George Kamp (1892-1981) | Heritage Hall, Hekman Library

In 1904, George Kamp’s family moved from Almelo, Overijssel to Cleveland, Ohio.  He was then a boy of twelve.  Although he had almost completed his grade school education when he came to the United States, he had to begin again in order to learn the new language.  However, he moved through the grades with rapidity and graduated from grammar school as the valedictorian of his class.

Although the Rev. J.R. Brink urged the family to direct George toward the ministry, family circumstances made the ministry an impossible goal.  George worked for Standard Oil of Ohio for almost thirty years.  For many of those years he was manager of cost and sales.

When George Kamp retired at sixty-three, he was asked to serve the college as a statistician in the business office.  He was always keenly interested in the activities of the denomination and the school of the church.  Next to his knowledge of the Bible, he knew the denominational Yearbook.  He was a translator of many Dutch articles, an arranger of housing for Synodical delegates, an overseer of the flow of reports to the floor of Synods, a friend of ministers and always a willing servant in the church where he served as member.  He served often as elder.

George Kamp passed away at the age of eighty-eight, March 14, 1981. His wife, Anna, passed away in 1988.