LANSING, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Sept. 16, 2024) – A look into the man credited with founding Holland, Michigan has won a State History Award from the Historical Society of Michigan.
Dr. Robert P. Swierenga will receive this honor at the 150th annual meeting and Michigan History Conference, slated for September 26th through the 29th, in the St. Joseph/Benton Harbor vicinity. The retired Hope College professor wrote “AC Van Raalte: Pastor by Vocation, Entrepreneur by Necessity,” which traced Van Raalte’s story from his family in the Netherlands through his death in Holland in 1876, relying on the vast resources of the Van Raalte Institute at Hope.
The HSM considered Swierenga’s work “the definitive biography of this towering figure in Michigan history” in honoring him in the category of Books: Private Printing. He has authored 10 books, edited or co-edited 19 other books, and published 160 articles in scholarly journals, and has been knighted by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands for his efforts in keeping alive Dutch Reformed history and heritage.
Dr. Swierenga will receive his award during the conference banquet at the Silver Beach Center and Carousel in St. Joseph on Friday, September 27th. An online link to more information on the conference and the Historical Society of Michigan is here.
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