After serving his country, Verwey serves Grand Haven athletic department

GRAND HAVEN – Although his military service was brief, Don Verwey said it was also an incredibly unique and rewarding experience that shaped him into the man he is today.

Before his service with the United States Army, Verwey was a fleet of foot Trojan.  

Verwey, 76, was a part of the first class that graduated from the current Fruitport High School in 1965. He enjoyed a tremendous athletic career with the Trojans, as he starred in cross country and track, and also played basketball and wrestled during his senior season.

He attended Muskegon Community College for 2 years, where he was a member of the school’s cross country team that won a junior college national championship. He proceeded to obtain his undergraduate degree in education from Grand Valley State University.  

He started teaching at Lakeshore Elementary in Grand Haven in 1969, before his professional career got somewhat altered.

“Of course, we were in the midst of the Vietnam War, and I got drafted (to the United States Army),” Verwey said. “That put a halt on things.”

Little did Verwey know, it would be a life-changing experience. Upon completing his basic training at Fort Knox in Kentucky and Fort Meade in Maryland, Verwey began his defense courier training in Heidelberg, Germany, where he spent a majority of the next 2 years, he said. Heidelberg is one of the few, yet largest American bases located in Germany.

As a courier, Verwey’s main responsibility was transferring time-sensitive information from one place to another. One trip, Verwey recalled, was delivering information into Paris, France, where then United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was working on closing down the Vietnam War.

“I really did enjoy my time serving,” Verwey said. “I had the opportunity to meet a lot of people and really travel all over. I traveled to Switzerland, all around Germany. I remember seeing the palace of (German dictator) Adolph Hitler, which was pretty neat to see.”

Verwey completed his service in the Army in 1973, and then returned to Grand Haven, where he began teaching math at Central Middle School and became the first-ever seventh-grade girls basketball coach, where he enjoyed an 18-year career.

Even after retiring from his teaching career, Verwey continued his service at Grand Haven, first helping out in various roles in the athletic department and since 2000, being a game manager for numerous sports at the school.

“Don has been involved in school-based athletics for more than five decades at Grand Haven,” said current Grand Haven athletic director Scott Robertson. “He has served as a registered official for cross country and track and acts as our game manager for soccer, basketball, football and lacrosse. He is an awesome human being that cares greatly about kids and takes great pride in the many years of service.

 

“He’s still going strong and with us nearly every evening.”


Verwey calls it his “retirement job,” which is just a simple way of keeping him busy and around the sports he loves. As a game manager, he does a lot of the behind-the-scenes work that often goes unnoticed, such as unlocking all the gates, ensuring the playing fields and scoreboards are ready to go, bringing in visiting teams and game officials and countless other duties that guarantees a game-day experience goes on without issue.

Besides working at Grand Haven, Verwey also works at track meets at his two former schools, Fruitport and GVSU, including indoor meets in the winter.

“I really enjoy doing it,” he said. “I love being around the kids and the parents. And of course, Scott Robertson and the whole crew at Grand Haven are fantastic to work with.”

Verwey and his wife of 49 years, Debbie, have two children, sons Gerry and Jeffrey.