William Harry Jellema Collection, 1868-1982 | Heritage Hall, Hekman Library

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Collection Overview

Title: William Harry Jellema Collection, 1868-1982

ID: COLL/135

Primary Creator: William Harry Jellema (1893-1982)

Extent: 63.0 Boxes

Arrangement: Folder level description

Abstract

Philosophy professor at Calvin College and at Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, Michigan. This extensive collection includes lectures; articles; pamphlets; reports; correspondence; a study entitled “The Curriculum in a Liberal Arts College”; an interview detailing memories of the Christian Reformed Church, its ministers, and the Dutch community; gown, cap, and two hoods; family correspondence and genealogy materials; compact discs; and sound recordings. [See also the Campus Titles Database.]

Biographical Note

William Harry Jellema was born in Chicago, Illinois on March 10, 1893. Jellema attended Calvin College and graduated in 1914. He went on to earn his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. In 1920, Jellema returned to Calvin, not as a student, but as a professor of philosophy. Jellema served Calvin until 1936 when he accepted a faculty position at Indiana University. While at Indiana University, Jellema served as head of the university’s philosophy department until 1947. Jellema returned once again to Calvin College to teach philosophy, and did so until his “first” retirement in 1963.

A former student of Jellema, Alvin Plantinga once said, “By far, he was the greatest teacher of philosophy I’ve ever encountered and probably the greatest teacher of anything I’ve ever encountered.” Inspired by Jellema, Plantinga also became a philosophy professor at Calvin.

Although “retired,” Jellema accepted an offer from Grand Valley State Colleges to set up the new state school’s philosophy department. Jellema served GVSC until his official retirement in 1975. At the age of 89, the philosophy professor of fifty-five years, William Harry Jellema, passed away at Butterworth Hospital on May 16, 1982. His wife, Frances, preceded him in death, but five of his children survived him: Dirk, Jon, Gay, Mary, and Trudy.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Biographical Material, 1910-1980],
[Series 2: Preparatory Years, University of Michigan, 1914-1922],
[Series 3: Early Calvin College Period, 1920-1948],
[Series 4: Indiana University Period, 1937-1953],
[Series 5: The Harvard University Semester, 1938-1939],
[Series 6: Late Calvin College Period, 1948-1963],
[Series 7: Hope College, 1944; Fuller Seminary, 1954-1958],
[Series 8: Haverford College Experience, 1960-1962],
[Series 9: Grand Valley State College Period, 1963-1974],
[Series 10: Philosophy Department, Calvin College, 1928-1959],
[Series 11: Philosophy Department, Calvin College, 1928-1959],
[Series 12: Philosophy Department, Indiana University, 1936-1966],
[Series 13: Bibliographies, 1938-1949],
[Series 14: Correspondence, 1920-1975],
[Series 15: Notes re: Various Subjects, 1923-1974],
[Series 16: Papers, 1917-1962],
[Series 17: Published Articles, 1921-1967],
[Series 18: Speaking Engagements, 1920-1965],
[Series 19: Special Reports, 1926-1969],
[Series 20: Calvin Foundation Activities; Junior College Studies, 1949-1959],
[Series 21: Grand Rapids Christian High Board; Christian Labor Association (CLA) Contacts, 1932-1963],
[Series 22: Resource Material: Abstracts and Articles Reprinted],
[Series 23: Resource Material: Educational Bulletins, Curriculum],
[Series 24: Resource Material: Brochures],
[Series 25: Publications],
[Series 26: Publications, Bound Copies],
[Series 27: Books with Notations],
[Series 28: Resource Material, Brochures, Reprints],
[Series 29: Books, Brochures, Reprints: A - E],
[Series 30: Books, Brochures: E - W],
[Series 31: Published Articles; Resource Material],
[Series 32: Grand Valley State College, Philosophy Department Material, 1967-1969],
[Series 33: Grand Valley State College, Philosophy 101, 1963-1977],
[Series 34: Grand Valley State College, Preliminary Drafts of the Blue Book, 1970-1977],
[Series 35: Grand Valley State College Blue Books, 1967-1973],
[Series 36: Grand Valley State College, Lectures on Ethics],
[Series 37: Artifacts],
[Series 38: Family Correspondence and Genealogy, 1868-1982],
[All]

