Written by Stephanie Gordon
To Amy Schaefer Waldvogel, ’91, Hillsdale, Michigan, is more than the College. It’s family history and countless memories. It’s home.
Amy grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and spent many summers, holidays, and weekends venturing to the city of Hillsdale, which she called a “comfortable place.” Her grandparents lived on Bacon Street, and Amy’s father, Donald, ’56, graduated from Hillsdale High School in the late ’40s.
Donald ventured “up the hill” to attend Hillsdale College, and during his junior year in 1951, decided to join the United States Air Force. In the Air Force, Donald discovered a passion for medicine, and following an honorable discharge in 1955, he returned to Hillsdale College to complete his premedical education.
He then met Amy’s mother, Jacqueline Cameron, ’56. The couple married one week after graduating from Hillsdale College. Donald earned his medical degree from the University of Michigan in 1960 and spent many years practicing at Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo.
“For two summers in high school, I came to Hillsdale College for tennis camp,” recalled Amy. “I stayed in the dorms, and that’s when I got to know the Hillsdale campus. Hillsdale College was the only school I wanted to attend. I wanted a college that would hold me accountable and would allow me to connect with professors.”
Amy’s father encouraged her to try out for the women’s Chargers tennis team. “I was a walk-on tennis player, and I played doubles for three years,” Amy explained. “For me, it was a great way to meet friends and be part of the team. I still love to play, but pickleball is easier on my knees these days.”
The early childhood education major and psychology minor spent a lot of time at Mary Randall Preschool. “Dr. Kathleen Connor and Chris Flowers were figureheads at that time,” Amy said. “They were very influential to me and taught me so much. I loved doing student-teaching with them and being a part of Mary Randall. My education classes were pretty special.”
Amy met her husband, John, ’91, during her junior year. She was a Kappa Kappa Gamma and John was a Delta Sigma Phi—just like Amy’s parents. After graduation, Amy was a substitute teacher in the Kalamazoo area while John taught at Hillsdale Academy. The couple married in 1994.
“John taught for four years, and we thought his teaching job would be a stepping stone,” said Amy. “I did not have a teaching job at that time, but I started working at Maribeth’s, a local boutique in downtown Hillsdale. I became pregnant with our first child, Sam, and didn’t end up teaching.”
In 1996, John switched careers and became a financial advisor for Edward Jones. “I thought this could be a ticket out of Hillsdale,” laughed Amy. “I thought maybe we would move to a bigger area, but John came home one day and said he’d like to open his office in Hillsdale.”
For the Waldvogels, it was the best decision they ever made. John and Amy had three more children: Charlie, and twins Jake, ’26, and Emma. “Although I didn’t use my degree in a way I had anticipated, I do feel like many of the techniques I learned while working with young children at Mary Randall truly helped me become a better mom,” said Amy. “I feel very blessed to have been a stay-at-home mom to four great children.”
And while Amy stayed home with the children, it allowed her to volunteer and get out in the community. “I was involved with the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority house as the advisory board chairman for 25 years,” Amy said. “I’ve also spent 25 years on the Hillsdale College Board of Women Commissioners, which helps raise funds for student scholarships and maintain Mary Randall Preschool, which is dear to my heart. Our children attended Hillsdale Academy, so I dedicated my time to serving the school in multiple ways. John still helps announce varsity volleyball and basketball games for the Academy.”
The Waldvogel children are now grown, and Amy and John are empty nesters. Their oldest, Sam, is married and works with John at Edward Jones in Hillsdale. Charlie is getting married in the summer of 2025, Jake is a junior at Hillsdale College, and Emma is a junior at Hope College. “It’s been fun to be parents of a Hillsdale College student,” said Amy. “I can now see how much my parents loved having me here.”
Amy and John are enjoying their adult children and hope many grandchildren will come visit Hillsdale someday—just like Amy and her siblings did. “Looking back on these past 30 years, we feel so blessed we stayed in Hillsdale,” Amy said. “I cannot imagine living anywhere else. It’s such a great, safe community, and it’s been fun to see the changes in both the College and the community.”
Stephanie Gordon, a lifelong Hillsdale native, is the managing editor of Virtue and Valor: The Official Blog of Hillsdale College. She is married to chiropractor, Dr. Matt Gordon, and has three children – Eloise, Flora, and Jack. When she has a spare moment, she enjoys paleo baking, floating on Baw Beese Lake, and breaking a sweat at the gym.
Published in April 2025
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