Harriett Whetsell Welshonce ’43 and James Welshonce
Elkins, West Virginia

After I graduated from Wesleyan in 1943, I spent a year doing graduate work at Columbia University and two years teaching at Sullins College for Women at Bristol, VA. In the summer of 1946, I returned to the Alma Mater as executive secretary to the new president, Dr. William J. Scarborough.

In 1948, there was a vacancy in the economic department. One day, Dr. Scarborough handed me the file of applicants and said, “Go through them and see what you find.” For many years, the Wesleyan president’s secretary had married one of the professors. I think he had that in mind when he handed me the file.

Being single and available, I naturally looked for, in addition to academic qualities, age and marital status. After searching, I found a candidate who met my requirements. His name was James Rogers Welshonce.

I then proceeded to send him an application for the position. After receiving a reply from him that he was interested, I arranged a time for him to meet the Administrative Committee for an interview.

When the day arrived, he entered my office adjacent to the president’s. We chatted a bit before he was called to the inner sanctum. After awhile, he left the committee meeting and my office. Dr. Scarborough came to my desk and said, Well, we liked him – what do you think?” I replied, “He seemed alright to me.” Dr. Scarborough said, “Then draw up a contract,” which I did and it turned out to be one for life.

When the school year began, he stopped by my office several times to exchange pleasantries. We had our first date following the fall reception for faculty and staff at the president’s home.

In January 1950, we were both attendants in the wedding of Wesleyan friends at which my boss was the minister. At the reception, he came to us and took his little black book and said, “When can I write down a date for you two?” He then suggested that since Easter was the first week in April, April 2 would be a good time because we would have the week for a honeymoon. We looked at each other and blushed with embarrassment.

On the next Monday, Mr. Welshonce put his head in his office and said, “By the way, that date’s alright with me if it is for you.” My heart skipped beats – we hurried over to tell my parents. They formally announced our engagement at a lovely dinner party at the Country Club on Valentine’s Day which was attended by friends and college associates.
And then it was rush, rush for my parents and me to make the many plans for a church wedding on Palm Sunday, April 2 in Elkins. (We broke all the rules of church etiquette to be married on such a Holy day.) It was a beautiful wedding with seven childhood and college friends as attendants.

Jim had been a Navy pilot during World War II and his groomsmen were Navy and college friends. Dr. Scarborough and Chaplain Robert Schneck officiated.

We always said we chose April 2, 1950 so we would celebrate our 50th in the year 2000. We did, and incidentally, we celebrated with a dinner on Sunday, April 2, 2000, the exact day. I am happy to say that we accomplished that goal and have had almost 55 years of happily married life.

During this time, our son and daughter, two grandsons, a daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law have graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan.

1950's
Sidney Challenger ’51 and Mary Ellen Lawson Challenger ‘51
Trumbull, Connecticut

I entered Wesleyan in the fall of 1947 and Sid transferred in 1948. In those days, we had mandatory chapel and were seated alphabetically. His last name began with “C” and mine with “L.” I could "see" him at least twice a week. As a pledge in Alpha Gamma Delta, I had to invite a date for our hayride and I had finally gotten up my nerve to ask him when he met me outside of chapel and asked me to go to the movies. We have been together ever since. We will celebrate our 53rd anniversary in April. We have been blessed with two great sons, two wonderful daughters-in-law and two fabulous granddaughters. Life has been kind to us. We have been back to Wesleyan several times over the years whenever we visit family in Clarksburg. The college becomes lovelier with the passing years and we hope that it prospers for many more.

Joseph Perez ’52 and Joanne Robinson Perez ‘53
Adrian, Michigan

Joanne was just a small town West Virginia girl. And Joe! He was from New York City! What on earth could these two persons have in common? Well, one common thread was that both of them were Methodist, so naturally they attended the Sunday evening Youth Fellowship Meetings. There were so many activities on campus—Sadie Hawkins Day, plays in the old Atkinson Chapel, required Chapel twice a week, sorority dances, choir tours and walks around the tree covered campus, not to mention classes. Also there was the May Sing and, of course, Homecoming. This all campus event always involved decorating floats for the big parade and then attending the Homecoming Dance.

