From the Netherlands to Mangum
An exchange student’s time spent in Southwest Oklahoma is a life-changer for his parents
BY ALICIA BALLOR SPECIAL TO THE LAWTON CONSTITUTION
MANGUM — The seeds of a local business were planted during an exchange student program in Altus five years ago. What has blossomed, with much effort, is that a Dutch couple who have been whole-heartedly welcomed into the community and who have whole-heartedly given back to that community in myriad ways.
Will and An Sanders, originally from Geldrop, the Netherlands, fell in love with Southwest Oklahoma when their son, Willem, spent his senior year of high school in the student exchange program at Altus.
A love of travel
During Willem’s time in Altus, the Sanderses came to the United States to visit their son and took a 7,000-mile road trip to tour the area. What they discovered during their visit was a pull toward Southwest Oklahoma.
After their son expressed a desire to live and work in the U.S. when he completed his university studies, the Sanderses looked into buying a house in Altus. The idea, Will Sanders said, “was to use the house for leisure and travel” when they visited their son. “When early retirement came, we didn’t have anything to do,” he said. And a house in Altus would mean a starting place for Willem to begin his career.
After looking at many houses in the area, they found the Whitehouse Bed and Breakfast in Mangum. At first, “we said no, it’s too much work,” Will Sanders recalled. Eventually, however, they were pulled back to it. “If it was empty, we could save money and renovate it,” especially if there was a way to make a private living space in it, he said.
And with that, Will and An Sanders set their labor of love into motion. After working to obtain Visas and permission to own and operate a business in the U.S., Will and An packed up their house in the Netherlands and shipped all of their belongings to Mangum.
It wasn’t an easy process. And the story of their entry into the U.S. is often told with a twinkle in the eye and a knowing smile that a laugh will ensue when someone asks about the owners of The Mangum Whitehouse Bed & Breakfast.
