President Kurt Dykstra Interviews Dr. George DeJong, Trinity’s Last Living Founder
On Wednesday, the Trinity Christian College community had the very special privilege of welcoming to chapel Dr. George DeJong, the College’s last living founder.
The Auditorium of the Ozinga Chapel was filled with members of the Trinity community that were eager to hear President Kurt Dykstra interview DeJong about the development of Trinity since its conception.
Opening with the songs “Great is Thy Faithfulness” and “We Worship God at Trinity,” the entire service was a showcase of God’s faithfulness through the generations—especially his abounding faithfulness to Trinity.
When asked to recollect the first conversations about starting a Christian college, DeJong explained that he was sitting on the front porch one night with his brother Walter and Martin Ozinga II when the idea surfaced. “Marty went for it,” said De Jong, “and this was the time we struck the match.”
This match lit the the torch that has been “carried nobly from generation to generation with God’s blessing.” De Jong stressed that it took the skillsets of a wide variety of people to get the institution on its feet and aid its growth. “Many intelligent, talented people worked and prayed to see this come to life.”
De Jong explained that a meeting was held at Chicago Christian High School to discuss naming the College. About a hundred people were in attendance, and when “Trinity” was suggested, the majority felt that name as not distinctive enough. DeJong recollected that Richard Prince wanted “Christian” to be included as a descriptor; “He wanted the name to be distinctive, to tell the world where we come from.”
The identity of Trinity Christian College was further solidified in the purchase of Navajo Hills Golf Course, which included the clubhouse that Trinity now uses as its Admissions building.
Dykstra asked if there was one moment that stood out in the course of the College’s development, to which DeJong replied, “Obtaining the clubhouse was so significant; it gave us identity, support. It increased community and gathered people together.” This purchase ensured that students would have a distinct place of their own to attend classes, different than a high school or local building.
DeJong fondly remembers the hands-on labor that went into transforming a clubhouse into a college. Members of the community gathered to physically implement the property’s fresh identity. Men repaired and repurposed, while women dug and landscaped.
This time of “figuring things out” presented some issues, but it was good overall. “We had our fair share of local politics, but we didn’t know enough to worry about it,” said DeJong. There was some concern that Trinity would become competition for Calvin College; however, Calvin quickly made this worry subside, affirming Trinity’s cause by providing help and acting as brothers and sisters of the Lord.
Dykstra closed the interview by asking DeJong what he would hope for in the hundredth year of the College. “I would like to see Trinity grow but retain the benefits of a small college,” said DeJong. “Its small size allows the student to grow in character as well as intellectually in a way that a large college can’t. Here, the professors are also role models.”
Quoting Martin Luther’s hymn “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” DeJong said, “If not the right man on our side, our striving would be losing.”
He ended with this charge to the Trinity community: “Let’s remember where we came from, let’s never forget.”
Said Dykstra, “We’ll invite you back for the 100th anniversary.”
After the service, the community gathered together for a time of refreshments and fellowship. Students, faculty, and staff reflected on the service, recognizing what a rare privilege it is to be able to talk with an original founder of a college.
“I think that it was really unique to hear from someone who was there when Trinity was first conceived and to see what it has become,” said Ben Hoekstra ’16.
Seth Hamstra ’17 appreciated the service as a concrete testament to God’s faithfulness, calling it one of the most influential services that he has experienced at Trinity.
Kara VanMarion, Area Director for Tibstra and Alumni Halls, said, “It was powerful to be reminded of who we are and where we came from as an institution; we need to let that shape who we are and who we strive to be.”
The service set the tone for the rest of the week as alumni, faculty, staff and students gathered together to witness the inauguration of President Dykstra and celebrate the larger Trinity community through Fall Fest.