We even found time to study together in the Library in the evenings, leaving promptly at 8:45 because young women had to be in the dorm by 9 p.m. Walking back to the girl’s dorm under the beautiful West Virginia skies, we had time to share and have that good-night kiss which was interrupted by the jingling of Miss Nellie Wilson’s keys signaling that it was time for all proper young ladies to sign in and go to their rooms and for the young men to head for the barracks!

During Joe’s senior year, on the walk in front of the AD Building down by the sundial Joe told Joanne that he had decided to go to Boston University School of Theology. This was a turning point in their lives. Joe and Joanne were married two years later. This past June, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with their children and friends. Their journey through life has led them to many parts of the world, but they still cherish those years at Wesleyan and the friendships with classmates that have endured.

Jim Gabbert ‘54 and Carol Cornell Gabbert ‘55
Des Peres, Missouri

Jim and Carol Gabbert met at Wesleyan during the early 1950s. Jim was a sophomore, taking freshman chemistry in 1951 from Dr. Nicholas Hyma in order to fulfill a requirement for a physical science teaching field, and Carol Cornell was a pre-nursing student. Jim used to notice this very pretty freshman girl walking into class, usually with a pleasant smile on her face, never expecting to really meet her. It turns out during this year, his life was changed in more ways than one. Later, under Dr. Hyma’s guidance, he changed his major to chemistry, and the following autumn, he began dating this young lady.

In October 1951, the Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority sisters made a group call to the Theta Chi Fraternity house to ask various members to attend a hay ride they were sponsoring. After overcoming his disbelief, shock and amazement at being asked by Carol, Jim readily accepted and thoroughly enjoyed the evening. He later reciprocated with an invitation to Carol to attend a Theta Chi “Mississippi Pine Ride” (a hayride with pine boughs--different, albeit not very original). The second date was thwarted when Jim had to break the date with one-day notice to go home for a family funeral.

Jim found Carol very understanding of the situation and later she accepted his second attempt by agreeing to attend the 1952 Homecoming Dance with him. This was more difficult for Jim than appears on the surface, since he is not and has never been a dancer. He was also well aware that he would be required to dance with Carol and only four other couples for one dance, since he was escorting the sophomore attendant to the Homecoming Queen.

Thus began their relationship which has lasted fifty four years, including three years separation while they finished school, Jim at the University of Delaware Graduate School, and Carol at Cornell Medical Center Nursing School in New York City. They were married in 1956 and have four children and eight grandchildren. Jim retired from Monsanto after 35 years, and Carol is retired from 25 years teaching pre-school.

Fred Lanting ’57 and Jeanne Cook Lanting ‘60
Union Grove, Alabama

The writer of "When Worlds Collide" was not thinking of a Yankee boy and an Appalachian girl, but when Jeanne and I met, it was a coming together of different worlds. I was in my third and graduating year with no particular life plan yet, except to get a job, and she was a freshman who had lived in Buckhannon and currently was from a Clarksburg suburb. One day I met a trio of friends heading back to "Agony Inn" (Agnes Howard Hall, the girls' dorm), and we chatted. One was Arlene, a tall, thin, rich girl from New York City; the second was Sharon, an upstate New York farm-country girl; the third was the petite cutie with those 1950s "cat's eyes" glasses with the pointy hinge ends. My former girlfriend had been big, overbearing, and contentious, so the contrast with this friendly well-mannered featherweight was one reason I was immediately drawn to her. Much later I learned that she already knew of and had some interest in me.

One day Sharon asked "What are you going to do with 'Cookie' when you graduate?" and my subconscious answered for me, "Take her with me." Not the most romantic proposal, but it must have worked. I don't remember Jeanne's reaction, just Sharon's: she almost floated from the floor with a Cheshire-cat grin. We were married on March 21, 1957 with Sharon and my former roommate Harold as attendants. The following day, I aced the Kinesiology mid-term exam with lots of kidding by the others that I had an unfair advantage in practicing the anatomy portion (muscle origins, attachments, and actions) in a cram session that wedding night. When we returned from Spring break, we moved into "the Barracks” ("temporary" veterans housing built more than a dozen years earlier). The two rooms with a tiny kitchen space had no closets, and we hung our clothes on wire hangers stabbed into the drywall. It was home. We even had a puppy who often followed me to class and was tolerated by some professors in their classrooms.

The economically tough start and good home training for both of us must have worked, because we are now looking forward to our 50th anniversary, a relative rarity these days for reasons of less longevity of life and commitments. We hope to celebrate that as well as my 50th class reunion in 2007.