Series 15: Notes re: Various Subjects --- 1923-1974

Box 28

Folder 1: Academic freedom in a confessional church, notes (late Calvin period)
Folder 2: Analysis of propositions, notes for lectures
Folder 3: Ancient philosophy (late Calvin period)
Folder 4: Antimony of Pure Reason, notes on Kant
Folder 5: Antithesis, handwritten notes, undated
Folder 6: Approach to religion through philosophy
Folder 7: Augustine (Indiana University period)
Folder 8: Augustine (late Calvin period)
Folder 9: Augustine and the Christian reason, undated
Folder 10: Augustine and medieval perspectives generally --- Feb-46
Folder 11: Augustine and paganism --- 1959-1960
Folder 12: Berkeley's principles (Indiana University period) --- 1944
Folder 13: Building a Christian philosophy of life, outline (Indiana University period)
Folder 14: Calvinism and its critics, sundry notes (late Calvin period)
Folder 15: Challenge of modern world and Calvinism (Indiana University period)
Folder 16: Challenge and handicaps presented by modern mind (late Calvin period)
Folder 17: Christian academics (late Calvin period)
Folder 18: Christian education: distinctive role, outline
Folder 19: Christian philosophy of education, notes --- 1935
Folder 20: Christian scholarship and modern rationalism (late Calvin period)
Folder 21: Christian social action (late Calvin period)
Folder 22: Christian view: God exists (Indiana University period)
Folder 23: Comments on Van Liere thesis --- 1941
Folder 24: Common grace --- 1941
Folder 25: Conviction and certainty --- 1935
Folder 26: Crisis of our time --- undated
Folder 27: A critique of rationality --- 1944
Folder 28: "Culture and Christianity," thesis (Indiana University period)

Box 29

Folder 1: Dangers of education, outline
Folder 2: Definition of liberal education --- 1944
Folder 3: The difference in being a Christian in relation to other men (late Calvin period)
Folder 4: John Dewey, notes --- 1944-1945
Folder 5: Dooyeweerd: De Wijsbegeer der Wetsidee --- 1935
Folder 6: Education and value (late Calvin period)
Folder 7: Ethical ideal --- 1923
Folder 8: Faith and reason, brief notes and additional material
Folder 9: Faith seeks understanding, Anselm, notes and additional material
Folder 10: Fallacy, undated
Folder 11: Free will and notes on article in ERE
Folder 12: Form and matter in knowledge --- 1950
Folder 13: Fundamentalism and liberalism, extensive notes --- 1956-1957
Folder 14: General foundation of Christian thinking (late Calvin period)
Folder 15: Golden rule (late Calvin period)
Folder 16: Gorgias Plato (early Calvin period)
Folder 17: Hebrews, notes --- 1941
Folder 18: Hegel and tradition, additional notes (late Calvin period)
Folder 19: Hegelianism (Indiana University period)
Folder 20: History of philosophy: what is it?
Folder 21: Hypothese --- undated
Folder 22: Ideal philosophy for a state institution
Folder 23: Idealism in education, culture, education, and we Calvinists
Folder 24: Idea and abstract, handwritten notes --- undated

Box 30

Folder 1: Individualism as a pattern of modernity --- undated
Folder 2: Intuition and reason --- 1933
Folder 3: Is sin real? --- 1948 August 10
Folder 4: Kantian ethics, basic concepts --- 1938-1939
Folder 5: Kuyper, Abraham
Folder 6: Kuyper, Abraham and our heritage (Calvin period)
Folder 7: Liberal education, thesis (Indiana University period)
Folder 8: Meaning of Reformation, outlined (Indiana University period)
Folder 9: Meaning of a University, extensive and intensive definitions
Folder 10: Metaphysics of St. Augustine --- 1927, 1933, 1944
Folder 11: Method of exposition of each philosopher or system
Folder 12: Metaphysical status of the known in Christianity and in modern philosophy, typed and handwritten notes (late Calvin period)
Folder 13: Modern cultural pattern, scientific method
Folder 14: Modern philosophy, an approach
Folder 15: Moral Law, comments and response to P. Berkhout's letter
Folder 16: Moral state and the individual --- 1964
Folder 17: Nature of mind, notes for History of Philosophy, introduction metaphysics, ethics
Folder 18: New horizons in history --- 1953
Folder 19: Notebooks with various jottings (2 notebooks)
Folder 20: Observations on abdication of King Edward of England
Folder 21: Oriental mind --- 1961
Folder 22: Plato, handwritten notes

Box 31

Folder 1: Philosophical fundamentals of Christian education (late Calvin period)
Folder 2: Philosophical life in the Netherlands, typed (late Calvin period)
Folder 3: Problems of ethics (late Calvin period)
Folder 4: Rationality: Calvin and Kant (late Calvin period)
Folder 5: Rationality: meaning --- 1974
Folder 6: Status of knowing in Modern philosophy (late Calvin period)
Folder 7: Socrates (early Calvin period)
Folder 8: Sundry observations
Folder 9: Theistic philosophy (early Calvin period)
Folder 10: Theses, brief statements --- 1950s
Folder 11: Thinking: creative, conceptual, reflective
Folder 12: Thoughts on the meaning of being --- December 1942
Folder 13: Toward a definition of liberal education at Calvin College, Castle Park --- September 1957
Folder 14: Transcendental problems of philosophic thought
Folder 15: University: aim and meaning
Folder 16: Varia obiter --- 1973
Folder 17: The virtue of seeing differences, outline --- 1941
Folder 18: War: justified?
Folder 19: What is characteristically modern in the philosophy of the last five centuries? (Indiana University period)
Folder 20: What is Christian education? Resource material
Folder 21: What is Christian education? Brochure: Our public schools under fire; J. Vanderbroek --- 1948
Folder 22: Why Christian schools? (late Calvin period)