Alice Besseling

Alice Besseling
Born	October 23, 1944[1] Venhuizen
Died	January 22, 2014 (aged 69) Leiden
Nationality	Dutch
Other names	Alida Cornelia Maria
Political party	CDA
Awards	Order of Orange-Nassau

Alida Cornelia Maria "Alice" Besseling (23 October 1944 – 22 January 2014) was a city council member for the CDA in the Dutch city of Alphen aan den Rijn, and a local and social activist who was instrumental in the recognition of the Jewish cemetery in her hometown. For her work on the city council, her advocacy of women in her political party, and her community activism she was made a member of the Order of Orange-Nassau in 2008.

Biography

Alice Besseling was born into a Roman Catholic family in Hem, a small community in West-Friesland, in 1944. From a young age she was interested in governance, first in youth organizations and later in professional organizations – in 1971 she was working for IBM when the Dutch government passed legislation mandating works councils for larger corporations, and she became the first elected member of the IBM works council.^[2] After her marriage she moved to Alphen aan den Rijn, where in 1978 she was elected to the city council for the newly formed Christian Democratic Appeal, a centrist-right coalition of Christian parties. She served on the city council until 1990. During her tenure she was active in supporting weaker members of society; she claimed that "social policy is too important to leave to left-wing parties".^[3] With a neighbor, Anke Bakker, she spent fifteen years researching the abandoned and razed Jewish cemetery on the Aarkade in Alphen aan den Rijn,^[4] uncovering much of the local Jewish history in the process (later the topic of a book by Bakker^[5]). In 2012, the city turned the abandoned cemetery into a city park and placed a monument remembering the Jewish community.^[6] Besseling was a founding member of the local women's group for the CDA, and until her death she was a member of her party's provincial women's group.^[7] In 2008, her contributions to the community were rewarded with membership in the Order of Orange-Nassau.^[8]

After resigning from the Alphen city council, she worked for eleven years at the Centre for Law in the Information Society at Leiden University, and retired in 2010.^[9]

Other community activities in Alphen includes founding^[3] and serving as a board member of a dance club for elderly singles,^[10] as president of the local athletic association Avanti,^[11] and as lector in Alphen's St. Boniface church.^[7]

References

1. "Stamboom Theodorus (Dorus) Besseling" (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 March 2014.
2. Asselt, Dennis van (February 2014). "Portret, Alice Besseling: 'Je moet knokken als je echt iets wilt veranderen'". OR Informatie (in Dutch). p. 15.
3. "In Memoriam: Alice Besseling" (in Dutch). Leidsch.nu. 25 January 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
4. "Lezing: de zichtbaarheid van de Joodse gemeenschap in Alphen aan de Rijn" (in Dutch). Centrum Architectuur en Stedenbouw Alphen aan den Rijn. September 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
5. "Van Joodse begraafplaats tot Rustplaats Aarkade - Anne Bakker" (in Dutch). Meerboeken. 2007. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
6. "Joodse begraafplaats omgevormd tot stadspark - Alphen aan den Rijn" (in Dutch). Dichtbij.nl. 16 September 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
7. Frequin, Vincent (28 January 2014). "Oud CDA-raadslid Alice Besseling (1944-2014) overleden". Dichtbij.nl. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
8. "Overvloedige Leidse lintjesregen" (in Dutch). Leiden University. 29 April 2008. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
9. "Alice Besseling overleden" (in Dutch). Leiden University. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
10. "Dansclub weg omdat drankje ontbreekt". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). 22 October 2008. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
11. Egmond, Theo van (8 November 2012). "Avanti bruist na vijftig jaar nog als vanouds". Alphens Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 31 January 2014.