40 Notable alumni of Hope College
Updated: June 14, 2026 EliteDegrees
Hope College is ranked #1,755 in the world and #435 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 40 notable alumni from Hope College sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Hope College won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. John E. Visser
1920-1997 (aged 77)
John Evert Visser was an American education administrator, mostly known for serving as the twelfth president of Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas. Before serving as president of Emporia State, Visser was an assistant to the president at Ball State University, and held several administrative jobs in higher education. After serving as president of Emporia State, Visser served as several...
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2. Edward Wichers
1892-1984 (aged 92)
chemist
Edward Wichers was an American chemist and Associate Director of the National Bureau of Standards from 1958-62. He is notable for his work on atomic weights of the elements.
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3. Thomas J. Plewes
1940-. (aged 86)
economist
Thomas Jeffrey Plewes is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Army. He is a former chief of the United States Army Reserve, a position he held from 25 May 1998 to 24 May 2002.
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4. John R. Dethmers
1903-1971 (aged 68)
lawyer
judge
politician
John R. Dethmers was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.
5. Marianne Walck
scientist
Marianne C. Walck is Director of the National Energy Technology Laboratory. She previously served as Vice President of the Sandia National Laboratories, where she led nuclear weapons stewardship, and as the Chief Research Officer at the Idaho National Laboratory.
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6. Andy Ponstein
1976-. (aged 50)
racing driver
Andrew Ponstein is an American professional stock car racing driver. He is a former competitor in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and ARCA Re/Max Series.
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7. Robert Danhof
1925-2013 (aged 88)
lawyer
judge
politician
Robert J. Danhof was an American jurist.
8. Donald E. Kroodsma
1946-. (aged 80)
ornithologist
Donald Eugene Kroodsma is an American author and ornithologist, one of the world's leading experts on the science of birdsong.
9. George Vande Woude
1935-2021 (aged 86)
chemist
George F. Vande Woude Jr. was an American cancer researcher, who, from 1999 to 2009, served as the founding director of research at the Van Andel Institute (VAI). He is credited with the 1984 discovery of MET, an oncogene.
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10. Carol van Voorst
1952-. (aged 74)
diplomat
Carol Lee van Voorst is an American diplomat who served as the former United States Ambassador to Iceland. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on November 18, 2005, after being nominated by President George W. Bush on October 28, 2005. Her mission was terminated on January 20, 2009.
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11. George F. Veenker
1894-1959 (aged 65)
athletics competitor
baseball player
basketball coach
George Frederick Veenker was an American football and basketball coach. He was the head basketball coach at the University of Michigan from 1928 to 1931 and also served as an assistant football coach at Michigan from 1926 to 1929. From 1931 to 1936, he was the head football coach at Iowa State College (now known as Iowa State University). He...
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12. Nancy Torresen
1959-. (aged 67)
lawyer
judge
Nancy Torresen is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maine. She is the first female judge to serve in the District of Maine.
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13. Craig S. Morford
1959-. (aged 67)
lawyer
Craig S. Morford is an American attorney and former acting United States Deputy Attorney General.
14. Arend Lubbers
1931-. (aged 95)
Arend Donselaar "Don" Lubbers was president of Grand Valley State University (and predecessor Grand Valley State College) from 1969 to 2001. He was the second president of Grand Valley, serving after James Zumberge and before Mark Murray. He currently holds the title of President Emeritus. Most of the university's growth came during his tenure.
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15. Clark V. Poling
1910-1943 (aged 33)
protestant military chaplain
Clark Vandersall Poling was a minister in the Reformed Church in America and a lieutenant in the United States Army. He was one of the Four Chaplains who gave their lives to save other soldiers during the sinking of the troop transport Dorchester during World War II.
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16. D.J. Reyburn
1976-. (aged 50)
baseball umpire
Daniel James Reyburn is an American Major League Baseball umpire. He wore uniform number 70 when he first came up to MLB, then changed to number 17 starting with the 2018 season, two years after the retirement of John Hirschbeck, who previously wore #17.
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17. Jeff Bates
1976-. (aged 50)
businessperson
Jeff Bates, also known as hemos, is the co-founder of Slashdot along with Rob Malda.
18. Larry Siedentop
1936-2024 (aged 88)
writer
philosopher
political scientist
university teacher
Sir Larry Alan Siedentop CBE was an American-born British political philosopher with a special interest in 19th-century French liberalism. He was the author of Democracy in Europe (2000) and Inventing the Individual (2014) and an occasional contributor to several major British daily newspapers, including the Financial Times and The Times.
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19. Joey Muthengi
1985-. (aged 41)
actor
Joey Muthengi is a media personality and actress. Her entry into the Kenyan media industry came through being a radio personality on 98.4 Capital FM from 2009 to 2013 where she hosted and produced the wildly popular youth show, Hits Not Homework. From 2016 to 2018, Joey Muthengi co-hosted the Power Breakfast show on Citizen TV with Fred Indimuli and...
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20. Rob Malda
1976-. (aged 50)
businessperson
Rob Malda, also known as CmdrTaco, is an American Internet content author, and former editor-in-chief of the website Slashdot.
21. Rachel Reenstra
1970-. (aged 56)
film actor
actor
television actor
Rachel Reenstra is an American comedian, actress, and wildlife conservationist from Saugatuck, Michigan.
22. Terri Lynn Land
1958-. (aged 68)
politician
Terri Lynn Land is an American politician who served as the 41st Michigan Secretary of State from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party, Land was elected to the Republican National Committee in 2012. She was the Republican nominee for the 2014 United States Senate race in Michigan, losing in the general election to Democrat Gary Peters. Land...
