“Someone helped our dad come to Aquinas on a scholarship,” Laura said. “All these pieces fell together to form them [Joe and Kathy], and they formed who we are. Now we have a chance to help someone else.”
As part of Aquinas College’s 125th anniversary celebration in 2012, there was an initiative to grow endowed scholarships. Kate Davis, who works for the College’s Office of Advancement, saw many families creating scholarships and was struck with an idea. She and her sister Laura agreed to work together to establish a scholarship in honor of their parents—a kind and generous gift that keeps giving.
Kate and Laura’s parents, Joe and Kathy Westdorp, graduated from Grand Rapids Catholic Central High School. Joe received a fullride scholarship to attend Aquinas College, while Kathy headed off to the University of Michigan. She transferred to Aquinas her junior year.
Both music majors, Kathy remembers being on the third floor of the Academic Building in 1959, where the music department was housed at the time, when Joe asked her on their first date. “My Dad always said that if she had turned him down, he wouldn’t have asked again. It took so much courage. Thank goodness she said yes,” Kate joked. Joe and Kathy left Aquinas just credits shy of graduating to get married. They worked together at the Basilica of St. Adalbert’s, where Joe was the organist and adult choir leader for nearly 60 years, while Kathy led the children’s choirs. They raised four wonderful daughters. Kathy sang with various organizations in town, including the Grand Rapids Opera, and also taught music in the public school system and at West Catholic High School. Joe worked for Spartan stores. Eventually, they both returned to Aquinas to finish their degrees, Kathy first in 1980 and Joe later in 1999.
“The Catholic education we received at Aquinas shaped our lives and certainly helped us in our careers,” Kathy said. “Being a small school, the relationships were so important. It was a family. Many of the Dominican Sisters were our classmates and friends.”
With Aquinas playing such a special role in their lives, it means a lot to know that through the Joseph A. and Kathleen M. Driza Westdorp Family Scholarship that Kate and Laura established, their names will be part of the College forever. “It was a stretch for us to make this gift, but seeing how excited they were, it felt really good,” Kate said. “We told them we want to do this in honor of you, but it will be Christmas, birthdays and other presents for a few years,” Laura added.
“We just couldn’t believe that they would do something so big for us,” Kathy said.
Since establishing the scholarship, other family members have joined in making gifts to the scholarship to help it grow. And when Joe sadly passed away last year, friends and loved ones made contributions to the Fund in his memory.
“Someone helped our dad come to Aquinas on a scholarship,” Laura said. “All these pieces fell together to form them [Joe and Kathy], and they formed who we are. Now we have a chance to help someone else.”
“I love hearing the students’ stories. They are so thankful for the scholarships. It really touches me to know that we are making a difference and it will go on for years to come,” Kathy said. “What you give, you get back. It is all in God’s plan.”