Hope and Calvin Unite!

Hope and Calvin Unite!
Originally uploaded by Chris Winkler.

When I was a student at Hope College, I hated Calvin College. Okay, so maybe hate is a strong word, but I really did not like anything having to do with the "other" Reformed college in west Michigan.

Then I started to meet students and graduates of Calvin. And as it turns out, they're quite nice and have actually learned something while there. It started with my semester in Chicago, where I became good friends with a Calvin student and really picked up after moving to San Francisco.

Since living out here, so far away from Dutch west Michigan, I have befriended four Calvin grads who have made my stay in the Bay Area much more enjoyable. Steve and Amy Carlson, East Bay residents and fellow hard-core A's fans, have been a breath of fresh air when needing to get away from the city (along with '03 Hope grad Lisa Canterbury).

And then there's the random story of meeting Ryan and Kelly Dubois (Calvin '02) at the 4th and Geary Farmer's Market. I now attend their small group and they have been a great support in the past six months--many thanks to Kelly for wearing a Calvin shirt that fateful day!

So with this newfound support for Calvin College, I approached Steve with the idea of co-hosting a joint event for alumni from both Hope and Calvin: a tailgate party and A's game. A quick call to Hope's alumni office showed me that with their help, planning such an event could be fairly easy, so we embarked on preparations.

The final result, which took place yesterday, went better than we could have imagined! Nearly 30 alumni and friends (including a professor and some current students), from both schools, gathered for good food and fellowship at a tailgate party and then found our way into the stadium to watch the A's beat the Detroit Tigers (how appropriate!).

Somehow, I've overcome my prejudice against the Knights while maintaining my pride for the Flying Dutch!