Early Life and Military Service
Boven was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1925. He was the second of four sons born to Thomas Boven and Jessie Knapper. His parents were immigrants from the Netherlands, having come from Groningen. Boven was raised on the north side of Kalamazoo and attended Lincoln Junior High School. He then developed into a successful athlete at Kalamazoo Central High School where he lettered in football, baseball, and basketball. He graduated from Central in 1943 and, after his graduation, enlisted in the United States Army to serve in Europe during World War II. He was a Gunnery Sergeant with the American Third Army and arrived at Omaha Beach on D-Day plus two. He also fought with the Third Army at the Battle of the Bulge. Following World War II, Boven returned to Kalamazoo where he enrolled at Western Michigan University with the help of the G.I. Bill to study for a degree in education.
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