In 1974 Dick VanderVeen made national news when he became the first Democrat from Grand Rapids elected to Congress in 60 years. His campaign calling for President Nixon's resignation had turned the race into a referendum on Watergate, and the victory was a historical turning point in that national drama. From his journals: "What was happening in our special election became political news all around the country. In the last days of the campaign reporters and TV crews from Washington, New York and around the world began to appear. Marion fed a BBC television crew in the kitchen on Edgemere....

In 1974 Dick VanderVeen made national news when he became the first Democrat from Grand Rapids elected to Congress in 60 years. His campaign calling for President Nixon's resignation had turned the race into a referendum on Watergate, and the victory was a historical turning point in that national drama. From his journals: "What was happening in our special election became political news all around the country. In the last days of the campaign reporters and TV crews from Washington, New York and around the world began to appear. Marion fed a BBC television crew in the kitchen on Edgemere....