Ten years after his death, Charles B. Huizenga continues to positively impact this area, such as the $50,000 classroom the Huizenga Family Foundation awarded Southwestern Michigan College’s new Nursing and Health Education Building.

He lived two thirds of his life — 60 years — in Niles, serving as Kawneer Co. president, Niles Community School Board president (1966-67, during a tenure spanning 1963-71), Niles City Council (representing second ward, 1982-83) and on the Lake Michigan College board.

Carrying on his legacy is the foundation, whose president, Becky Falke of Parsons, Kansas, is his granddaughter.

There were two sons, Duane in Kansas and Doug in Vashon, Washington.

“During Charlie’s life, he and his wife had a history and a pattern of significant charitable giving,” said James Scarpone, a Niles financial planner who knew Mr. Huizenga for two decades prior to his Aug. 21, 2007, death at 90.

“We established the foundation while he was alive. He was initially adamant it not be called the Huizenga Family Foundation because people who are charitable generally like to remain low-key and anonymous about that kind of stuff,” Scarpone, Mr. Huizenga’s tax advisor, said. “Charlie fit that profile. Somehow, myself and others were able to convince Charlie it should be the Huizenga Family Foundation.

“It’s hard to believe he’s been gone 10 years. We thought we’d have Charlie around a few more years. He was an extremely bright individual with a big-picture perspective on things. The feeling was that everyone around him could learn from Charlie mentoring us with his leadership. When Charlie spoke, people listened. We were on the Michigan Gateway Community Foundation board together.”

Scarpone said Huizenga Family Foundation awards have supported Niles Community Schools, Niles District Library, SMC, LMC, Fernwood Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve, the YMCA and the Salvation Army’s Feeding His Sheep backpack outreach program providing balanced, nutritional weekend meals to elementary children.

“Charlie wanted the principal focus of the foundation to be the local community,” Scarpone said. “SMC and LMC fit that profile because both have Niles campuses. It’s ironic that one of the individuals on the Huizenga board, Judy Truesdell, is also an LMC trustee and that my wife (Kim) sits on the SMC Foundation board. You can see Charlie impacted all of us. He taught us what was important in the big picture. We often ask ourselves in board meetings, ‘What would Charlie want us to do?’ Charlie had a knack for recognizing needs and the skill set and financial acumen to solve them.”

Mr. Huizenga was born 100 years ago on June 26, 1917, in Kalamazoo to Fred and Wilhelmina (Klimp) Huizenga.

He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1939 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.

On Oct. 11, 1941, in Galveston, Texas, he married the former Muriel E. Whiteman. His wife died July 4, 2005.

“Charlie has been deceased for 10 years and yet we’re still talking about him,” Scarpone said. “Ten years from now we’ll still be talking about him because he has a fantastic legacy and a fantastic story to tell. Individuals cared about the community, put their businesses in the community and derived their livings from the community. Foundations give back and perpetuate their vision.”

SMC Foundation insures all eligible students have financial access to college education.

This nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation established in 1970 bridges the financial gap between students’ needs and resources with scholarships.

This year the foundation embarked on a $2.6 million major gift initiative to provide funding for the Nursing and Health Education expansion on the Dowagiac campus.    

To learn more about the foundation’s major gift initiative and support changing lives, visit swmich.edu/giving.

Or, contact Executive Director Eileen Toney at: SMC Foundation, 58900 Cherry Grove Road, Dowagiac, MI 49047; (269) 782-1301; or etoney@swmich.edu.

Southwestern Michigan College is a public, residential and commuter, community college, founded in 1964. The college averages in the top 10 percent nationally for student academic success based upon the National Community College Benchmark Project. Southwestern Michigan College strives to be the college of first choice, to provide the programs and services to meet the needs of students, and to serve our community. The college is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the American Association of Community Colleges.