Folder 13: PhD. publication: "Factors Affecting Regularity of Flow of Words during Written Composition," University of Chicago.  Emphases in Reading Instruction in the Kindergarten and First Grade Classes of the Christian Schools, J. A. Van Bruggen. --- 1946
Box 2
Folder 1: Speech by James A. Pike to Advisory Council of Christian Schools on: "The Protestant Dilemma in Education" --- 1953
Folder 2-3: Speeches on the general topic of education, occasions unspecified --- undated
Folder 4: A survey of philosophies of education;  articles by various individuals, including H. Schultze, Edwin Palmer, R. Tolsma, Van Zyl, Committee of Women's College of North Carolina, Van Bruggen --- undated
Folder 5: "The Dilemma of Education", 45-page essay --- undated
Item 1: a.  Instrumentalist's view of education
Item 2: b.  Idealist's view of education
Item 3: c.  Recent views of education
Item 4: d.  Orthodox Christian view
Item 5: e.  Reformed view
Folder 6: Articles on the philosophy of education --- undated
Folder 7: Lectures on Sunday school teaching by Van Bruggen --- undated
Folder 8: Letter of acceptance to Calvin College faculty --- 1953
Folder 9: Tests for Education (Psychology) 202
Folder 10: Lectures and tests for Education 204 - Child Development --- undated
Folder 11: Lectures for Education 315 - Principles of Teaching in Elementary Schools; lecture notes for Education 202 in Educational Psychology --- undated
Box 3
Folder 1: Tests for Education 315 --- undated
Folder 2: Lectures for Education 322- Teaching Reading --- undated
Folder 3: Lectures for Education 343 - Student Teaching --- undated
Folder 4: Lectures on Child Psychology --- undated
Folder 5: Lecture: History of Ancient Philosophy --- undated
Folder 6: "Survey of Reading Instruction in the Christian Schools," by Van Bruggen and nine college students --- 1963
Folder 7: Correspondence while editor of the Christian Educators' Journal --- 1961-1963
Folder 8-9: Parental Christian day school, clippings and reports --- 1903-1972
Box 4
Folder 1: Parochial Catholic schools; religion in Lutheran schools, clippings and reports --- 1925-1949
Folder 2: Bible in public schools - clippings and reports --- 1912-1949
Folder 3: Bible in public schools and Christian teachers in public schools --- 1913-1953
Folder 4: Testing: National Education Association Educational Bulletins --- 1938-1945
Folder 5: Discipline: articles, clippings, educational publications --- 1948-1961
Folder 6: Sunday School Committee materials, plays, scattered minutes --- 1960-1962
Folder 7: Class notes on Bible Doctrine, Personal Evangelism, Homiletics --- 1919
Folder 8: Correspondence --- 1922-1940
Folder 9: Correspondence --- 1941-1972
Box 5
Folder 1
Item 1: "Why not be a teacher?" published by National Union of Christian Schools; "Why I believe in God" by Cornelius Van Til published by Commission on Christian Education, Orthodox Presbyterian Church;
Item 2: Dedication booklet of the Third Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan --- 1968
Item 3: "An Introduction to Christian Teaching," written after his retirement in. --- 1969
Item 4: Class notes for educational psychology, Education 202
Item 5: An old geography book dated, used by Tiney Noordewier when she was nine years old --- 1877
Series 2: Photographs, personal materials --- 1920-49
Box 6
Folder 1: Roseland Christian class photographs --- 1926-1936
Folder 2: Timothy Christian and Oakdale Christian class photographs --- 1938-1949
Folder 3: Personal folder re: his education RESTRICTED --- 1920-1940
Access Restriction: RESTRICTED
Oversized OS16: (located with oversized photographs)
Item 1: 8th Grade diploma --- 1912