May 10, 2002 == FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Calvin College will hold its annual Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 18
at 3 p.m. in its Fieldhouse.
The 2002 Ceremony will feature approximately 850 Calvin seniors who will take
part in the 82d such conferring of four-year degrees in Calvin's 126-year
history. Calvin awarded its first bachelor's degrees in 1921 to a senior class
of eight men. This year's class, the class of 2002, includes about 480 women and
370 men.
The 2002 Commencement speaker will be Calvin professor Randall Bytwerk. He had
been scheduled to speak in 2001 but graciously gave up his slot when Calvin was
able to secure Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist as the speaker.
Bytwerk will speak about what the future might hold for the class of 2002,
basing his remarks on a survey he did of the Calvin class of 1952.
The Commencement Ceremony also will be marked by the presentation of Calvin's
highest alumni honor -- the Distinguished Alumni Award -- to John and Juliana
Flietstra Steensma and Jack Kuipers. Calvin College has presented its
Distinguished Alumni Awards -- intended to honor those who have made significant
contributions in their field of endeavor -- annually since 1966. The Steensmas,
of Holland, Mich., are being honored for years of tireless service to the cause
of the disabled in both Michigan and abroad, specifically Korea. John Steensma
is a double amputee, having lost both arms in an accident at the age of 17.
Kuipers, a retired mathematics professor at Calvin, is widely acknowledged as
the father of virtual reality, but beyond that his mathematical models have been
used for technological advances in both industry and government.
Commencement officially begins on Friday, May 17 with a worship service of
thanksgiving and celebration of God's faithfulness at 5 p.m. in the Chapel.
That is followed by a Commencement Cookout from 5:30-7 p.m. on the Commons Lawn
(rain location is the Knollcrest and Commons Dining Halls). That evening the
traditional Education Department Teacher Certificate Ceremony takes place at
8:15 in the Fine Arts Center.
Saturday includes a Senior Breakfast in the morning, Commencement rehearsal at
11 a.m., Commencement itself at 3 p.m. and a reception at 4:30 p.m. for
graduates and their families on the Commons Lawn.
For more on Commencement, see www.calvin.edu/commencement
Contact Mike VanDenend at 616-957-6142 for more on alumni awards
-end-
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