COLL/070 Guide to the Henry De Wit Collection De Wit, Henry Collection

© Copyright 2024 Heritage Hall, Hekman Library. All rights reserved.

Hekman Library 1855 Knollcrest Circle SE Grand Rapids, MI, 49546 URL: http://archives.calvin.edu Email: crcarchives@calvin.edu Phone: 616-526-6913 Fax: 616-526-7689
This finding aid was encoding in EAD by Archon 3.21 from an SQL database source on March 28th, 2024. The collection description/finding aid is written in English
Guide to the Henry De Wit Collection 1956/1986 Heritage Hall, Hekman Library Overview of the Collection Henry De Wit Collection 1956-1986 COLL/070 De Wit, Henry, 1922-1992 22.00 10.75 cubic ft. Heritage Hall, Hekman Library
Hekman Library 1855 Knollcrest Circle SE Grand Rapids, MI, URL: http://archives.calvin.edu Email: crcarchives@calvin.edu Phone: 616-526-6913 Fax: 616-526-7689
Vice President for Administration and Finance and professor of economics at Calvin College. The collection includes extensive files regarding the planning and building of Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary at the Knollcrest Campus, i.e., construction contracts, schedules, projected costs, plans, studies, reports, notes, memos, and the correspondence pertinent to the following buildings: auditorium, library, commons, physical education building, natatorium, science building, seminary residence halls, and dining facilities; a 1960 paper entitled "Campus Planning: A Case Study," prepared for the Conference on the Planning and Utilization of Instructional Facilities; a three-volume collection entitled "A Sampling of Memos to the Calvin Staff from Henry De Wit"; several poems detailing special occasions at Calvin College; travel comments; and random remembrances. [See also C1.2.26 Long Range Planning; C4 Administration and Finance; and Campus Titles Database.]
Biographical Information:

Henry De Wit was born in Rock Valley, Iowa on November 17, 1922. De Wit enrolled at Calvin College in 1941, only for World War II to take him out academia for three years. After his service as a Technical Sergeant in the Army Finance Department, he returned to Calvin earning his bachelor’s degree in 1948. The next year, he received his MBA degree in Business Administration from the University of Michigan. During this time, he also married Clarice Dekker. Together they had 3 children. After graduation, De Wit worked as a staff accountant with Lawrence Scudder and Company for five years.

In 1953, De Wit accepted a faculty position at Calvin College, becoming a professor of economics. Only two years later, the college extended another job offer to De Wit. Reluctant at first, De Wit eventually accepted positions of Business Manager and Vice President for Business and Finance for Calvin, a career path he took until his retirement in 1987. In the meantime, De Wit was instrumental in the transition of the college’s campus from Franklin Street campus to the Knollcrest location. He was a key player in the negotiation in the purchase of Knollcrest Farm. De Wit was also the direct contact with Calvin College’s campus architect William Fyfe.

De Wit’s wife, Clarice, pasted away in 1970. De Wit met his second wife, Eunice Zuiderveen, while she was a host of the Manor House at Knollcrest. This very manor that would eventually bear his name. De Wit received the prestigious Outstanding Service Award from the Calvin College Alumni Association in 1990. Henry De Wit passed away on July 21, 1992.

Access Terms

This Collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.

Corporate Name: Calvin College -- Administration Calvin College -- Buildings Calvin College -- Employees Calvin College -- Planning Calvin Theological Seminary -- Administration Calvin Theological Seminary -- Buildings Calvin Theological Seminary -- Employees Calvin Theological Seminary -- Planning
Arrangement of Materials:

Folder level description

Detailed List of Contents id12345 Long-Range Planning 1957-1974 id12346 1 id12347 1 1 Calvin College master plans 1957-1959 id12348 1 2 Blueprint of Calvin's future 1960 id12349 1 3 Long-Range Planning Committee 1957-1968 id12350 1 4 Long-Range Planning Committee 1969-1974 id12351 1 5 Inter-office memorandum conference 1957-1962 id12352 1 6 Conference memorandum 1957-1963 id12353 1 7 Long-Range Planning material 1960-1964 id12354 1 8 Conference memorandum, master plan changes 1966-1967 id12355 1 9 Long-Range Planning material 1964-1966 id12356 1 10 Long-Range Planning, college bookstore 1965 id12357 Construction Contracts 1956-1974 id12358 2 id12359 2 1 Soil testing results 1956-1957 id12360 2 2 Conference memorandum 1968-1973 id12361 2 3 Electric work 1974 id12362 2 4 Student apartment housing 1968 id12363 2 5 Projected costs of buildings 1964-1965 id12364 2 6 Cost estimates 1960,1961,1964 id12365 2 7 Filing memorandum, forms 1963 id12366 2 8 US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, documents 1971 id12367 2 9 Heating and electrical systems 1960-1964 id12368 2 10 Owner-architect contracts, instructions 1966 id12369 2 11 Percentage completion report 1963 id12370 2 12 Perkins and Will billings 1964-1966 id12371 2 13 Perkins and Will review 1964-1965 id12372 Correspondence 1956-1974 id12373 3 id12374 3 1 Correspondence, master plan 1958-1964 id12375 3 2 Correspondence, landscaping plans 1958-1964 id12376 3 3 Correspondence, master plan evaluations 1959-1962 id12377 3 4 Correspondence, commons building and residence halls, long range 1964 id12378 3 5 Correspondence, varia 1965 id12379 3 6 Correspondence, developments on Knollcrest Campus 1966 id12380 3 7 Correspondence, plant list 1966 id12381 3 8 Correspondence, property line change 1967 id12382 3 9 Correspondence with J. C. Miller 1956-1958 id12383 3 10 Correspondence with Gerald Ford 1959-1972 id12384 4 id12385 4 1 Correspondence, long-range planning 1966-1973 id12386 4 2 Correspondence, long-range planning 1968 id12387 4 3 Correspondence, objectives 1969 id12388 4 4 Correspondence, design development 1969-1974 id12389 4 5 Correspondence 1969-1974 id12390 4 6 College Center Bulletins 1972-1974 id12391 4 7 College Center certificate of payment 1972-1974 id12392 College Center Material 1965-1975 id12394 5 id12395 5 1 College Center color schedule 1972-1973 id12396 5 2 College Center correspondence 1966 id12397 5 3 College Center correspondence 1966-1969 id12398 5 4-5 College Center correspondence 1969 id12399 5 6 College Center correspondence 1970 id12400 5 7 College Center correspondence 1971-1972 id12401 6 id12402 6 1 College Center correspondence 1970-1971 id12403 6 2 College Center construction documents 1970-1971 id12404 6 3 College Center correspondence 1971 id12405 6 4 College Center correspondence 1972-1974 id12406 6 5 College Center, Gezon Auditorium 1975 id12407 6 6 College Center grounds 1973 id12408 6 7 College Center progress meetings 1972-1973 id12409 6 8 Calvin College Auditorium correspondence 1966 id12410 6 9 Calvin College Auditorium, Music and Speech Building 1965 id12411 6 10 Calvin Auditorium 1965-1966 id12412 Auditorium and Library Buildings 1958-1970 id12413 7 id12414 7 1 Calvin Auditorium, Music and Speech Building 1965-1966 id12415 7 2 Fine Arts Center (FAC) color schedule 1965-1966 id12416 7 3 Auditorium correspondence 1964-1965 id12417 7 4 Program for Auditorium, Music and Speech Building, H. Geerdes Committee 1963 id12418 7 5 Calvin Auditorium music classroom, correspondence 1965 id12419 7 6 Library addition, contract order, certificate for payment 1969-1970 id12420 7 7 Library furnishings 1962 id12421 7 8 Library color schedule 1962 id12422 7 9 Library construction papers 1961 id12423 7 10 Library correspondence 1958-1961 id12424 7 11 Library correspondence 1960-1961 id12425 Library and Commons 1960-1967 id12426 8 id12427 8 1 Library Classroom Building correspondence 1961-1962 id12428 8 2 Library interoffice memos 1961-1962 id12429 8 3 Library correspondence, color charts 1962 id12430 8 4 Library building correspondence, Van Raalte window frame 1961-1962 id12431 8 5 Library color and furnishings id12432 8 6 Library sketches and design 1960 id12433 8 7 Library sketches 1960 id12434 8 8 Library statutes and ordinances 1963 id12435 8 9 Commons, program for Commons building 1965 id12436 8 10 Commons boiler plant 1967 id12437 8 11 Commons, food service, certificates of payment 1967 id12438 8 12 Commons color schedule 1967 id12439 8 13 Commons correspondence 1964-1966 id12440 Commons and Library Addition 1964-1974 id12441 