Willard Wassell ’59 and Ann Queen Wassell ‘58
Onsted, Michigan

Bud and I were introduced by one of my Alpha Xi sorority sisters as I was preparing for field hockey practice. I was wearing shin guards and carrying a hockey stick. He watched the practice, and then took for coffee at the SCOW.

We became engaged my senior year and were married two days after I graduated in 1958. Bud had been in the Army before coming to Wesleyan, so he had another year of school. We lived in an apartment in Buckhannon, and I worked in an office at the college typing exams, etc, in 1959. Then we moved to the Detroit area. We have two children and five grandchildren. Bud is retired supervisor form Ford Steel, and I am a retired Renal Dietitian. We have been married 47 years on May 28, 2005.

We have many fond memories of Wesleyan, especially of the SCOW, basketball games, sorority and fraternity parties, and of course, classes.


1960s
Jim Knorr ’63 and Judy Munchmeyer Knorr ‘66
Buckhannon, West Virginia

We were both singing in the West Virginia Wesleyan College tour choir, and the choir was ready to go into our evening concert. Judy, who stood right in front of me in concert position, told me she was not “feeling well!”
We filed in, got into position for the concert in the Chancel area of the Needham Heights Methodist Church, Needham, MA. We had barely started our first song when Judy reached behind and tugged on my robe. Thinking she was just checking and reminding me of what she had told me, I reached forward and touched her elbows as if to say, “I remember, I’m right here!” As soon as I touched her, she fainted back into my arms and we had to carry her out of the concert.

I had never had a woman “fall for me” before! That spring we became engaged and were married that same summer.

After graduation, I took a job teaching in Upshur County Schools to allow Judy to finish school. Now, many years later we are still here in Upshur County. Our long years of teaching music in Upshur County, and now as the city mayor, have given me many wonderful opportunities to work with, and appreciate all Wesleyan means to Buckhannon and especially to me personally!

Jim Chomicz ’66 and Carol Warner Chomicz ‘66
Maylene, Alabama

I had arrived in Buckhannon during August 1962 from Scotch Plains, NJ. I felt like “the city mouse” coming to the country. After a very social freshman year my grades were in need of a boost (more like full CPR) and summer school was inevitable. It was during my summer class of 1963 that I discovered Carol Warner as she walked across campus. That’s exactly what it was, too…a discovery.

I was on a 10 minute class break one hot summer day and, thanks to no air conditioning, the classroom windows were open. As I leaned my head out the window to get some of the fresh, but hot, country air I noticed a tall, slender girl making her way to class. That was all it took and I knew I had to meet her.

Later that day I walked into the newly opened Benedum Center and there at the reception desk was this same girl I had noticed walking across campus. She wasn’t on her way to class as I had thought. She had been on her way to her summer job as information receptionist for the Center. As I approached I noticed a quizzical look on her face as she attempted to use the phone. I asked if there was a problem with the phone and with embarrassment she said, “Well, yes, sort of.” Little did I know, but, this was the first time she had ever used a dial phone. Until that day the way to get connected with someone via the phone in Buckhannon was to just pick up the phone, wait for the operator to answer and then say, “Mabel, can you connect me with Charlotte?” And Mabel would.

After I introduced myself she said her name was Carol Warner and lived in Buckhannon. I guess you could say our first “date” was a lesson in how to dial the phone. Our days at Wesleyan have given us wonderful memories…Audra, Strawberry Festival, Theta Chi, Alpha Gamma Delta, and even required Chapel. We were married in Buckhannon on August 12, 1967. I learned long ago that marriage is not who I can put up with, but rather, who can put up with me. Believe me; Carol has done a remarkable job putting up with me for these 37+ years. Happy Valentine’s Day, Carol.

Jim Montoya ’66 and Carole McCauley Montoya ‘66
Brownsburg, Indiana
There wasn’t Anything Good on at the Movies!

During the Freshmen Mixer in1962, Carole McCauley was introduced to me by Libby Wilson and Marlene Taylor, her suite mates from Agnes Howard Hall. Libby and Marlene were high school buddies of mine from Parkersburg, WV.

Carole and I dated throughout our freshmen year and continued to date during our sophomore year at Wesleyan. In the spring of 1964, we decided to elope to Pearisburg, VA to be married. At that time, women had to sign out of the dorm when they left for the weekend. Carole signed out to go home for the weekend.

