On January 17 this year, Terry Van Der Aa passed away at the age of 79 in Florida. 

Van Der Aa was a husband, father, and grandfather. But many in the school transportation industry knew him as a school bus contractor and consultant.

A long-time Illinois resident, Van Der Aa was born on January 16, 1946. Early schooling cemented the foundation of his Christian faith. Soon to be an entrepreneur, his father founded what became Vancom, a transportation company, in 1925. At 25 years old, he took over the business as co-owner. His obituary mentions his pivotal role in turning it into the largest privately held school bus company in the United States, as well as international collaborations that introduced competitive practices and the privatization of transit operations in the Netherlands.

Serving as president of Vancom Inc. during the company’s 60th anniversary in 1985, Van Der Aa managed 1,200 vehicles operating out of 15 facilities. He was recognized for his enterprise and initiative in 1985 when he was named the School Bus FleetContractor of the Year. 

A two-time president of NSTA (first from 1978-1979 and a second term from 1983-1984), he also served on the board of the Illinois School Transportation Association. He received the Golden Merit Award in 1973 and the Hall of Fame Award in 1997.

Van Der Aa was involved in his community and the organizations he believed in, too. He was passionate about prison ministry and will be laid to rest in a casket handcrafted by prisoners at Louisiana State Penitentiary, according to his obit. He supported the Calvin Prison Initiative; the "Terry Van Der Aa Legacy Award" honors contributions to the program. 

He also a founding member of Providence Bank & Trust, serving as chairman of the Board, and also served on the boards of the Prison Seminaries Foundation, The Brooklyn Tabernacle, Timothy Christian Schools, Trinity Christian College, Calvin University, Ingalls Memorial Hospital, and the University of Chicago Hospitals. 

Terry lived by the motto, "Anything worth doing is worth doing well."

Memorial contributions are being accepted at Prison Seminaries Foundation.

View Van Der Aa's obituary online here.