Except for brief stints in Columbus, Ohio, Sioux Center, Iowa, and Ann Arbor, John has lived his entire life in and around Grand Rapids. He is the oldest of five children, baby William, third in line, born with a serious illness and dying at age 8 months. His three other siblings have all continued to live in Grand Rapids: Jim, Steve, and Mary. And, as I pen this post (Labor Day, 2018), his mother, Franny, is still trucking along at age 103. Here is a darling snapshot and a studio picture of John both identified as taken at 1 yr. The sailor suit boy with his father is not dated. John will take over from here.



I remember that sailor suit. In fact, it was the closest I ever came to being in the military. And I recall that it was around this time that I jumped off a neighbor's wall and broke my leg. I remember running around on a walking cast---and there still may exist one of my father's old movies of my doing such.

One of my favorite activities with my Dad was goin' fishin'. He and I fished various lakes in the area, often close by at Reeds Lake. Here I'm hold up 2 big pike. The caption on the snapshot says "good catch, 10 yrs. old." My favorite memories as a child with my Dad were going to early produce market and the slaughter house for sides of beef and pork. He owned at various times several times several small groceries stores/butcher shops in the area. My first jobs were working for him stacking shelves, filling egg cartons and potato bags.

At age 14 I graduated from Creston Christian School. By that time I had managed to acquire other jobs, my most enjoyable caddying at Kent Country Club. The pay rate was far better than the 25 cents an hour I earned at the grocery stories. At KCC, I earned a flat rate of $3.50 for carrying a single bag for 18 holes (maybe 3 hours) and $5 for double bags. And sometimes and added tip of a couple of dollars. No health care benefits, but all caddies (and "wives of members") were permitted to play for free on Monday mornings. Those were the days of sex discrimination. I would like to testify that my Monday mornings set the stage to become a great golfer, but alas it would not be true.

After graduating from Grand Rapids Christian High, I went on to Calvin College, living at home that entire time, sometimes working at Uncle Joe's sawmill, ending career there with a nearly amputated finger---actually a deep gash. I've been afraid of power saws ever since. During my junior and seniors years, I directed choirs at John Knox Presbyterian and Millbrook Christian Reformed Church, and I also directed bands at Westside and Baxter Christian schools.


I graduated from Calvin as an instrumental music major with secondary school teaching certificate. Then only weeks later, on June 22, 1962, I married Ruth Ann Hage, my college sweetheart. She graduated from the Calvin nursing program with an RN. We honeymooned in Acadia National Park, camping along the way and enjoying hiking and lobster boiled over a campfire. We returned to live in a apartment over my father's store and left two months later for trailer living near the Ohio State University where I began and completed my Masters degree. Here I am in cap and gown, appropriately standing alongside our $2,000 trailer that I sold to the next Calvin student coming along for graduate work at OSU. From there we moved to Iowa, where I taught for two years at Dordt College and Ruth Ann put her RN to good use. But she didn't like small town life on the wind-swept plains and was beside herself with happiness when I was called for an interview and hired on to teach music at Calvin. She was thrilled to be back with family in her hometown. While teaching I began doctoral work at the University of Michigan, where I graduated in 1974.


Somewhere along the line, as the photo indicates, I turned into a bit of a 1970s rebel with a crazy mustache, long hair and leisure suits.