Estate of Bernard Van Beek

Born and raised in a farming family in South Dakota, Bernard Van Beek showed an aptitude for both machinery and mathematics. As a young man, he served his country in World War II, working on a variety of aircraft including the iconic Boeing B-29 Superfortress. Bernard made the US Air Force his career, serving for 22 years. After retiring from active duty, he received his bachelor’s degree in accounting and worked with the US Civil Service. In retirement, Bernard continued to keep fastidious records of his personal finances well into his late 90s, tracking everything in his neat handwriting in green ledger books. Bernard was a loving husband and father and a lifelong member of the Christian Reformed Church. He passed away in 2023 at the age of 101 and, through the Bernard and Jeannette Van Beek Trust, funded this scholarship in support of students studying business from a Christian perspective at Calvin University.