Collection Overview
Title: John A. Van Bruggen Collection, 1877-1972
ID: COLL/262
Creator: Van Bruggen, John A. (1899-1976)
Extent: 2.75 Cubic Feet. More info below.
Arrangement: Folder level description
Abstract
Professor of education at Calvin College, 1953-1964; director of the National Union of Christian Schools; and editor of the "Christian Educators Journal," 1947-1953. The collection includes: class notes, student papers, Bible study outlines, lectures, speeches, reports, correspondence, articles, pamphlets, clippings, an interview regarding the National Union of Christian Schools and class pictures from Roseland, Timothy, and Oakdale Christian schools.
Biographical Note
Dr. Van Bruggen began his teaching career in his native Chicago in 1921 at the age of twenty-two at the Roseland Christian School. Three years later he became principal. In 1936 he assumed the principalship of Timothy Christian School in Cicero, Illinois. After five years, he moved to Grand Rapids to take over the principalship of Oakdale Christian School, where he remained until 1947. He served as one of the first lay members of the Calvin Board of Trustees. As board member, he filled terms as a member of the Executive Committee and as Vice-President.
Dr. Van Bruggen joined the Department of Education at Calvin College in 1953 and remained there until his retirement in 1969. He served both the Discipline and the Education Policy Committee for several years.
Dr. Van Bruggen passed away December 14, 1976 after a heart attack at Butterworth Hospital where he was being treated for a kidney ailment. At this writing, he is survived by his wife, Johanna, three sons, two brothers, and seven grandchildren.
His services to the community included directorships at the Grand Rapids Teachers Credit Union and the Evangelical Christian Scholarship Committee. He served on one of the planning committees as a delegate of the 1950 White House Conference. He was a delegate in the U.N.E.S.C.O. Conference in 1952. From 1958 to 1962 he served on the Board of the Christian Guidance Bureau in Grand Rapids. Further information concerning Dr. Van Bruggen's activities can be learned from the biography files of Heritage Hall.
Box and Folder Listing
- Series 1: Papers and Reports --- 1877-1972
- Box 1
- Folder 1: Bible study outline for grades 1-4; language course of study for the grades --- undated
- Folder 2: Term papers while a student at the University of Chicago:
- Item 1: "On a System for Marking" --- 1925
- Item 2: "On Tests for Classifying According to Individual Differences" --- 1925
- Item 3: "Reading and Arithmetic Tests for the 7th Grade" --- undated
- Item 4: "On Tests for Classifying Students" --- 1926
- Folder 3: Loose-leaf notebook with class notes for several courses at Chicago --- 1925
- Folder 4: Term paper: "Improving Instruction by Means of Teachers' Meetings" --- 1926
- Folder 5: Class notes on "The Curriculum" --- 1925-1926
- Folder 6: Term papers:
- Item 1: "Making a Salary Schedule" --- 1929
- Item 2: "Teacher-Training Through a Demonstration School" --- 1929
- Item 3: "The Organization of City School Boards" --- 1929
- Folder 7
- Item 1: "A History of Psychology in Chart Form" --- undated
- Item 2: Report on "Lewis B. Terman, a Psychologist" --- 1930
- Folder 8: Class notes and papers for an education class at the University of Chicago --- 1931
- Folder 9: Book report on "Pivotal Problems in Education" --- 1938
- Folder 10: Term paper: "The Relation of Motor Ability to Intelligence, Chronological Age, and Sex" --- 1939
- Folder 11: Class notes: "Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction" --- 1940
- Folder 12: Correspondence re: soliciting funds for a project for his PhD. thesis; data taken for the project --- 1941
- Folder 13: PhD. publication: "Factors Affecting Regularity of Flow of Words during Written Composition," University of Chicago. Emphases in Reading Instruction in the Kindergarten and First Grade Classes of the Christian Schools, J. A. Van Bruggen. --- 1946
- Box 2
- Folder 1: Speech by James A. Pike to Advisory Council of Christian Schools on: "The Protestant Dilemma in Education" --- 1953
- Folder 2-3: Speeches on the general topic of education, occasions unspecified --- undated
- Folder 4: A survey of philosophies of education; articles by various individuals, including H. Schultze, Edwin Palmer, R. Tolsma, Van Zyl, Committee of Women's College of North Carolina, Van Bruggen --- undated
- Folder 5: "The Dilemma of Education", 45-page essay --- undated
- Item 1: a. Instrumentalist's view of education
- Item 2: b. Idealist's view of education
- Item 3: c. Recent views of education
- Item 4: d. Orthodox Christian view
- Item 5: e. Reformed view
- Folder 6: Articles on the philosophy of education --- undated
- Folder 7: Lectures on Sunday school teaching by Van Bruggen --- undated
- Folder 8: Letter of acceptance to Calvin College faculty --- 1953
- Folder 9: Tests for Education (Psychology) 202
- Folder 10: Lectures and tests for Education 204 - Child Development --- undated
- Folder 11: Lectures for Education 315 - Principles of Teaching in Elementary Schools; lecture notes for Education 202 in Educational Psychology --- undated
- Box 3
- Folder 1: Tests for Education 315 --- undated
- Folder 2: Lectures for Education 322- Teaching Reading --- undated
- Folder 3: Lectures for Education 343 - Student Teaching --- undated
- Folder 4: Lectures on Child Psychology --- undated
- Folder 5: Lecture: History of Ancient Philosophy --- undated
- Folder 6: "Survey of Reading Instruction in the Christian Schools," by Van Bruggen and nine college students --- 1963
- Folder 7: Correspondence while editor of the Christian Educators' Journal --- 1961-1963
- Folder 8-9: Parental Christian day school, clippings and reports --- 1903-1972
- Box 4
- Folder 1: Parochial Catholic schools; religion in Lutheran schools, clippings and reports --- 1925-1949
- Folder 2: Bible in public schools - clippings and reports --- 1912-1949
- Folder 3: Bible in public schools and Christian teachers in public schools --- 1913-1953
- Folder 4: Testing: National Education Association Educational Bulletins --- 1938-1945
- Folder 5: Discipline: articles, clippings, educational publications --- 1948-1961
- Folder 6: Sunday School Committee materials, plays, scattered minutes --- 1960-1962
- Folder 7: Class notes on Bible Doctrine, Personal Evangelism, Homiletics --- 1919
- Folder 8: Correspondence --- 1922-1940
- Folder 9: Correspondence --- 1941-1972
- Box 5
- Folder 1
- Item 1: "Why not be a teacher?" published by National Union of Christian Schools; "Why I believe in God" by Cornelius Van Til published by Commission on Christian Education, Orthodox Presbyterian Church;
- Item 2: Dedication booklet of the Third Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan --- 1968
- Item 3: "An Introduction to Christian Teaching," written after his retirement in. --- 1969
- Item 4: Class notes for educational psychology, Education 202
- Item 5: An old geography book dated, used by Tiney Noordewier when she was nine years old --- 1877
- Series 2: Photographs, personal materials --- 1920-49
- Box 6
- Folder 1: Roseland Christian class photographs --- 1926-1936
- Folder 2: Timothy Christian and Oakdale Christian class photographs --- 1938-1949
- Folder 3: Personal folder re: his education RESTRICTED --- 1920-1940
- Access Restriction: RESTRICTED
- Oversized OS16: (located with oversized photographs)
- Item 1: 8th Grade diploma --- 1912