Coach Karen Page Loses Battle With Cancer
Grand Rapids Press Story
Karen Page, a leader in the advancement of tennis at the high school, college and community levels, died Friday, July 3, at the Hospice House in Holland following a long, courageous battle against cancer.

Page, 60, most recently was serving as Director of the DeWitt Tennis Center at Hope College and was the coach of the college's women's tennis team the past 12 years.

"Karen promoted the game of tennis, but also promoted an enthusiasm and high energy for living," said longtime colleague Dwayne "Tiger" Teusink.

"Positive energy and spirit were the hallmarks of Karen Page's life. Every woman she coached, every person she touched was the beneficiary of her strong touchstones of enthusiasm and passion, not just for the game of tennis but for the joy of life," said Eva Dean Folkert, co-director of athletics at Hope. " I honestly can't remember a time when in the space of five minutes -- whether in competition or conversation, I did not see a smile come across KP's face. We will greatly miss such a terrific role model to students and women. We will greatly miss such a treasured coach and friend."

Page guided the Hope Flying Dutch to conference championships in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009. The 1998, 2000 and 2009 Flying Dutch earned a berth in the NCAA tournament. A reoccurence of cancer this spring did not allow her to actively coach the team, but it did not deter her from being with her squad at the conference and NCAA tournaments.

Page had an extensive background as a teacher and coach of tennis. She previously served as coach of the boy's and girl's varsity teams at Holland West Ottawa High School. She also coached the Holland community's adult women USTA travel teams.

She served as president of the Michigan High School Tennis Coaches Association and was a certified tennis teaching professional.

She was presented the distinguished service award by the Western Michigan Tennis Association for outstanding leadership and service and named to the Hall of Fame of the Michigan High School Tennis Coaches Association. She was a graduate of Iowa State University.

She is survived by her husband Tom, a twin sister Karyl Garbo Whitley of Phoenix, Ariz. and a brother Tim of Montana.

A memorial service will be held Sunday, July 5, at 1 p.m. in Dimnent Memorial Chapel on the campus of Hope College, corner of 12th Street and College Avenue, Holland, Mich. The Rev. Paul Boersma, Hope College chaplain, will lead the service. The family will receive friends following the service at Dimnent Memorial Chapel. Arrangements are being handled through the Dykstra Funeral Homes of Holland.

Twelve Hope Teams Receive MIAA GPA Award
A record 12 Hope athletic teams, including all nine women's teams, have received the 2008-09 GPA Team Award from the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA).

The MIAA Team GPA Award is presented to conference teams that achieve a 3.300 or better grade point average for an entire academic year.

Hope teams receiving the award were women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's tennis, women's soccer, softball, women's swimming & diving, women's track & field, and volleyball.

The women's cross country team, coached by Dr. Mark Northuis, has the distinction of receiving the honor all 11 years since the award program was instituted in 1998-99.

Nearly 200 Hope Athletes are MIAA Scholars
The 2008/2009 Academic Honor Roll of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) includes 191 student-athletes from Hope College. Students needed to maintain a minimum 3.5 grade point average the entire school year. Hope's honor roll includes 14 seniors who received this honor four consecutive years. List of Honorees

Hope Bids Farewell to Coach Ray Smith
This article was first published in The Anchor, Hope's student
newspaper and is posted with permission.
It is a rare occurrence where an individual sticks with a job for most of his life and still enjoys every day he comes to work. It is even more rare to find a man who upholds morality, honesty and faith in all that he does. For the past 39 years, Hope College has been blessed with the presence of just such a man. Ray Smith, director of athletics for men, will retire in June. His departure will mark what many would label the end of an era, one of success, and not just in the win column. continue