Founders Day is celebrated each year on October 25, the day the university was chartered by the State of Michigan in 1960.

We celebrate this day by remembering and supporting the university in honor of the nearly 300 West Michigan community members who rallied support and met the state’s $1 million challenge to establish Grand Valley.

These are the individuals who participated in the committees to help charter the university.

Mr. Stanley Alexander
Mr. David Almerigi
Mr. Willis I. Anderson
Mr. John J. Annulis
Mr. Edward M. Baas
Ms. Nina E. Babcock
Mr. Merrill S. Bailey
Mr. Hollis M. Baker
Dr. Ralph B. Baldwin
Dr. Benjamin T. Balkema
Mr. Gerald Barnes
Mr. Melvin L. Baumann
Mr. Richard B. Baxter
Mr. William F. Beebe
Mr. Stanley B. Benford
Mr. Howard G. Benjamin, Jr.
Bob Bennett
Mr. Julius Bergsma
Mr. Louis J. Berman
Mr. Hammond A. Berry
Mrs. Irving Bissell
Mr. Melville R. Bissell III
Mr. Robert H. Blandford
Mr. Allen G. Boelens
Mr. Harris W. Botruff
Mr. W. H. Bouwkamp
Mr. Judson T. Bradford
Mr. Alfred Bransdorfer
Mr. Arthur Branson
Mr. Frank K. Bray
Mr. James Fitch Brooks
Mr. Arthur E. Brown
Mr. Manley Brown
Mr. Stanford Brown
Mr. Robert Bruyn
Mr. Stephen A. Bryant
Mr. Philip W. Buchen
Mr. Benjamin J. Buikema
Mr. Robert Burnham
Mr. George A. Busch
Mr. Martin D. Buth
Mr. W. A. Butler

Dr. Robert I. Byram
Mr. Francis C. Campau
Reverend Donald V. Carey
Dr. Luther Carpenter
Mr. Warren R. Carter
Mr. Clark C. Caskey
Dr. Howard S. Caukin
Mr. Lynn H. Clark
Mr. Ralph W. Cook
Mrs. Richard M. Cook
Mr. James M. Copeland
Dr. Griffith S. Cossar
Mr. Thomas A. Crawford
Mr. James R. Danenberg
Mr. Herbert G. Daverman
Mr. A.F. Davis
Mr. Jeff Davis
Mr. Stanley J. Davis
Mr. Ben Dean, Jr.
Mr. Robert S. DeBruyn
Mr. William DeMar
Mrs. Nancy Dempsey
Dr. Marion deVelder
Mr. Richard J. DeVries
Mr. Clair Donovan
Mr. Ben D'Orazio
Mr. F. William Dunn
Mr. David E. Dutcher
Mr. Minor D. Dutcher
Mrs. John Dykstra
Mrs. Irene T. Eberhard
L. V. Eberhard
Mr. John Edison
Mr. Carl R. Edmonds
Mr. E. J. Erickson
Reverend Harry Essring
The Honorable Gerald R. Ford
Mr. Jay W. Formsma
Mr. Jerome D. Franklin
Dr. Julius Franks, Jr.
Mr. Emery T. Freeman, Sr.
Mr. Norman A. Freeman

Mr. Edward J. Frey, Sr.
Mr. Richard M. Gillett
Mr. Paul G. Goebel, Sr
Mr. George W. Grant
Dr. Clyde I. Green
Ms. Carol E. Greene
Mr. H. Samuel Greenwalt, Jr.
Mr. H. Samuel Greenwalt, Sr.
Mrs. Herman Grossman
Mr. T. James Hager
Mr. Chester A. Hall
Mr. Hugh D. Hammerslag
Mr. David E. Hanson
Mr. Patrick T. Harrison
Mr. John H. Hekman
Mr. Douglas Hillman
Mr. Richard Hoffman
Mr. Mack A. Holcomb
Mrs. Icie M. Hoobler
Mr. Charles Hornbach
Ms. Mary L. Houran
Mr. Robert G. Howlett
Mr. David Hoyle
Dr. Raymond E. Huldin
Mr. Allen I. Hunting
Mr. David D. Hunting, Sr.
Mr. Henry H. Idema II
Mr. James M. Idema
Mrs. Jane H. Idema
Mr. Walter Idema
Ms. Mary Ann Janowiak
Mr. Earl M. Johnson
Mr. Paul A. Johnson
Mrs. Siegel W. Judd
Mr. Richard F. Kaufman
Mr. M. S. Keeler II
Mr. Harry J. Kelley
Mr. C.E. Ted Kindel
Mr. Charles M. Kindel
Mr. Fritz Kirkpatrick
Mr. John Kirkwood
Mrs. John Kistler

