M. Howard Rienstra Collection, 1949-1987 | Heritage Hall, Hekman Library

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Collection Overview

Title: M. Howard Rienstra Collection, 1949-1987

ID: COLL/203

Primary Creator: M. Howard Rienstra (1931-1986)

Extent: 39.0 Boxes

Arrangement: Folder level description

Abstract

Professor of history at Calvin College; director of the H. Henry Meeter Center for Calvin Studies; city commissioner for Grand Rapids, Michigan; chairman of the Michigan Advisory Committee; and service commissioner. The collection includes lecture notes and outlines; papers on medieval history, the Renaissance, Western Civilization, Russian history and philosophy of history; speeches; addresses; commencement addresses; chapel talks; essays; articles; correspondence; book reviews; student papers; Michigan Consortium of Medieval and Early Modern Studies records, 1976-1977; reprints of articles regarding John Calvin; Calvinism and Racism Conference paper and materials; Grand Rapids City Commission records, 1970-1983; Community Action Program materials; Michigan Advisory Committee on Civil Rights records, 1975-1984; Christian Reformed Race Commission records, 1961-1971; and scrapbooks on the Urban League and city commissioner activities. [See also the Campus Titles Database.]

Biographical Note

M. Howard Rienstra (1931-1986) was born in Warren Point, New Jersey, orphaned at age five and adopted at age ten. Rienstra was educated in the Christian schools of Paterson, New Jersey, Calvin College, and the University of Michigan. His area of specialization was the Italian Renaissance, which drew him on several scholarly ventures to Italy. However, his intellectual travels as reflected in his papers were universal indeed. Thus, his papers contain valuable insights into the activities of Calvin College during his tenure in the history department from 1957 to 1986. A large portion of the collection reveals his intense involvement in civic affairs during his thirteen-year stint as Commissioner in the city of Grand Rapids. Moreover, because of his keen interest in civil rights, the Rienstra papers bring together not only his contributions to the Michigan Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights but also many significant articles and papers on this subject. His own articles and speeches cover topics as varied as the “Christian Philosophy of History” to “Racism in Grand Rapids.” As the first director of the H. H. Meeter Calvinism Research Center (1983-1986), Rienstra brought together his linguistic talent, his love for John Calvin, his historical sensitivity, his administrative ability, and his dream of building a Calvin collection par excellence.

In sum, the Rienstra collection mirrors the sobriquet “A Renaissance Man” often given him on the Calvin College campus. The papers reveal admirably the life and work of a man dedicated to God and the service of man.

M. Howard Rienstra passed away due to cancer. He died on June 16, 1986. His wife, Mary, and their seven children survived him.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Reels in Audio Visual Collection, 1985],
[Series 2: Personal Materials, 1949-1983],
[Series 3: Correspondence and History Teaching Material, 1960-1986],
[Series 4: History Teaching Material, 1957-1983],
[Series 5: History Department, 1954-1986],
[Series 6: History Materials, 1955-1981],
[Series 7: Philosophy of History Academic Affairs, 1963-1984],
[Series 8: Student Papers, 1964-1984],
[Series 9: Card Indexes, Microfilm of G. Della Porta's De Distillations Liber 13, Datebooks, 1970-1986],
[Series 10: Writings, 1953-1986],
[Series 11: Speeches, 1959-1984],
[Series 12: Meeter Center, 1971-1987],
[Series 13: Sabbatical in Italy, 1969],
[Series 14: Correspondence as City Commissioner, 1970-1983],
[Series 15: Grand Rapids City Commission Materials, 1961-1986],
[Series 16: Housing in Grand Rapids, 1963-1968],
[Series 17: Kent Community Action Program (CAP), 1972-1985],
[Series 18: Michigan Advisory Committee on Civil Rights to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 1975],
[Series 19: Michigan Advisory Committee (MHR secretary) on Civil Rights (MHR), 1970-1984],
[Series 20: Michigan Advisory Committee on Civil Rights to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 1977-1984],
[Series 21: CRC Race Commission, 1950-1972],
[Series 22: Miscellaneous Items, 1962-1969],
[Series 23: Selected Books, 1950-1983],
[Series 24: Miscellaneous Material, 1968-1986],
[Series 25: Addenda and Varia, 1975-1987],
[Series 26: Calvinism and Racism International Conference, January 28-30, 1985, 1978-1985],
[All]

