In 1990 the Joseph Stevens Freedom Endowment was established by Grand Valley from the proceeds of his book, Good Morning, and the contributions of individuals. The endowment funds lectures related to human rights and freedom. To learn more about Mr. Stevens and his history, see the Joseph Stevens Freedom Endowment site.

Mr. Stevens, a native of Poland, immigrated to the U.S. in 1949 and moved to Grand Rapids from Detroit in 1956 where he founded National Correct Color Service. Stevens evaded Hitler’s World War II death camps by concealing his Jewish identity, and he was a leader in the underground raids against Nazi soldiers. Through the efforts of Grand Valley President Emeritus Arend D. Lubbers, Stevens’ wartime experiences were published in a book, Good Morning, in 2001.

Stevens’ relationship with Grand Valley began in 1988, when he spoke about his war memories to a new class about the Holocaust, established by political science professor William Baum. It was Stevens’ first time talking publicly about his experiences. His sons Richard and Jack had encouraged him to write down his stories to preserve them. When Lubbers heard about the compelling lectures and the manuscript, he determined it would become Grand Valley’s first university-published book. English Department faculty members became involved in the project, Baum wrote the preface, and Hank Meijer, of Meijer, Inc. underwrote production costs. Mr. Stevens died in December 2011, just prior to his 94th birthday. 

A Tribute to William Baum

Professor Emeritus William Baum, a professor at Grand Valley for 40 years, came to the university in 1965 to teach political science. Dr. Baum planted the seeds of a program of Holocaust Studies at GVSU. Baum earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in political science from Kalamazoo College and a doctorate in political theory from the University of Iowa. His teaching career began at Creighton University and South East Missouri State College. His areas of expertise included the Holocaust, Constitutional law and George Orwell. He had a major influence on thousands of students over the years. 

Dr. Baum's scholarly work on the Holocaust gave roots to the book, Good Morning by Joseph Stevens, and to two WGVU documentaries. Professor Baum retired in 2005. Following his death in 2007, an endowment in his name was established to bring outstanding speakers to the GVSU campus.