HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – When competitive interscholastic athletics resume at Hope College, Gordon VanderYacht won’t be there.
The long-time physical education and athletics equipment manager will retire on December 15th after 32 years servicing Flying Dutchmen and Flying Dutch competitors, as well as Hope students using the various athletic facilities. He had spent five years at his alma mater, Grand Valley State University, in a similar role before heading across Ottawa County in 1988.
While VanderYacht may not miss the long hours and meeting the various specific requirements and timelines of teams and athletes, “there (are) some great, great young men and women here at Hope College, and I’ll probably miss that the most,” he said during a Thursday appearance in Scott J. Watson’s “Hearing Voices” segment on “WHTC Morning News.”
In a statement, Hope AD Tim Schoonveld said, “Gord has spent 32 years of his life behind the scenes serving in amazing ways where there was little fanfare. We have been blessed to have him at Hope and his service has been an integral part of transforming the lives of thousands of athletes over the years.”
Besides his work at Hope, VanderYacht was a member of the Port Sheldon Township volunteer fire department for 26 years, including a 12-year stint as its chief, before he stepped down in 2014.
Hope College did not many any immediate announcement as to who would succeed VanderYacht.
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