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Bruins, Elton J. (1927-2020). Papers, 1820s-[ongoing].

 Collection
Identifier: H88-0019

Scope and Contents

Elton Bruins has played a major role in numerous ventures related to Hope College, the Holland community, and the RCA. Bruins has preserved lecture notes and syllabi from his days as a student at Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, to his further relationships with Princeton Theological Seminary, Union Theological Seminary, New York University, and New Brunswick Theological Seminary (Boxes 1, 2). Information from his pastoral ministry at Elmsford and Flushing, chiefly his sermons, are here as well (Boxes 2, 3, 4). Chief among his committee works include those involved with the Van Wylen Library (Boxes 7, 8) and South Africa (Boxes 9, 10, 11). Bruins was also active in the Association for the Advancement of Dutch-American Studies (Box 8). Freemasonry and it divisive influence on the Classis of Holland in the 19th century put Bruins resources to work in drafting a paper (Box 12). Finally, scores of theological, religious, and cultural topics are arranged alphabetically (Boxes 13, 14, 15).

Dates

  • Creation: 1820s-[ongoing]

Biography

Elton J. Bruins was born near Fairwater, Wisconsin, in 1927 to Clarence and Angeline Bruins. He attended Hope College in Holland, Michigan, from 1946 to 1950, where he received his B.A. degree, graduating Magna Cum Laude with Faculty Honors. Bruins stayed in Holland and studied at Western Theological Seminary until 1953, when he was awarded the Bachelor of Divinity degree and the Pietenpol Award for Excellence. He was licensed to preach by the Classis of Wisconsin, RCA, in 1953 and was ordained by this same classis in 1954.

Bruins moved to the east coast in 1953 and remained there until 1966. From 1953 to 1954, he served as assistant to the minister at the Reformed Church in Hastings-on-the-Hudson, New York, and attended Union Theological Seminary in New York City. It was from this institution in 1957 that he received the S.T.M. (Masters of Sacred Theology) degree in the field of church history. Bruins studied church history at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1954-1955. He then became the minister of the Reformed Church in Elmsford, New York, staying at this church from 1955 to 1961. During his time at Elmsford Reformed Church, he returned to school part-time. He received the Ph.D. degree in the history of education from New York University in 1962, after completing his Ph.D. thesis “The New Brunswick Theological Seminary, 1884-1959.” After leaving Elmsford, he became the minister of the Reformed Church in Flushing, New York, serving there from 1961 to 1966.

After serving two pastorates in the RCA, Bruins was hired as a professor of religion at Hope College in 1966. He was promoted to full professor in 1973, and served as the chairman of the religion department from 1977 to 1984. In 1981, he was appointed the Evert J. and Hattie E. Blekkink Professor of Religion, a post he held until his retirement from the faculty in 1992. From 1984 to 1989, he was the Dean for the Arts and Humanities at Hope College and was Acting Provost during the fall semester of 1989. Bruins was granted the title of Blekkink Professor of Religion Emeritus in 1992. In 1994, he became the first director of the A. C. Van Raalte Institute, a position he held until 2002, when he became the Philip Phelps Jr. Research Fellow at the Van Raalte Institute. In 2009, he became the Philip Phelps Jr. Research Fellow Emeritus.

During his years at Hope College, Elton Bruins served on many special committees, including the Archives Council, the Joint Archives Council, the Netherlands-America Cultural and Academic Relations Committee, the Library Committee, the Van Wylen Library Planning Committee, the South Africa Task Force, and the Committee for the Restoration of Graves Hall and Winants Auditorium. He also served as Faculty Member Representative on the Hope College Board of Trustees. He has been president and an active member of the Western Theological Seminary Alumni Association. His leadership was key to greatly enhancing the archival programs of Hope College, Western Theological Seminary and the Holland Historical Trust and the formation of the Joint Archives of Holland.

In addition to his work at Hope College, Elton Bruins has a wide range of community and church involvement, maintains membership in a large number of professional societies, and has an extensive bibliography. He played key leadership roles in the preservation of the Cappon House and the Eighth Street Firehouse. He has been a member of the Dutch-American Historical Commission, the Board of Trustees of the Holland Historical Trust, the board of directors of the Holland Area Historical Society (a group he helped organize in 1980), a member of the Dutch-American Heritage Day Committee, the Windmill Island Heritage Committee, and the Dutch Heritage Coordinating Committee. He has served the City of Holland as chair of the Holland Historical/Cultural Relations Commission, as a member of the Cappon House Task Force, and as a member of the Sesquicentennial Committee. He has been a member of several professional and historical organizations, including the American Society of Church History, the Midwest Archives Conference, the Presbyterian Historical Society, the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, and the Calvin Studies Society.

The Reformed Church has always been central in Elton Bruins’ life. He is a member of Third Reformed Church in Holland and has served on several church committees. He served the Classis of Holland, RCA as chair of the Historical Committee, and as the vice president and president of the Classis. At the denominational level, he served on the Board of Education, the Board of Trustees of New Brunswick Theological Seminary, and the Reformed Church Historical Commission.

Elton Bruins has written many articles, essays, and book reviews on Dutch-American history for The Church Herald, The Reformed Review, Origins, the Westminster Dictionary of Church History, and the Dictionary of Christianity in America and several festschrifts. Books he authored or co-authored include: The Americanization of a Congregation (1970, revised 1995); Isaac Cappon: Holland’s ‘Foremost Citizen’ (1987); Albertus C. Van Raalte, Dutch Leader and American Patriot (co-authored with Jeanne M. Jacobson and Larry J. Wagenaar, 1996); Family Quarrels in the Dutch Reformed Church in the Nineteenth Century (co-authored with Robert Swierenga, 1999); Albertus and Christina: The Van Raalte Family, Home and Roots (co-authored with Karen G. Schakel, Sara Fredrickson Simmons, and Marie N. Zingle, 2004); and Envisioning Hope College (co-authored with Karen G. Schakel, 2011). He also edited several histories of the Bruins family, a history of the Holland Classis of the RCA, and authored a memoir of his boyhood years.

Elton Bruins has received many honors and awards including the Friend of History award from the Holland Historical Trust (1998), Achievements In Dutch-American Studies honor from the Dutch-American Heritage Committee (1999), the President’s Award from the Midwest Archives Conference (1999), the Meritorious Service award from Hope College (2009), a Special Tribute from the State of Michigan (2011) and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Western Theological Seminary (2012). A festschrift, A Goodly Heritage: Essays in Honor of the Reverend Dr. Elton J. Bruins at Eighty was published in 2007.

Elton J. Bruins passed away on March 23, 2020, in Holland, Michigan.

Extent

61.50 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Dutch; Flemish

Abstract

Personal papers of Elton J. Bruins, professor of religion at Hope College (1966-1992), director (1994-2002) and research fellow at the A. C. Van Raalte Institute, archivist and minister. Collection consists of articles, essays, book reviews, clippings, memos, and news releases. These materials primarily relate to the history of the Reformed Church in America (RCA) and local history.

Photographs

3,006 images (148 negatives)

Provenance

Elton J. Bruins

Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Hope College Archives and Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Van Wylen Library
53 Graves Place
Holland Michigan 49423 United States
616-395-7798