We borrowed a 1955 Chevrolet from my Theta Xi brother, Jim Sorber, and drove all night to Pearisburg. After having breakfast in a local café, we went to the courthouse to get our marriage license. There was no required waiting period between the license and getting married in Virginia, so we headed for the Methodist Church where the pastor met us. Following a brief counseling session in his study, we went to the sanctuary to be married. After the ceremony, the local photographer came by and took pictures.

On Saturday evening, April 11, 1964, we spent our “Honeymoon” in a motel in Charleston, WV. We didn’t have the money to go out to dinner, so we fixed grilled cheese sandwiches and mushroom soup on a hot plate in our room. The following day we went to Carole’s home in Elizabeth to tell her parents that we had gotten married. We were having a great time up till then (Go figure!). After stopping by my home in Parkersburg to tell my parents (They were much more understanding. I guess it was because my brother had eloped 10 years earlier and it was not as big a deal) we headed back to campus and completed the semester in separate dorms for the last 6 weeks of classes.

This April, Carole and I will celebrate our 41st wedding anniversary. After the initial shock, I had a great relationship with Carole’s parents. By the way my brother and sister-in-law just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. It just goes to show you, it’s not about how it’s done – it’s about commitment.

1970s
Russ Bush ‘72 and Debbie Fisk Bush ‘71
Buckhannon, West Virginia

During the December break of 1969, I broke up with my high school sweetheart whom I had been dating for over four years. He was attending WV Tech, and I was here at Wesleyan and after 2 1/2 years of long-distance dating, I had just lost my enthusiasm for the relationship. After returning to school in January, I shared my guilt and depression over ending the romance with my friend, Gail Shippey who was a member of Wesleyan’s first jazz band. She decided that it was her job to make me feel better, so she arranged a blind date for me with a trumpet player in the jazz band. I was reluctant to agree, but she didn’t give me much choice. I remember our “date” (on January 16) was that we went to a Wesleyan basketball game because Russ had to play The Star Spangled Banner for the game. At that time, they were in the process of building a new gym, so the games were played at the high school (which is now the middle school). The gym was packed—much different than the games today when people only have to walk across campus to see our teams play. I don’t think either one of us was very impressed with the other on this first date—at least I wasn’t very impressed with Russ. Well, it was partly his fault because I’d chosen a brown plaid wool skirt to wear (we didn’t wear jeans or slacks back then), and he took one look at me and said, “I really don’t like brown.” What was he thinking?? Anyway, for some reason, he asked me out again, and for some other reason, I said “Yes.” Maybe it was his eyes!

I know that you asked for a short story, and this could turn into a novel, so I’ll skip the details and move on. We dated through spring semester, and then in the summer, the chorale went on a trip to Europe accompanied by a brass ensemble, and Russ was asked to go along. One of their tours took them to a diamond factory in Amsterdam, and while he was there, he bought an engagement ring. (Someone in the group even took a picture of him as he held out the ring to the clerk.) He used all his money to buy the ring, so he probably lived off the charity of his friends for the remainder of the trip. When he got home, his mother even asked him who would be receiving the ring! Somehow, this ring was kept as a secret from me until October 16 (notice, that was exactly 9 months from the blind date) when we decided to get married. You notice that I didn’t say “he proposed to me” because he still says that I proposed to him (and I think I probably did—not PROBABLY, I DID, and it’s hard to admit), but I still knew nothing about the ring.

October 16 was in the middle of football season, and at that time Wesleyan had a marching band, complete with majorettes and Bobcadettes. We practiced on Monday evenings to prepare half time shows for the games. I was head majorette. I raised my baton to signal the drums to begin the drum-roll that starts the Star Spangled Banner, and then brought in the rest of the instruments. Here is my best memory (after all this lengthy introduction)—the band started to play Here Comes the Bride. Well, everyone in the band but Russ because he didn’t know about the plan.

We were married on January 2, 1971 (less than a year after that blind date) while we were both still students here at Wesleyan. That was 34 years ago, and we’re still going strong.
Let me just add, though, that our son met his wife here at Wesleyan as well, so the tradition and the love story carries on.