9 id12442 9 1 Commons correspondence, conference on Commons building 1964-1966 id12443 9 2 Commons correspondence 1965-1974 id12444 9 3 Knollcrest Campus and faculty offices 1971-1973 id12445 9 4 Contract change orders, certificates for payment 1969-1970 id12446 9 5 Library addition correspondence 1966-1967 id12447 9 6 Library addition correspondence 1966-1968 id12448 Library Addition, Auditorium, and Commons 1965-1971 id12449 10 id12450 10 1 Library addition correspondence 1968 id12451 10 2 Library addition correspondence 1969-1971 id12452 10 3 Library addition contract change orders, certificate for payment 1968-1970 id12453 10 4 Library addition correspondence 1968-1970 id12454 10 5 Auditorium solicitation program 1965 id12455 10 6 Auditorium, Music and Speech Building correspondence 1964 id12456 10 7 Auditorium progress report 1965-1966 id12457 10 8 Commons correspondence 1966-1968 id12458 10 9 Commons correspondence 1967 id12459 Physical Education Building 1960-1975 id12460 11 id12461 11 1 PE Building preconstruction 1962-1963 id12462 11 2 PE Building train shed, tennis courts 1958-1961 id12463 11 3 PE Building utilities 1960-1961 id12464 11 4 PE Building athletic facilities, site development 1959 id12465 11 5 PE Building payment requests 1964 id12466 11 6 PE Building miscellaneous reports 1964 id12467 11 7 PE Building mechanical construction 1964 id12468 11 8 PE Building landscape area 1961-1966 id12469 11 9 PE Building bleachers, certificate for payment 1965 id12470 11 10 PE Building general construction 1964-1965 id12471 11 11 PE Building electrical construction 1964-1965 id12472 11 12 PE Building Natatorium color schedule 1973 id12473 11 13 PE Building color schedule 1964 id12474 11 14 PE Building Natatorium contractors, correspondence 1973 id12475 11 15 PE Building Natatorium general construction, correspondence 1974 id12476 11 16 PE Building Natatorium, client correspondence 1972-1974 id12477 11 17 PE Building Natatorium, certificates of payment, Pioneer Construction Co. 1973-1975 id12478 Calvin College Drives, Natatorium 1963-1975 id12479 12 id12480 12 1 General correspondence on college plans 1964-1971 id12481 12 2 Campus drives and parking 1963-1969 id12482 12 3 Campus drives correspondence 1970-1972 id12483 12 4 Parking lot documents, map, bidding information 1969 id12484 12 5 Natatorium estimated costs 1972 id12485 12 6 Natatorium contracts 1973 id12486 12 7 Natatorium agencies, Fire Marshal, Public Health 1972-1973 id12487 12 8 Natatorium interoffice correspondence 1972-1974 id12488 12 9 Natatorium miscellaneous correspondence 1972 id12489 12 10 Natatorium federal assistance applications 1972 id12490 12 11 Natatorium project budget, scheduling 1972 id12491 12 12 Natatorium studies and reports 1972 id12492 12 13 Natatorium conference notes, memos 1972 id12493 12 14 Natatorium agreements 1972 id12494 12 15 Natatorium advertisement and plan issue 1973 id12495 12 16 Natatorium associate architects 1972-1975 id12496 Auditorium and Commons 1963-1969 id12497 13 id12498 13 1 Auditorium preconstruction memorandum id12499 13 2 Auditorium sketches 1963 id12500 13 3 Auditorium, FAC, miscellaneous 1964-1965 id12501 13 4 Auditorium construction memorandum 1965-1966 id12502 13 5 Commons certificates for payment 1966-1969 id12503 13 6 Commons, results of student questionnaire 1965 id12504 13 7 Commons heating unit 1967 id12505 13 8 Commons bulletins, certificates for payment 1966-1967 id12506 East Beltline, Drives and Parking 1959-1974 id12507 14 id12508 14 1 East Beltline study 1968 id12509 14 2 East Beltline correspondence 1969 id12510 14 3 East Beltline correspondence 1968-1969 id12511 14 4 East Beltline correspondence 1968-1969 id12512 14 5 Drives and parking 1959-1965 id12513 14 6 Drives and parking 1966-1969 id12514 14 7 Drives and parking 1970-1974 id12515 Science Building Material 1965-1969 id12516 15 id12517 15 1 Science Building contract orders, certificates of payment 1967-1969 id12518 15 2 Science Building certificates of payment 1967-1968 id12519 15 3 Science Building certificates of payment 1967-1968 id12520 15 4 Science Building color schedule 1967-1968 id12521 15 5 Science Building correspondence 1965-1966 id12522 15 6 Science Building preconstruction correspondence 1966-1967 id12523 15 7 Science Building correspondence 1967 id12524 15 8 Science Building correspondence 1967-1969 id12525 Science and Seminary Buildings 1956-1972 id12526 16 id12527 16 1 Science Building miscellaneous matters 1965-1968 id12528 16 2 Science Building correspondence 1968-1970 id12529 16 3 Science Building observatory 1970-1971 id12530 