John D. DeVRIES was born in Liberty Township of Ringgold County, one of five children in the Carl and Violet (SMITH) DeVRIES family. When John was thirteen-years-old, Carl had just bought a farm near Delphos in 1949 when Violet died suddenly. Unable to stay of the farm after Violet's death, Carl sold the farm and worked as a tenant farmer. He later remarried to Jane ANDERSON DUFFIELD.

John graduated in 1954 from Mount Ayr High School, finishing third in his class.

John did well on his achievement scholarship tests in Creston, earning a $150 scholarship from Iowa State University. After taking some time away from his studies in 1955 and 1956, John graduated from ISU in 1959, owing $500 on his tutition and having a wife and two children in the home.

While working for Ernst and Young as a staff accountant, John earned his MBA degree from the University of Iowa in 1961. In 1967, John worked for Mid Contintent Bottlers of Des Moines as a financial officer. He was promoted in 1972 as executive vice-president.

John acquired a commercial printing company in 1985, Waverly Publication Company of Waverly, Iowa. He also purchased a small design firm and brought it into the Colorfx business. The company merged in 1989 with Kimberly Guess Company. This merger gave John access to a certain type of press that his business needed. Colorfx is the largest privately owned commercial printing company in the state of Iowa. with a customer base from many Midwestern States, California, Oregon, New Jersey, and Kentucky. Colorfx has 245 full-time employees in their three locations, Waverly, West Des Moines, and East Des Moines.

John was elected governor of the Iowa State University Foundation in 1984. He has served on the Dean's Advisory Council as president between 1987 and 1989, and has been involved in the leadership of the Iowa State University College of Business and the Founders Fund Society as chairman. John has served with the Iowa Association of Business and Industry, the Des Moines Chamber of Commerce, and as chair of the Iowa Association in 1993. He belongs to the Des Moines Golf and Country Club.

John and wife Ruth are the parents of five grown children and have six grandchildren. They are active in the West Des Moines United Methodist Church and have rarely miss a home ISU basketball or football game.

The John D. DeVRIES Service Award was established in 1985 to recognize an individual who has demonstrated outstanding service to ISU.

John DeVRIES retired in August of 2007 to pursue other interests.

SOURCE: FETTY, Jack. Rings of Gold Pp. 14-21. Palindrome Pub. Co. Iowa. 2007.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, June of 2010