Cory SerVaas

Cory Synhorst SerVaas (June 21, 1924 – March 6, 2020) was an American editor, inventor, and doctor. She edited the Lionel train magazine and The Saturday Evening Post. Her work included hosting a weekly health show, advocating for health issues, translating medical terminology, and using mobile health screeners.

Personal life SerVaas was born on June 21, 1924, outside of Pella, Iowa, to John Dirk and Gertrude Roorda Synhorst. She had two siblings. She began elementary school when she was 4 years old at West Amsterdam and graduated high school when she was 15 years old. Had she graduated high school at an older age, SerVaas would have gone into a teaching career soon after. She began attending Central College in Pella in 1940 and she graduated in 1942. SerVaas took a journalism course at the University of Iowa after graduating from Central College in 1946, later completing graduate work in New York City at Columbia University. After Buert purchased The Saturday Evening Post in 1970, SerVaas was the editor-in-chief. SerVaas translated medical terminology into easy explanations and wrote two columns, Medical Mailbox and Ask Cory, as part of the magazine's staff. In 1980, Servaas was elected to the University Iowa Hall of Fame for journalism. She traveled to Des Moines, Iowa, in January 1985 to share her thoughts on high-lysine corn having the ability to help end hunger in Africa, to end famine, and stop protein deficiency. She was a host of a weekly health show on the Christian Broadcasting Network, in which she was an advocate for preventive healthcare and other health topics.

During the 1980s, SerVaas used mobile units which could find heart diseases and cancers. President Ronald Reagan made her part of the President's Commission on the HIV Epidemic in 1987, and George H. W. Bush had her as part of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sport in 1990. SerVaas created the Tulip Time Scholarship Games in 1993, which gave students the opportunity to win scholarships for competing athletically and academically. She worked on the Central College Advisory Board and National Advisory Council.