At Elmhurst University’s 155th Commencement, alumnus Henry Holzkamper ’63 and his wife, Jan Moore Holzkamper, will receive an honorary doctoral degree for their achievements as entrepreneurs, adventurers and philanthropists.

The Holzkampers will be awarded the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. Henry Holzkamper, who passed away in 2020, will receive the degree posthumously. Jan Moore Holzkamper will accept the degree on behalf of them both, and also will deliver the commencement address to the Class of 2026.

Jan Moore Holzkamper is a graduate of St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, where she majored in communications. Henry Holzkamper, who was born and raised in Chicago, graduated from then-Elmhurst College in 1963 with a degree in business administration. He started his career as a distributive education teacher. After reading a book about the real estate business, he began investing in rental properties.

In the 1980s, when interest rates soared, Holzkamper bought a powerboat and launched a charter boat business in the Virgin Islands—his boat became one of the most-booked in the Caribbean. He was aboard the boat when it was destroyed by Hurricane Marilyn in 1995. After that, the Holzkampers moved to Florida and started over, gradually building back their property management business.

Along the way, they took their sailboat from Chicago to the Virgin Islands and back three times, and Henry Holzkamper sailed solo another time between Bermuda and New York.

Throughout their life together, the Holzkampers were generous to the people and causes that were meaningful to them, including Elmhurst University.

The University’s 155th commencement ceremonies will take place on Friday, May 22, at the Rosemont Theatre in Rosemont, Illinois.