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Oct. 24, 2004
By JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS
Staff writer
Gene Westra is 70 years old and still growing.
The long-time educator has turned his personal love of plants into a volunteer effort that has brought new life to
a greenhouse at Hope College.
Westra welcomes visitors into his oasis as if it were his own home.
The greenhouse at Hope's new science center is warm, comfortable, inviting -- like a cozy living room with overstuffed
chairs.
With a black felt-tipped marker, Westra makes out labels for his plants and flowers.
"Gardening is an instrument of grace," Westra tells a visitor.
How Westra became the greenhouse keeper at Hope is a story of simple coincidence and curiosity.
One Sunday morning while Westra was walking to church he noticed the old and neglected greenhouse and thought it could
use some sprucing up.
Westra made a few phone calls and was soon getting his hands dirty and working hard to resuscitate the house of glass.
"I consulted, painted, cleaned, repotted and restored," Westra said, beaming with pride.
He's quick to point out that he didn't do it alone. He had the help of more than a half-dozen eager and devoted Hope
College students. Not only did they spruce up the greenhouse, they put on an impressive mum show in the spring and an orchid
show this fall.
The greenhouse is part of the renovated Peale Science Center at College Avenue and 12th Street.
Among the ferns and fertilizer, Westra feels at home. It's no surprise then to hear the man say the flowers and trees
and plants are his friends.
"They're company, just like animals. Good company. I wouldn't want to be without them," he said.
Westra also has a deep affection for children and has given more than half of his life to teaching youths, a grand
total of 38 years.
He's taught at elementary schools, middle schools and high schools all over the country including 23 years at Holland
Christian and at four colleges.
Westra retired in 1996. He and his wife, Helen, live in Laketown Township.
Tending to flowers and plants is a hobby that's grown on him.
"It's addictive. Plant people are very interesting people. They have a different way of looking at life. I think
it's reverence ... reverence for life," he said.
He has employed his green thumb at other Holland locales, including a six-year stint on Windmill Island.
Westra said there's still more improvements he'd like to see at Hope's greenhouse, including installation of shade
cloth or blinds for the glass panels.
He's hopeful the community will continue to donate to the greenhouse project, as he's looking to buy some basic equipment.
A $1,100 fertilizer proportioner, for instance.
The old greenhouse floor is pitted, stained and cracked. Westra said a nice new tile floor will run about $15,000
to $18,000.
Westra still does not possess the official title of greenhouse manager, but he admits he loves the job just the same.
"I started this thing. I don't want to let it go," he said with a laugh. "I'm enjoying it so much,
they'll have to tell me to leave -- it gives me a reason to enjoy the day."
Westra's desire to serve a purpose and help out spills over into other volunteer work. He helps serve lunches at the
Holland City Mission, and on Thursdays he delivers meals-on-wheels.
Meanwhile, the fishing boat he purchased just a few years ago sits idle in his garage.
Why does he do it?
"Someone said, 'It's the rent we owe for being here,'" Westra said.
"In all of my years of teaching, the one thing I wanted my students to pick up was to be present in the lives
of others," he said. " To work on yourself, decide what's valuable -- it's not what you get, it's what you give."
Contact John Charles Robbins at (616) 546-4269 or john.robbins@hollandsentinel.com.
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