Dr. Daniel L. Paul ’50

Dr. Daniel L. Paul ’50, 89, of Sunny Hills, Florida, summer resident of Mankato, Minnesota, and former resident of Holland, Michigan and Orange City, Iowa, passed away Thursday, August 25, at the Mankato Mayo Clinic Hospital.

Dan was born December 15, 1926 to Daniel A. and Helen (Kern) Paul in Brooklyn, New York. There, Dan met his future wife, Joan (TenHoeve) Paul while a member of the New Brooklyn Reformed Church and junior choir, where Joan’s father was the pastor. After high school, Dan followed his two older brothers into the armed services to fight during WWII.  Dan served for one and a half years in the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific as a Storekeeper 3rd class.  Upon returning from the war, in 1946 Dan entered Hope College, alongside Joan, as a freshman on the GI Bill.  Joan and Dan graduated from Hope in 1950 and were joined in marriage on August 31, 1950 in New Jersey. After a brief stay in Connecticut, Joan and Dan settled back into Holland, Michigan where they remained for the next 50 years. There, Dan quickly found his calling to be a teacher and a father. He and Joan had three sons, Jim, John and Peter, and were active members of their churches and communities, particularly of 3rd Reformed Church and Central Wesleyan Church. From 1052-1959, Dan taught in the Holland area public schools while pursuing his master’s degree. From 1959-1966 he served as principal and then curriculum coordinator in the West Ottawa school district.  He completed a specialist degree in 1963 and in 1966; Dan joined the faculty of his alma mater, Hope College.  He was promoted to professor in 1976 upon the completion of his Ed.D. and served as the chair of the department of education during his tenure at Hope, retiring in 1995.  Dan also taught education extensions classes at Western Michigan University during the latter part of his higher education teaching career.  A natural and committed teacher, Dan was passionate about learning and loved his life’s work in education in both formal and informal setting. Beyond the traditional classroom, he led 13 groups of students to London, England where they studied U.K. thematic teaching methods. He spent a semester in Brussels, Belgium supervising Michigan student teachers. He was very involved in Boy Scouts as a leader and administrator, and he was a longtime Sunday school teacher, Sunday school superintendent, and deacon and elder in the Reformed church of America. Dan also greatly enjoyed the outdoors having spent many summers outdoors as part of the Boy Scouts camps, at his cottage on Lake Michigan, or in his garden.

In retirement, Dan and Joan began to split their time between the warm skies of Sunny Hills, Florida, and their summer homes in Orange City, Iowa and later Mankato, Minnesota to be closer to growing grandchildren. Dan enjoyed traveling and cruises, trips to Disneyworld, and spending time with Joan, family, and friends. He was an active member of Sunny Hills Community Church Presbyterian where had been a choir member, Sunday school teacher and on the church session. Dan remained an active teacher, community member, father, and loving grandfather up until the very end.

Dan is survived by his loving wife of almost 66 years, Joan TenHoeve ’50 Paul, his three sons, James Daniel Paul ‘83 of San Antonio, TX, John David Paul ’81 and his wife Jill Fischer of Mankato, MN and Peter Andrew Paul ’89 of Lake Ariel, PA; and three grandchildren, Daniel D. Paul, Elizabeth Paul and Lydia Paul.  He is preceded in death by his parents, Daniel A. and Helen, and two brothers, Edward and Andrew, and two sisters-in-law, Dorothea and Florence.

More on the career of Daniel Paul is available in the August 29, 2016 Hope College press release.

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