Distinguished Alumni Award
The Hope College Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes the accomplishments of alumni who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in their chosen profession, have made a positive impact on their community and are involved with the college.
Class of 1999
DJ Reyburn is a highly esteemed Major League Baseball umpire whose career includes assignments like the 2023 World Series. After graduating from Hope where he earned varsity letters as a standout athlete in football and baseball, he attended The Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring. He quickly worked his way through the Minor Leagues and debuted in MLB in 2008. Reyburn has since officiated at numerous prestigious events, including All-Star Games and the playoffs.
Class of 1965
Dr. James Serum is a leader in science and technology. After earning his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, he worked at institutions like the University of Ghent and Cornell University before joining Hewlett-Packard in 1973, where he became General Manager for Mass Spectrometry and founded HP’s Bioscience Products business. After retiring, he co-founded Viaken Systems and SciTek Ventures. Dr. Serum remains active in research collaborations, including with Johns Hopkins and NIST on Lyme disease detection, and serves on advisory boards for several tech startups.
The Alumni Association selects recipients for this award from nominations that meet the following criteria:
- Contributions to society through volunteerism
- Achievements within a profession
- Active involvement with the college
- Have earned at least 45 credit hours at Hope College
- Nominees for this award are eligible to be nominated for other awards
- Current members of the Alumni Board and the Hope College Board of Trustees are not eligible for this award
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