Evan Peterson ’73 and Gayle Gerber Peterson ‘74
Alido, Texas

Gayle was first to attend West Virginia Wesleyan College, I began a year later. We met in high school during her junior year and my sophomore year. During my freshman year at Wesleyan, I "officially" asked her to marry me. I proposed on the chapel steps in front of John Wesley. I gave her a ring we had bought during the summer. I felt like a hundred people were watching.

I attended WVWC because Gayle was there. I guess I got an education, a wife, and a career from WVWC.

Funny thing, once I gave her the ring things really went crazy. About three days later, she was so frustrated with me she that she gave the ring back, telling me to "grow up.” I was only 18 or 19. I had plenty of time to grow up. That was a tough two or three months. I had to do my own laundry for the first time (Gayle had been doing it since I arrived). One day I was walking to the SCOW and Gayle came over to talk to me. My clothes were a mess. She told me I could use tape to get some of the lint off my clothes. I had washed my warm ups with my pants and shirts. I also turned everything a light orange because I washed a gym shirt with everything else.

Two or three months later she took the ring and everything worked out. I know that Dean Sam Ross and Coach John Myers were glad, because I kept the two of them pretty busy those two or three months.

We married two years later. I was a junior and Gayle a senior. We were married on August 14, 1971. Gayle had her WVWC friends in the wedding and about twenty Theta Chi brothers attended. Tom Marquis attended. I remember turning around at the alter and seeing "Foggy" dressed in red, white, and blue shoes, a pair of red pants, blue blazer, a white shirt and a red, white, and blue tie. Boy did he look good!?

We have been married 33 years. We have two grown children, Chris 30, and Cory 27. We live in Fort Worth, TX. I am a Head of School, and have been in independent education since 1974. Gayle worked while the kids were in school and now she works taking care of our yellow lab, Parker.

We often think of the time we spent living in a trailer on Wood St. behind the campus. Our first Christmas, Gayle wanted a fireplace so badly she built one out of construction paper and taped it to the wall.

Life was simple, but so good back then, and things have only gotten better. We thank WVWC for all that it has given us. As I said, I got an education, a wife, a career, and oh yes, time to grow up.

Jeff Scales ' 75 and Patty Smith Scales '75
Elizabeth, Pennsylvania

Unlike most of our college “couple” friends, Jeff and I arrived at Wesleyan-- together. We had dated through high school and had no plans to attend the same college—but somehow--there we were! Jeff’s uncle, a hairdresser, cut our hair, and we arrived in the fall of 1971 with matching haircuts! His hair longish, for a guy, and mine, short for a 70’s girl. We went to orientation together and met at the cafeteria for meals. Later, we heard that most people thought we were a weird brother and sister act!

Memories include
- Being so broke, we counted out pennies to share one vanilla coke and a small plate of fries in the SCOW!
- Dining out at our favorite Italian restaurant, Philomena’s, but just for special occasions!
- Pledging our fraternity and sorority during our freshman year and attending the endless number of formals and parties where we became experts dancing “The Bump”
- Our wonderful friends, who all became couples, shared in each other’s weddings and have stayed friends for 30 years! Sally and Ron, Jesse and Nancy, Bill “Flamer” and Kelly, Dennis “Jolly” and Linda, Linda and Kerry, Linda and Jim, Cindy and Jim…

After a 7-year courtship, and following graduation, Jeff and I were married on November 22, 1975. We will celebrate our 30-year class reunion and our 30th wedding anniversary in 2005, along with many of our Wesleyan friends. I know this sounds corny—but it seems like just yesterday!

Robert Powelson ’78 and Lisabeth Sayre Powelson ‘76
Shinnston, West Virginia

My husband, Bob, and I met at WVWC in 1975. We dated for several years both while at Wesleyan and while he was in graduate school and I was working. We were introduced by a mutual friend and basically met on a spring break trip to Florida.
I was from the suburbs of Philadelphia and Bob from Bridgeport, WV. Some of our memorable dates took place at Audra, as many students of our Wesleyan generation would go there to spend some free time when we had a beautiful day. Most of our time spent together was studying in the library or at his apartment.

I graduated with a degree in home economics education in 1976. I substituted and taught school for a few years. Bob graduated with a degree in biology in 1978. He was accepted into Pennsylvania School of Optometry and began his studies there August 1978. We were married on July 7, 1979 in Langhorne, PA. Several members of our wedding party were also WVWC graduates.

