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Maxine DeBruyn Appointed to Endowed Chair

Posted July 26, 2002

HOLLAND -- Maxine DeBruyn of the Hope College faculty has been appointed to the college's Dorothy Wiley DeLong Professorship in Dance.

Her appointment becomes effective with the beginning of the forthcoming 2002-03 school year, and will continue until she chooses to retire from the faculty.

The chair was established by Mr. and Mrs. William P. DeLong; their children, Dr. and Mrs. Jack DeLong, and Mr. and Mrs. Ted DeLong; and friends and associates of Dorothy DeLong, who pioneered efforts to establish dance instruction within the Holland community. Dorothy DeLong, who died in 1982, taught dance in Muskegon until moving to Holland in 1948. As dance became accepted in Holland, she first taught ballroom dancing to high school students as an after-school activity, and subsequently opened a studio. She also worked with Holland's Dutch Dancers.

DeLong was a supporter of the college's dance program since its fledgling days under DeBruyn's guidance in the mid-1960s. Hope presented her with a Distinguished Service Award during Dance V in 1979 in recognition of her role in the development of the program and the community's cultural life.

Funded since 1985, the DeLong chair has helped the department of dance retain instructors for specialized courses and guest artists for Hope dance concerts. The college will continue to support such activities, with DeBruyn's appointment to the chair recognizing her own central role in the department's creation and development.

DeBruyn, who is chair of the department, joined the Hope faculty in 1965, and pioneered dance at Hope with a single course. In the years since, she has helped build the program to a full major. Professional companies affiliated with the college and Hope students present a number of dance concerts during each school year.

In addition to playing a leadership role in developing the college's dance program, she has been active in professional associations and dance education locally to nationally. Her professional activities through the years have ranged from serving as a U.S. representative to the International Board of Dance and the Child International, a member of the Counseil International de la Danse, UNESCO, Paris; to serving as vice chair of the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs; to serving as director of the National Association of Schools of Dance. She has held a number of leadership roles with the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), and is a past president of AAHPERD's Midwest District.

Among other recognition, she received the "Honor Award" from Michigan Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance in 2000 and from the Midwest District of AAHPERD in 1999; the Midwest District's Meritorious Service Award in both 1996 and 1998; a recognition award from the Midwest District for service and leadership in 1988; and a service and leadership award from AAHPERD in 1987. She received a Presidential Citation from the National Dance Association for dance assessment in 1992. In 1989, her work in the arts was cited in the U.S. Congressional Record and in a Joint Concurrent Resolution from the State of Michigan Legislature.

Hope presented her with the Ruth and John Reed Faculty Achievement Award in 2001. The college's Alumni H- Club, comprised of former student athletes, honored her in both 1985 and 1996.

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