Broene, Herman H. | Heritage Hall, Hekman Library

(1920- 2014)

Herman H. Broene was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1920. He graduated from Calvin College with a double major in chemistry and mathematics in 1942. He went on to pursue his Ph.D. from Purdue University, which he earned in 1946. After his graduate work, he began to work for Kodak in Rochester, New York as an industrial researcher.

He remained with Kodak for 10 years, until he accepted a faculty position at his alma mater, Calvin College, in the Chemistry department in 1956. For nearly three decades, Broene served the College as professor of chemistry. He also served on several college committees, such as Faculty Seminar Committee, Faculty Committee on Counseling and Guidance, and the Academic Standards Committee. In 1984 Broene retired.

On a personal level, Broene married his college sweetheart, Ruth Warner, in 1944. Together they had three children. Broene was an active member of the Fuller Ave. Christian Reformed Church where he served as an elder. On November 18, 2014 Herman H. Broene passed away, at the age of 94. He was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth, and survived by their three children.