Series 8: Student Papers --- 1964-1984

Box 9

Folder 1

Item 1: Ockham's Analysis of the Whole Problem in the Ecclesia - Arvin Vos --- May-64
Item 2: Calvinism and the Crisis in the Cities - Unidentified, Religion 301 --- 4/13/1972
Item 3: Cairo, a Center of Islamic Civilization - W.J. Cummings, --- 1/27/1982
Item 4: Stoicism and its Effect on the Writings of Marcus Aurelius - D.A. Van Winkle --- 3/23/1981
Item 5: The Writings of St. Augustine and their Historical Content - L. Meyer --- 5/19/1981
Item 6: War, the Political Game - G. Fennema --- 5/76/1981

Folder 2

Item 1: An Analysis of Peggie Bracciolini's On Avarice - M. Brouwer --- Jan-81
Item 2: Machiavelli's Republic - V. Dokter --- undated
Item 3: Cicero: The Man and the Politician- M. Ossentaek --- Dec-81
Item 4: Frederick II and his Crusade - R. Lagerwey --- Dec-78
Item 5: On the Relationship of Rashi to later Christian Exegetes - R. Lankheet --- Dec-79

Folder 3

Item 1: The Conversion of Cloris - S. Krosschell --- Nov-76
Item 2: The Greek Way of E. Hamilton - D. Walstrom --- Dec-80
Item 3: Pericles - J. Arkema --- May-83
Item 4: Metamorphoses: A Work of Art - C. Huenink, --- May-83
Item 5: Ancient Egyptian Religion - J. Lootsma --- Dec-82
Item 6: Bellum Civile - S. Harkema --- undated

Folder 4

Item 1: Aggression and Non-resistance in the thought of Erasmus and
Item 2: Machiavelli - S. Deur --- Dec-82
Item 3: Visual Perception and Leonardo da Vinci - K. Kelder --- 5/1982
Item 4: The Reformation - D. Smith --- undated
Item 5: Politics of the Reformation - R. Gritter --- undated
Item 6: Political-Religious Reforms in Germany during the Reformation - L. Holwerda --- Jan-84
Item 7: John Calvin, 1564 - T. Newhof --- Dec-83
Item 8: Cicero, the Man and the Politician - J. Tegner --- Dec-81

Folder 5

Item 1: Constantine the Great - M. Knevelbaard, --- undated
Item 2: Machiavelli and Machiavellism - W. De Boer --- Dec-80
Item 3: St. Ambrose, Foundation Worker for the Church - B.C. Miller --- Dec-84
Item 4: Historical Objectivity? - R. Feenstra, --- May-76
Item 5: Augustine's Confessions: a Literary Biography - R. De Boer --- Dec-84

Folder 6

Item 1: Dante: His Personal Purgatory - M. De Bruine --- undated
Item 2: Martin Bucer, Neglected Reformer - C. Terpstra --- 5/1982
Item 3: The Defeat of Michaelangelo - S. Murphy --- May-82
Item 4: Gregorian Chant and the Roman Liturgy - L. Van Houten --- undated
Item 5: The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Canto 5 - H. Ehlers --- Jan-83
Item 6: The Influence of Scholasticism on French Gothic Sculpture of the 13th Century - B. Roodvoets --- May-67

Folder 7

Item 1: A Study of 20th Century Historiography in 6 Representative Areas of Byzantine History - W.S. Heeringa --- Apr-67
Item 2: John of Salisbury - J. La Grand --- May-65
Item 3: The Home-front and the Struggle against Frank D. McKay - M. Ouwinga --- Apr-65
Item 4: The Royal Society of London: 1665-1775 - H.G. Hekman --- May-64

Folder 8

Item 1: An Analysis of French Military Tactics: 1346-1356 - G. Palmer --- May-76
Item 2: The Battle Over the Ordination of Gordon H. Clark - M.S. Hakkenberg --- May-80
Item 3: Alberti's Della Pitura, a Renaissance Theory of Painting - J. Hoekema --- May-70
Item 4: The CRC, the Sudan United Mission, and Nigeria - V. Bulthuis --- Dec-68

Folder 9

Item 1: Gerald Groote's New Devotion - J. Walinga --- Dec-67
Item 2: The Termination of the Russo-American Treaty of 1832 - G. Rietema --- Nov-68
Item 3: Historical Analysis of KIDS/SVS, Organized Student Volunteerism at Calvin College - H.C. Guetter, November 1982

Folder 10

Item 1: History 307 student class notes: "Medieval History,"by Carol Veldman --- 1966
Item 2: Correspondence re: class notes and MHR by Carol Veldman Rudie --- 2011