Former UWSP Library Director and Archivist Dies

Nelis R. Kampenga, 95, died on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2004, at the Portage County Health Care Center. 

The Nelis R. Kampenga University Archives was named in honor of the emeritus professor who served the university from 1941 until his retirement in 1974. He was among the first archivists in the State University System.

During his 33-year tenure at UWSP, Kampenga also served as library director and was instrumental in the establishment of the first federal documents depository in the teachers college system and the first Area Research Center. Active in the Portage County Historical Society, he played an important role in having the collections of the society housed and cared for in the University Archives. He also served on the Portage County Preservation Projects Inc. and the Plover Plan Commission.

Throughout his career and his life, Kampenga was an advocate for strong ties between the university and the community. His career as a librarian spanned 52 years, beginning in his hometown as a schoolboy in 1922. He grew up in Muskegon, Mich., and earned two bachelor’s degrees and a master of arts in library science from the University of Michigan.

He is survived by his wife, Marjorie Gerson Kampenga, a retired UWSP vocal music teacher, who lives in Stevens Point.

A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Boston Funeral Home, with a visitation beginning at 2 p.m. His ashes will be buried in Muskegon, Mich.  A memorial is established in his name in lieu of flowers for the UWSP Library-Learning Resource Center.