HOLLAND -- Fans at the Flying Dutch basketball game on Saturday, Dec. 29, paid tribute to longtime Hope supporter Norm Japinga for his three decades of service as the official scorer.
Japinga, affectionately known as "Bunko", has been involved in the life of Hope College for more than 40 years. He joined the staff as the college's first fulltime equipment manager in 1968 and headed the transportation department in its early stages.
He retired as a fulltime employee in 1995, but has remained very active in the life of the college, serving as the official scorer at baseball and women's basketball games. The pressbox at the college's Boeve Baseball Stadium honors him. Japinga has also been a bus driver in the college's transportation department.