We have been living in Shinnston, WV since August 1982. Bob has two offices, one in Shinnston and the other in Mannington. We have two daughters. Our oldest, Amy, is a junior at WVWC, majoring in physics engineering. She is also an Alpha Delta Pi, which is the same sorority that I was a member of. Our other daughter, Julie, is a senior in high school. She has just applied to attend WVWC in the fall. Bob and I are extremely proud of our ties to Wesleyan, and even more proud that our daughters want to follow us by attending such a superb institution.

1980s
Michael Aloi ’80 and Susan Miller Aloi ‘80
Buckhannon, West Virginia
“Love at First Height”

Michael and Susan Miller Aloi were both in Arminta Baldwin’s Humanities class in autumn 1976. But, they didn’t start dating until late the following spring – and then, it was because of Michael’s height.

Susan was an Alpha Gamma Delta pledge in the spring of 1977, and invited fellow freshman Don Smallwood to attend her pledge formal. They were double-dating with Susan’s sorority sister, Barb Ryan “80, who had invited Michael to the formal. When Barb changed her mind about which dress she wanted to wear to the formal, it required her to wear shoes with heels that made her quite a bit taller than Michael. So, they decided to switch dates; Barb would go with the more-than-six-feet-tall Don, and Susan with Michael, whom she barely knew.

Exactly one year later, Michael and Susan became engaged. They eloped on December 20, 1980 just after Michael’s first-semester law school exams. Nearly 25 years later, their home is on College Avenue in Buckhannon, with their four children.

Barbara Ryan married Don Assmann ’80, who happened to be Michael’s roommate for summer freshman orientation. Don Smallwood ’80 married Cathy Crissman ’81, also a Gam. Their oldest son, Wesley, is now a freshman at WV Wesleyan College.

Although Susan grew an inch or two taller during her years at Wesleyan, Michael is still the same height he was as a freshman. This is just fine with both of them.

Edward Saxman ’84 and Susan Wallace Saxman ‘83
Bridgeville, Pennsylvania

As a sophomore, Susan was being housed at Chapel House. We met through my sister, Pat Saxman Nelson ‘81, who was the Resident Assistant at Chapel House.

Amused at my animated enthusiasm over a Steelers football game, Susan fell in love with me while we were touring with the Christian Drama Group, LoveShine. Granted, I was a bit clueless, and it took her coming home with my sister and me for the remainder of Thanksgiving break before I began realize what a gem she was. Still, I didn’t reciprocate until I asked her to attend the Wintergreen Ball a month later. The evening we spent at the Wintergreen Ball helped me see her in a totally new and long-term light. I sent her a dozen roses over Christmas break to officially win her heart. By the time we got back to school, I was scared to death of a relationship and was getting “cold feet.” The roses had done their job, however, and Susan wasn’t about to let me back off. She tracked me down at my post office box, and we have been a couple ever since. That was January 7, 1981. God has been very good to us!
We were married June 2, 1984 and have been married for 10 ½ years.

We celebrated my 20-year reunion and Susan’s 21-year reunion with our son, Paul, who is a freshman at WVWC this year.

Kenneth Klenk ’85 and Elisabeth Gilbert Klenk ‘85
Coppell, Texas

Wesleyan played a big role in our relationship before we were married. We have many great memories -- from outings at Audra State Park to evenings of socializing at the Cinema to hanging out at the Cheshire Cat.

Ken surprised me at the end of our junior year. He "Shirted" me and painted the "Rock" on campus just for me. We were both physical education majors. We had many classes together, and we both had many hard practices in soccer and field hockey. Our schedules were hectic, but we managed to keep our relationship going. I stayed at Wesleyan to finish a second major and do my student teaching while Ken moved back to New Jersey to start teaching. We both graduated in 1985, and we married in 1987.

We moved around the first few years of marriage. We lived in Greenwich, CT, then Edison, NJ, and then moved to Grosse Pointe, MI with our very young family. We moved from Michigan to Dallas, TX five years ago. Ken is a physical education teacher and soccer coach at a large private boys school. I am running a riding program at my own barn just outside of Dallas. We have two kids, Katie, age 13 and Andy, age 10. We keep in touch with many of our old friends from WVWC, and Ken is involved with the WVWC soccer alumni board. We have taken our kids back to Sunny Buck and shown them the campus. Maybe some day they will also attend classes at WVWC, but for now we are looking forward to returning this year for our 20th class reunion.


