Anniversary Date: November 29, 1974

Love Story: Our first date was on a Friday the 13th in November of our freshman year. Kathy invited me to an inter-sorority dance in the dining hall. We had a good time, so it's hard to explain why it took me almost two years before I asked her for a second date. It just did. Our second date was also a Friday the 13th, when I asked Kathy to be my Homecoming date. I knew from that time on that I could see myself marrying her and growing old together. Our only class together was Interterm '74, when we spent a month in Italy studying the Renaissance with a group led by Dr. Darlene Ritter (at the time just "Miss Ritter"). We became engaged during the spring semester of our senior year and got married the day after Thanksgiving that year. Now here we are, two kids (Sarah and Mike), two granddaughters (Lily and Junie), and almost 43 years later, doing our best to grow old together. We have maintained ties to Midland classmates and the campus, where I have taught and work part-time in the Writing Center. Midland has been good to us, preparing us for satisfying careers, but more important, it brought us together for life.