Hans Vander Plaats @ Oxford

As reported earlier on Radio Iowa, the oldest son of GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats is going to Oxford.  Here's the relevant portion of that July 22, 2009 story about a candidate forum:

The forum's limited time for candidate answers didn't give the men much time to share biographical information with the crowd, although Bob Vander Plaats, a business consultant from Sioux City, did offer a bit of family news while lamenting the "brain drain" which sees many young Iowans leave the state after college.

"My oldest son's in New York City on an internship right now; just got accepted to study at Oxford University. He's a bright kid — takes after his mom," Vander Plaats said. "…In order for him to come back to Iowa, we need leadership that produces or creates an environment where businesses can develop, thrive and succeed."

Today, before a news conference at the statehouse started, Vander Plaats and his wife, Darla, revealed they will be flying to Great Britian later this month see their son, Hans.

According to Darla Vander Plaats, Hans started a British landscape course yesterday.  His parents are leaving the U.S. September 29th and will return October 10.  "The wife said, 'We're going,'" Bob Vander Plaats joked with reporters about the upcoming trip. "You've got this little thing called a campaign in the midst of it."

"…What's kind of cool is (Hans Vander Plaats) started his own blog.  It's a lot more affordable way for us to communicate and stay up-to-date with what he's doing, He laid down a challenge 'cause he said his mother would be his most loyal follower, so I've been posting all the time on his blog to try to beat his mother out."

Hans Vander Plaats has done two internships with AXA Equitable.  "I always say AXA's like Principal on steroid," Bob Vander Plaats said. "…He's been offered a job there.  That's good. We're not all that excited about that but if he wants to do that, we'll cheer him on. But hopefully some day he'll want to come back."

As for that reference in July to Hans "taking after his mother," Bob Vander Plaats suggested today that he, too, made a contribution to his son's acumen in finances.  Darla Vander Plaats was a C.P.A. 

"I always tell people that she counted other people's money until started counting kids and I taught accounting," Bob Vander Plaats said.  "I always tell people we're all Dutch, so money's very important to us."