1990s
Rich Shimp '92 and Karen Johnson Shimp '93
Silver Spring, Maryland

Rich and I met in late September 1989 in a slightly different way -- he was an RA in Doney, and I was a freshman living in Holloway. A "gathering" spontaneously (ahem) occurred in Doney, which (in true freshman form) got rather loud and out of hand. Suddenly, a door slammed open, a guy came barreling into the hallway, physically separated some brawlers, and very loudly and forcefully told everyone to GET OUT and go back to their own rooms/dorms. I was bowled over by this display of manly prowess (and good looks) and vowed to find out who he was. Needless to say, I did. After a few weeks of "casually" dropping by his table at dinner to say “hi” and chat with him and his friends, he finally asked me for my room number. He stopped by, we chatted, he invited me to the Homecoming dance (it was October by then) -- and over 15 years (and soon to be 2 kids) later, he still impresses me everyday, and we haven't run out of things to say to each other yet.

Of course, our wedding (July 1, 1995) was studded with Wesleyan memories -- Dr. Arthur Holmes performed the ceremony, two of my ZTA sisters were bridesmaids, and Rich's best friend (and occasional roommate) was our best man. All in all, I can't imagine a better time and place for our romance to have taken root and blossomed to support a lifetime together.

Matthew McClung ’97 and Emily Skolnik McClung ‘96
Medina, Ohio

I met my husband, Matthew McClung, in anatomy and physiology class. When we were studying the cardiac (heart) system, we had a telemetry machine in the lab so that we could see the electrical waves of the heart. I was asked to be a “heart wave subject.” After I was hooked to the machine and the class saw my normal heart waves, Matthew was asked to whisper something in my ear. Of course, the second Matthew put his mouth close to my ear, my heart began to race and everyone in the class could clearly see I had feelings for this guy! He asked me out two days later -- he will tell you it was because he knew it was a sure thing. Our first date was to C.J. Maggie's. In honor of that night, we named our Bassett Hound Maggie.

People still ask what Matt said to me… I'll never tell.


Aaron Basko '96 and Rebecca Safstrom Basko '95
Lancaster, Pennsylvania

My wife, Becky (Safstrom), and I met at Wesleyan as part of a tropical ecology J-term course that traveled to Belize. We were snorkeling partners and spent a lot of time together. Maybe it was the beautiful scenery or the sense of adventure (the fact that she looked great in a bathing suit probably did not hurt either), but by the end of our three week class we knew we needed to keep spending time together.

We stayed for a summer session to do research - a great excuse not to be apart. In June we were engaged (City Park), and we were married December 1995, with Dr. John Warner performing the ceremony.

I had one semester left, so we moved off campus to a little apartment on College Ave. While we were there, the local T.V. station interviewed us for Valentine's Day, contrasting a newlywed couple with the longest married couple they could find.

Wesleyan was a great place to fall in love. We had to be a little creative about coming up with good dates, which now make even better memories.

Becky and I have been married for nine years. We now have two children (3 yrs and 5 months), and live in Lancaster, PA. I think we still feel a little like snorkeling buddies, it is just the scenery that changes.

So my advice is choose your classes wisely!

Brian Cochran ’98 and Crystal Cox Cochran ‘98
Shinnston, West Virginia

My husband, Brian, and I are a true Wesleyan love story. We actually met at a Bonner Scholar retreat in Selbyville, WV, the weekend before our freshman year even began. Even though, at the time, I was involved in a summer romance, he still managed to catch my eye. We did not really speak to one another until we were back on campus. My roommate invited me to go to Doney Hall with her to have pizza with some of the friends we had made in the Bonner program. I did not realize it was going to be in Brian’s room. I had just finished unpacking some things from my car, and it was still parked in the grass on Camden Avenue behind Holloway Hall. I told her I would go, but could not stay long because I had to move my car. After telling Brian about my car situation, he gladly volunteered to drive me over to move my car so I would not have to walk alone in the dark. However, somewhere in the arrangement, we forgot to discuss what would happen after he dropped me off. I was planning to go back to Doney, but he just drove off without me. So I parked in the Oval and walked back by myself.

Brian and I started dating that September and have been together ever since. While involved with the Bonner Scholars at Wesleyan, we volunteered together tutoring almost every weeknight at a local housing development. Over the summers, we were counselors for many youth camps. We even were able to travel to Australia for three weeks to work in a rainforest bat rehabilitation center. Brian proposed to me in front of our family and friends at our Senior Bonner dinner while he was giving a speech about his service.

