Eight new street signs were revealed on campus. The various paths were named after late alumni and PhD candidates of Radboud University. Surviving relatives were invited to the unveiling. ‘It’s an incredible honour that they named a path after my father, out of all the students who attended here.’

What do the first Dutch female surgeon, a politician from Curaçao, and the sister of famous film maker Joris Ivens all have in common? As of today, they and six other individuals have a street sign on the Radboud University campus with their name on it.

The street signs were unveiled during a tour in the presence of around 60 surviving relatives and other interested parties. The group set off around 4 pm for a tour across the campus. At the reveal of the Thea Ivens path, the cloth did get caught on a corner for a bit, but once the sign was revealed, there was a long but serene applause.

Surinam

The area surrounding the Maria Montessori building has had a lot of work done over the past few years; that work included the construction of several new paths. It was previously announced that these paths would be named after deceased alumni and PhD candidates of the university.

For instance, the path that leads from the Erasmuslaan bus stop near the Dentistry building to the Grotius building has been named the Douwine Norel path, after the first registered female surgeon in the Netherlands – also the first woman who got her PhD in medicine in Nijmegen. The path going from the Berchmanianum building to the Mario Montessori building has been named after lecturer and dean Gerard Leckie (1943-1982), who, after obtaining his PhD, stood up for democratic and academic values in his home country of Surinam; he was killed for his ideals in the infamous December murders of 1982.

‘It feels very strange and unreal’, says Natalie Lecke, one of Gerard’s two daughters present for the unveiling. ‘I do think it’s an incredible honour that they named a path after my father, out of all the students who attended here.’

Leckie received an email from university historian Jan Brabers in February 2022, asking her consent to name a path on campus after her father. ‘I forwarded the question to one of my dad’s living sisters. Just like me and my sister, she thought it was a wonderful idea, so I replied that we would appreciate it. This is a very nice moment for us.’

Car accident

Students Boukje Niewold and Roos de Jong, who died in 2001, also have paths named after them. Together with professor Jos de Waele, they died in a car accident while doing field work in Pompei. In addition to these, several other former students and PhD candidates can be found on the campus map. There are paths named after Rein van der Velde (1984-1982), professor of classical languages; Fritz Polak, who died in Auschwitz; Curaçao politician Moises Frumencio da Costa Gomez (1907-1999); and women’s rights advocate Ida Groenewout (1909-1999).

And last but not least, the name of Thea Ivens (1906-1996), sister to Joris Ivens (1917-1943), has now also been immortalised on campus. During her life, Thea made significant contributions to both the university and the Nijmegen municipal council.

Translated by Jasper Pesch