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23. Guy Vander Jagt
1931-2007 (aged 76)
lawyer
politician
Guy Adrian Vander Jagt was a Republican politician from Michigan. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
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24. Pete Hoekstra
1953-. (aged 73)
diplomat
business executive
politician
Cornelis Piet Hoekstra is an American politician and diplomat serving since 2025 as the 33rd United States ambassador to Canada. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the United States ambassador to the Netherlands from 2018 to 2021, and was the U.S. representative for Michigan's 2nd congressional district from 1993 to 2011.
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25. John Moolenaar
1961-. (aged 65)
chemist
businessperson
politician
John Robert Moolenaar is an American politician serving as a U.S. representative from Michigan since 2015, representing the 4th district from 2015 to 2023 and the 2nd congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2003 to 2008 and the Michigan Senate from 2011 to 2014.
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26. Kim Zimmer
1955-. (aged 71)
stage actor
television actor
Kimberly Jo Zimmer is an American actress, best known for her role as Reva Shayne on the CBS soap opera Guiding Light. For this portrayal, she has won four Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
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27. Jim Kaat
1938-. (aged 88)
baseball player
James Lee Kaat, nicknamed "Kitty", is an American former professional baseball player and television sports commentator. A left-handed pitcher, he played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators / Minnesota Twins (1959–1973), Chicago White Sox (1973–1975), Philadelphia Phillies (1976–1979), New York Yankees (1979–1980), and St. Louis Cardinals (1980–1983) for a then-record 25 years.
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28. Robert H. Schuller
1926-2015 (aged 89)
non-fiction writer
pastor
Robert Harold Schuller was an American Christian televangelist, pastor, motivational speaker, and author. Over five decades, Schuller pastored his church in Garden Grove, California starting in 1955. The weekly broadcast of Hour of Power television program followed, which he hosted as a taped version of his weekly Sunday service, began in 1970, and he led until his retirement in 2006....
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29. M. R. DeHaan
1891-1965 (aged 74)
pastor
biblical scholar
teacher
theologian
Martin Ralph DeHaan was an American Bible teacher, the founder of Radio Bible Class, and the co-editor of the monthly devotional guide Our Daily Bread.
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30. Eugene Sutton
1954-. (aged 72)
Anglican priest
Eugene Taylor Sutton is an American Episcopal clergyman who served as the 14th Episcopal Bishop of Maryland.
31. Dave Brat
1964-. (aged 62)
business consultant
economist
university teacher
politician
David Alan Brat is an American politician and academic who served as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 7th congressional district from 2014 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected in 2014 after successfully primarying House majority leader Eric Cantor despite being significantly outspent. Brat served two terms before he narrowly lost re-election in 2018 to...
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32. David E. White
1938-. (aged 88)
military personnel
David Edward White is a retired rear admiral in the United States Navy. He was Chief of Chaplains of the United States Navy from August 1991 to August 1994. He earned an A.B. degree from Hope College in 1960 and an M.Div. degree from the New Brunswick Theological Seminary in 1963. White was commissioned as an ensign on March 5,...
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33. Gregg A. Mast
1952-. (aged 74)
civil servant
Gregg Alan Mast was a Reformed clergyman, scholar, and seminary president. Mast was the author of six books on Christian practice and theology, and the editor of a collection of sermons by Reformed minister and theologian Howard G. Hageman
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34. Sufjan Stevens
1975-. (aged 51)
composer
singer-songwriter
pianist
saxophonist
guitarist
Sufjan Stevens is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released ten solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nominations.
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35. A. J. Muste
1885-1967 (aged 82)
pastor
teacher
theologian
trade unionist
Abraham Johannes Muste was a Dutch-born American clergyman and political activist. He is best remembered for his work in the labor movement, the pacifist movement, the anti-war movement, and the civil rights movement in the United States.
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36. Kevin DeYoung
1977-. (aged 49)
priest
theologian
Kevin Lee DeYoung is an American Reformed theologian, historian, and pastor. He is currently the senior pastor at Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, North Carolina. The church he previously pastored, University Reformed Church (East Lansing, Michigan), moved to the Presbyterian Church in America in March 2015 after having been a member of the Reformed Church in America.
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37. Samuel Marinus Zwemer
1867-1952 (aged 85)
orientalist
university teacher
Protestant theologian
traveler
missionary
Samuel Marinus Zwemer, nicknamed The Apostle to Islam, was an American missionary, traveler, and scholar. He was born at Vriesland, Michigan. In 1887 he received an A.B. from Hope College in Holland, Michigan, and in 1890, he received an M.A. from New Brunswick Theological Seminary in New Brunswick, New Jersey His other degrees include a D.D. from Hope College in...
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38. Richard Smalley
1943-2005 (aged 62)
chemist
scientist
professor
Richard Errett Smalley was an American chemist who was the Gene and Norman Hackerman Professor of Chemistry, Physics, and Astronomy at Rice University. In 1996, along with Robert Curl, also a professor of chemistry at Rice, and Harold Kroto, a professor at the University of Sussex, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery of a new...
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39. Derek Brown
1983-. (aged 43)
saxophonist
Derek Brown is an American entrepreneur, writer, and bartender. He owned the bars Columbia Room, The Passenger, Mockingbird Hill, Eat the Rich, and Southern Efficiency in Washington, D.C. Brown is a Distinguished Fellow at Catholic University's Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship.
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40. Annette Ziegler
1964-. (aged 62)
lawyer
judge
Annette Kingsland Ziegler is an American jurist serving since 2007 as a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. She is generally regarded as part of its conservative wing. Ziegler served as the chief justice from 2021 to 2025. From 1997 to 2007, she served as a Wisconsin circuit court judge in Washington County.
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