Dr. John Kitchell
Mr. Frank Klackle
Mr. A. Robert Kleiner
Mr. John A. Kloosterman
Mr. Donald W. Kohlstedt
Mr. Clarence P. Kooi
Ms. Carol F. Kuhlmann
Mr. David B. LaClaire
Mr. Vanier E. Laine
Mr. Henry T. Lathrop
Mr. Jerome H. LaValley
Mr. Harry L. Lawford
Mr. Charles LeBaron
Ms. Lee Libby
Mr. Richard Lindland
Dr. Duncan E. Littlefair
Phyllis MacKay
Mr. Patrick Mackey
Mrs. Julia B. Malecki
Mr. Merrill Malloy
Mr. Harry D. Marshall, Jr.
Mrs. John B. Martin
Dr. Joseph Q. Mayne
Mr. Almon McCall
Mr. F. William McKee, Sr.
Mr. J.O. McNamee
Mr. Zillah M. Meeker
Mrs. Marian E. Meyer
The Honorable Wendell A. Miles
Mr. John G. Molhoek
Mr. Charles Moore
Mr. Morris B. Morningstar
Mr. Jay Mulder
Mrs. Carl A. Nelson
Mrs. Marvelle M. Nelson
Mr. Steven Nesbitt
Mr. E.A. Nichols
Dr. Arnold C. Ott
Mr. John K. Parks
Mr. Edwin J. Parmeter
Mr. Judson M. Perkins
Mrs. Florence Peterson
Mr. Harley K. Peterson, Jr.
Mr. James W. Pettsplace
Robert C. Pew II
Mr. Norman Pfaneuf
Mr. Leland D. Phelps
Mrs. Larry Pierce
Mr. Larry Pierce
Mr. Watson B. Pierce
Mr. DeForest Poole
Mr. Donald J. Porter
Mr. Ralph H. Pratt

Mr. Albert A. Preston
Dr. Jay L. Pyleman
Mr. Joseph G. Quinn
Mr. C. Fenton Raber
Mr. Wilbur G. Reister
Mr. Richard Rell
Mrs. Hollis E. Reynolds
Mrs. Marzella H. Reynolds
Mr. Robert W. Richardson
Mr. James W. Riordan
Mr. W.C. Robertson
Mr. Kenneth W. Robinson
Mr. Oliver L. Robinson
Mr. Vidian L. Roe
Mr. Charles A. Rogers
Mr. Ernest W. Ruehs
Mr. John Rutherford
Miss Elizabeth Sage
Mr. Albert G. Salter
Mr. T.A. Saunders
Mr. Richard E. Scanlon
Mr. William J. Schulling
Mr. Walter C. Schultze
Mr. H.H. Schwartz
Mr. Victor L. Scott
Mr. Walter S. Scott
Mr. Fred N. Searl
Mr. Howard Sebright
Mr. L. William Seidman
Mr. H. B. Shaine
Mr. Robert Shaw
Mr. Robert W. Shedd
Mr. Russell L. Shepherd
Mr. B.P. Sherwood, Jr.
Mr. Robert W. Sherwood
Mr. William L. Sherwood
Mr. Ross W. Shoecraft
Mr. Richard Shuster
Mr. Arthur A. Silverstein
Mr. Franklin G. Sisson
Mr. Gerald J. Skiera
Mr. Robert Sligh, Sr.
Mrs. Elton R. Smith
Mr. Robert Sneden
Mr. Wendell Spencer
Mrs. Doris M. Squier
Mr. Marc Squier
Mr. Forrest J. Squires
Mr. Dale Stafford
Mr. Richard W. Steketee
Mr. Robert D. Steketee
Mr. Waldo I. Stoddard
Mr. Robert K. Stolz

Mr. Daurey D. Strohpaul
Mr. Alexander H. Stuart
Ms. Ruth H. Stuart
M. R. Sturr
Dr. Harold C. Swartz
Mr. Samuel W. Tamminga
Steele A. Taylor
Mr. Eugene J. "James" TenBrink
Mr. Ray Thorington
Mrs. Miriam O. Tillman
Mr. Harold D. Tripp
Mr. Robert S. Tubbs
Miss Eleanor Tumath
Mr. Harold Van Alsburg
Mr. John VanDellen
Mr. Lyle E. VanDenBerge II
Jan D. VanderPloeg
Mr. Richard F. VanderVeen
Mr. Joseph VanDyke, Jr.
Mr. Louis VanEss
Mr. Robert P. Vaness
Mr. Corroll H. Vannatter
Mr. Dale VanOtteren
Mr. George M. Van Peursem
Mr. Lloyd H. VanRaalte
Mr. Ralph VanVolkinburg
Mr. Roland VanVolkinburg
Mr. John E. Veneklasen
Mr. James M. VerMeulen
Ms. Laura Verplank
Miss Marion J. Viall
Mr. Robert F. Visscher
Dr. John E. Visser
Mr. Frederick Vogt, Sr.
Mr. Richard B. Warren
Dr. Donald F. Waterman
Mr. Robert G. Watkins
Dr. Jerome E. Webber
Mr. Kenneth Weller
Mr. Victor H. Weller
Mr. Willard C. Wichers
Mr. Robert Wilcox
Mr. Paul R. Wilkinson
Mr. Bradford Williams
Mr. J. Gordan Williams
Mrs. S.B. Williams
Mr. Willfred B. Williams
Mr. John K. Winter
Reverend James W. Wright
Mr. Donald Zink
Mr. James H. Zumberge