After dating for four years, we graduated in May of 1998 and, on November 7, 1998, we were married in Wesley Chapel. We have been married for six years and now have three boys – Austin 4, Brandon 3, and Carter 1. Brian is a project manager for Mantech Int. in Fairmont, WV, and I am enjoying watching my boys grow up. I plan to go back to teaching when they are older. Maybe some day our sons will have their own Wesleyan love stories to tell.

Scott Wall ’99 and Tisha Christen Wall ‘01
Sistersville, West Virginia

Scott Wall ’99 and Tisha (Christen) Wall ’01 are a Wesleyan couple who met under unusual circumstances. After graduation in May of 1999, Scott returned to his native Connecticut. It was in Connecticut that Scott made the decision to continue pursuing his secondary education degree. Instead of staying local, he wanted to go somewhere comfortable and returned to West Virginia Wesleyan. The day he returned was the day he met Tisha through a mutual friend and current Assistant Director of Admissions, John Waltz. The ironic part is that Scott was friends with Tisha’s brother, Rob ’99, also a Wesleyan grad. Scott and Tisha were married July 21, 2001. The wedding party boasted 10 Wesleyan Alumni. Our Wesleyan friends have become our family. Wesleyan not only offers strong academics, but also strong lasting relationships. After living in Fredericksburg, VA for over a year, Scott and Tisha have returned to West Virginia, and both are currently teaching in Tyler County.


2000s
Justin Valleau ‘02 and Cynthia Mullen Valleau ‘02
Greensboro, North Carolina

I first met Justin in November of our freshman year, when I was dating his best friend’s roommate. After things with the roommate fizzled, I ran into Justin at a Theta Xi party in mid-December. We spent the whole party talking and laughing and realized we had a lot in common, but it was just days before winter break. Then came the optional January term, when I would be home in New Jersey, and Justin would be on campus.

Six weeks passed, and I don’t think either of us thought about the other until I arrived back on campus to begin spring term. Again, we were at a Theta Xi party when we ran into each other. I forgot his name and called him James. I remember he laughed and said that he remembered my name so I had obviously made more of an impression on him than he had on me. We started talking about our Winter break and his “J-Term” class. About four in the morning, when we had spent the whole party sitting on the steps leading up to the second floor of the house, Justin confessed that he only remembered my name because he rhymed it with the words to the song “Everyone knows its Windy.” Then he sang it to me. I knew then that I would marry him, but I didn’t tell him that.

Over the next few months, Justin would show up to help me re-shelve books at my job in the library. He would hang around the mailboxes before lunch and dinner so we could sit together, and he invited me to go with him and his friends to parties on Friday nights. I would watch him sing in the Concert Chorale, and he came to my shows in Jenkins Arena. I called Justin the night before bid-day, when I was worried about being invited to join a sorority, and he waited patiently by his dorm with a camera when I walked by with my new ZTA sisters.

I don’t remember when we started “officially” dating. We just started always being together. It just felt right. All my memories of Wesleyan are tied to him -- from snowball fighting in the quad, to “Sheetz runs” at two in the morning during exams, to “move in” days at Aggie.

Justin joined Theta Xi, and two years later he “shirted” me, allowing me to wear his letters. Two years after that, he proposed at Oliverio’s Restaurant. We were married in August 2002, and two years later we are still here. I still work with ZTA and he still sings to me.

Dan Merritt ’03 and Julie Rzeszutek Merritt ‘03
Seneca, Pennsylvania

Dan and I met, through a mutual college friend, during our freshman year at Wesleyan. We helped each other with Dr. McNamara's humanities class. We both were taking it, but at different class times. Our friendship grew during our sophomore year when we took psychology classes together. Eventually, our status of being best friends turned into dating. We knew it was right and got engaged a month after we started dating. The engagement ended on July 4, 2003, and we're still happily married.

A memory we would like to share from Wesleyan actually happened during our freshman year. Dan called me, asked me to go with him to a party, and I had told him no. At the time, he was using his middle name of Bob. When he called himself Dan on the phone, I could not think of anyone I knew named Dan, and I did not want to go out with a stranger. Now, we laugh about it because I turned him down the first time he asked me on a date.