“Aquinas College joins the West Michigan community and beyond in mourning the loss of Lena Meijer. We hold Lena close to our hearts as we celebrate her full life and feel deep gratitude for the truly remarkable contributions she and her late husband, Fred, made to our community.
As parents of an Aquinas College Alumnus, both Lena and Fred generously supported many initiatives at Aquinas during their lifetimes. One of their most notable contributions was leading the establishment of the Lena E.S. Meijer Endowed Professorship in the history of art through the support of the Meijer Foundation. They had the foresight to tie the professorship to the curator position at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. This endowed chair provides a platform to connect students and faculty at Aquinas with a premier collection of modern and contemporary sculpture. It also allows students to study with a practicing curator at a major museum. In 2005, both Lena and Fred received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Aquinas to recognize their lifelong contributions to the cultural arts in Grand Rapids.
Lena and Fred leave an incredible legacy that will forever be part of this community. On behalf of the Aquinas community, we offer our prayers and deepest condolences to the Meijer family.”