16 4 Science Building planning 1965 id12531 16 5 Science Building addition 1972 id12532 16 6 Seminary Building budget costs 1960-1961 id12533 16 7 Seminary Building conference memos id12534 16 8 Seminary Building preconstruction correspondence 1956-1958 id12535 16 9 Seminary Building preconstruction 1958-1959 id12536 16 10 Seminary Building construction correspondence 1959-1960 id12537 16 11 Seminary Building correspondence 1958-1959 id12538 16 12 Seminary Building correspondence 1958-1961 id12539 16 13 Seminary Building correspondence 1959-1961 id12540 16 14 Athletic facilities bids 1959-1960 id12541 Seminary Building 1959-1975 id12542 17 id12543 17 1 Seminary site plans, sketches 1959-1960 id12544 17 2 Seminary furnishings 1960-1961 id12545 17 3 Seminary color schedule, correspondence 1960 id12546 17 4 Seminary electrical fixtures 1960 id12547 17 5 Seminary instructions to bidders 1960 id12548 17 6 Seminary miscellaneous correspondence 1961, 1967 id12549 17 7 Seminary prints 1959 id12550 17 8 Seminary stained glass 1960 id12551 17 9 Seminary landscaping 1960 id12552 17 10 Seminary expansion 1963-1973 id12553 17 11 Seminary addition 1975 id12554 17 12 Seminary addition correspondence 1975 id12555 17 13 Seminary alterations and additions correspondence 1974-1975 id12556 17 14 Seminary furnishings id12557 Residences 1959-1967 id12558 18 id12559 18 1 Sketches and buildings, Perkins and Will 1960 id12560 18 2 Residences sketches 1960 id12561 18 3 Certificates of payment 1965-1967 id12562 18 4 Residences, sketches and photos 1961, 1967 id12563 18 5 Residences, correspondence 1959-1961 id12564 18 6 Residences 1961-1964 id12565 18 7 Residences, correspondence 1961 id12566 18 8 Residences, dining halls 1962 id12567 18 9 Residences, progress reports 1961-1962 id12568 18 10 Residence halls, furnishings 1962 id12569 18 11 Residences project report 1964 id12570 18 12 Residences, equipment, furnishings, correspondence 1960-1961 id12571 Residences and Dining Facilities 1957-1973 id12572 19 id12573 19 1 Dining halls, programming food service 1960 id12574 19 2 Dining halls specifications 1961 id12575 19 3 Residences, dining facilities 1964-1966 id12576 19 4 Residences building contracts 1957-1962 id12577 19 5 Residences, sketches 1960 id12578 19 6 Residences, correspondence 1960 id12579 19 7 Residences, correspondence 1959-1961 id12580 19 8 Residences, sketches 1961-1962 id12581 19 9 Dining hall addition 1964 id12582 19 10 Residence Hall No. 6 color schedule 1968 id12583 19 11 Dining hall color schedule 1962 id12584 19 12 Residence Hall No. 6 and dining hall electricity 1967-1968 id12585 19 13 Residence Hall No. 6 and dining room addition 1968 id12586 19 14 Residence Hall No. 6, dining hall correspondence 1967 id12587 19 15 Residence Hall No. 6, dining hall plumbing and heating 1968 id12588 19 16 Noordewier Hall addition 1973 id12589 Residence Halls Nos. 1-6 1962-1970 id12590 20 id12591 20 1 Residence Halls Nos. 1 and 2, color schedule 1962 id12592 20 2 Residence Halls Nos. 3 and 4, planning 1964-1966 id12593 20 3 Residence Halls Nos. 3 and 4, correspondence 1964-1966 id12594 20 4 Residence Hall No. 5, correspondence 1967-1970 id12595 20 5 Residence Hall No. 5, certificates for payment and contract change orders 1970 id12596 20 6 Residence Hall No. 5, correspondence 1968 id12597 20 7 Residence Hall No. 5, correspondence 1969 id12598 20 8 Residence Hall No. 5, correspondence 1970 id12599 20 9 Residence Halls Nos. 5 and 6, correspondence 1967 id12600 20 10 Residence Halls, correspondence and reports id12601 Residence Housing 1959-1977 id12602 21 id12603 21 1 Residence Halls Nos. 5 and 6, correspondence 1968 id12604 21 2 Residence Halls No. 5 and 6, correspondence 1967-1968 id12605 21 3 Residence halls 1959-1962 id12606 21 4 Residence halls, Calvin housing correspondence 1960-1975 id12607 21 5 Calvin housing, Knollcrest East, addition plans 1975-1977 id12608 21 6 Calvin housing, Knollcrest East plans 1977 id12609 21 7 Statement and principles of administration at Calvin College 1966 id12610 Miscellaneous 1959-1990 id12611 22 id12612 22 1 Henry De Wit, vita id12613 22 2 Henry De Wit, "Verses," coffee breaks, travel notes id12614 22 3 Henry De Wit paper, "The Planning and Utilization of Instructional Facilities," conference proceedings 1960 id12615 22 4 Henry De Wit memos to the Calvin staff, sampling (2 copies) 1959-1986 id12616 22 5 Specifications for J. C. Miller Residence - Jackson House on Burton (moved in 1999) 1952 id12617 22 6 Correspondence re: Holland Home 1973 id12618 22 7 "Remembering - Ten Yers (1957-1966) of 'Ford' Bonus Payments" 1990