De Jonge, James John (1910-2005) | Heritage Hall, Hekman Library

James John De Jonge was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on January 23, 1910. He graduated from Calvin College in 1931 and then received his master’s degrees in both physics and music at the University of Michigan.  De Jonge started his career as a schoolteacher. De Jonge taught at Zeeland Christian, Oakdale Christian School, and East Grand Rapids High School. From 1941-1947 he moved on to become faculty at Iowa State Teacher’s College. He was Associate Professor of Music and Assistant Director of a college-affiliated radio station. He also taught math and physics for the Army Air Corps.

In 1947, he accepted the faculty position of Associate Professor of Music at Calvin. Although he remained at Calvin until his retirement in 1976, De Jonge was very much involved with the community outside the classroom. From 1947-1972 he was Director of the Radio Choir which performed on the “Back to God Hour.” De Jonge also was a frequent speaker, wrote numerous articles, judged high school and college music festivals, and a tenor soloist amongst a great number of other involvements.

On a personal level, De Jonge was husband to Helen Gezon. Together they had two children-a daughter, Elizabeth, and a son, James John. His son had preceded De Jonge in death. The De Jonge family were members of the Brookside Christian Reformed Church and while in Iowa, they were involved with the Waterloo Orthodox Presbyterian Church. De Jonge passed away on April 10, 2005 at the age of 95.