Broer Doekele (B.D.) Dykstra (November 21, 1871 - March 29, 1955) was a
Dutch American
Dutch Americans ( nl, Nederlandse Amerikanen) are Americans of Dutch descent whose ancestors came from the Netherlands in the recent or distant past. Dutch settlement in the Americas started in 1613 with New Amsterdam, which was exchanged with ...
pastor,
educator
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
, and
poet who wrote several books, served as editor of the ''Volksvriend'' Dutch-language
newspaper, and was a visible member of the
Reformed Church in America
The Reformed Church in America (RCA) is a Mainline Protestant, mainline Reformed tradition, Reformed Protestant Christian denomination, denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 152,317 members. From its beginning in 1628 unti ...
. Known in the RCA as "the man on the bicycle," he operated a small publishing house with his sons and traveled door-to-door to sell his books.
Dykstra was born "Broer Dijkstra" in
Pingjum,
Friesland in 1871, son of Doekele Dijkstra and Beitske van der Schaaf. The family emigrated to the United States in 1882. He became an avid
pacifist
Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...
.
He was a student at Orange City Academy, now
Northwestern College in the late 19th century; today, the school offers the Dykstra-Muste-Nelson Peace Scholarship in his,
A.J. Muste
Abraham Johannes Muste ( ; January 8, 1885 – February 11, 1967) was a Dutch-born American clergyman and political activist. He is best remembered for his work in the labor movement, pacifist movement, antiwar movement, and civil rights movemen ...
's, and
Ronald R. Nelson's honor. He died in
Orange City, Iowa
Orange City is a city in, and the county seat of, Sioux County, Iowa, United States. Its population was 6,267 in the 2020 census, an increase from 5,582 in 2000. Named after William of Orange, the community maintains its Dutch settler tradition ...
, United States, in 1955.
Several of his sons became prominent educators and theologians.
D. Ivan Dykstra was a professor of
philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
at
Hope College,
Wesley C. Dykstra held the same position at
Alma College, and
Vergil Dykstra
Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: th ...
served as president of
George Mason University
George Mason University (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The university was origin ...
.
Books by Dykstra
*''Ten Eeuwigen Vrede'' or ''For Everlasting Peace'', 1937
*''Door Californië Per Fiets in 1936'' or ''Through California by Bicycle'', 1939
*''Geloof en Leven'' or ''Belief and Life'', 1941
*''Korte Gedichten'' or ''Short Poems''
See also
*
List of peace activists
References
External links
Northwestern CollegegoDutch.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dykstra, B. D.
1871 births
1955 deaths
American pacifists
American male writers
American people of Frisian descent
Calvinist pacifists
Dutch emigrants to the United States
Reformed Church in America members
People from Wûnseradiel