Albion Connection Stories

Mary Hance '90

About 15 years ago I was working in Washington, DC - right across the street from the Capitol. After work, a friend (who went to Stanford) and I would go for a run down the Mall. This friend enjoyed teasing me about the college that I went to that no one had heard of. Well, what a treat it was that on the night of our first run, an older couple stopped me on the Mall (of course I had my Albion sweatshirt on) and said "Wow, Albion College!" My response was "You've heard of it?" They said, "Heard of it, we both went there!" Of course, in all of our runs, no one stopped the guy with the Stanford sweatshirt on!!

Catherine Stilwill '75

Dick and I met my freshman year. We talked a bit at some functions but it wasn't until my senior year that we had our first date with each other. About 18 months later we got married and have been married 34 years now and have 3 sons, Blake'02, Chris, & Ben. Dick & Cathy Stilwill '74 & '75.

Joanne MacDonald  '51

I fel in love with my future husband, Richard MacDonald "48" at the Freshman Mixer. He and a friend were interested in the new crop of girls entering for the first time int the winter of 1947 due to the influx of GIs enrollment. Our relationship was furthered by many meetings at the "Eat Shop" and resulted in a marriage two months short of 60 years.

Bob & Janie Bellairs '70

I saw ourselves the other night while walking on the sands I know it was us alright 'cause they were holding hands The fact that they were old They really didn't know The love that flowed between them Had taken time to grow It wasn't puppy love That walked across the sand It was timeless true and gold That flowed from hand to hand When we were married years ago I dreamed of ocean's sand And us- white hair with age Walking - hand in hand Bob Bellairs, 1970 proposed December 1, 1969 and married Janie on June 29, 1970.

Ed and Ginnie Edwardson '68

Congratulations to Albion College on your 175th Anniversary. We have just celebrated our 42nd anniversary, and Albion College had everything to do with our meeting, courtship, engagement, and, marriage. As we reflect back on it, we are certainly amazed that the first ever Albion College Computer Dance held on February 8, 1967 at Baldwin Hall was the event that brought us together. Ginnie, a Kappa Delta, had dated some of my Delta Sigma Phi fraternity brothers, and we even sat next to each other at a Delt Sig formal. The magic of MSU's mainframe (Albion College did not have a computer at that time.)matched us up as "ideal dates". What a way to meet. We're not sure whether or not anyone else at the dance ever had a second date, but it sure has worked for us for 42 years. We are thankful for the wonderful education afforded us by Albion. We are forever grateful for our alma mater sponsoring a dance that has lasted a lifetime. Io Triumphe! Ginnie Frost Edwardson (‘68) Ed Edwardson ("67)

Joan Hill ' 58

My husband and I hold the Stockwell Library near and dear to our hearts. One Spring day in 1956 I was coming down the library steps at the same time that a boy named Peter Hill was coming up. For some reason I gave him a big smile. He smiled back and shortly after I got back to the dorm he called and asked me for a date. He was interested in art, so we went to see a Paul Klee show which was being shown at the library. That was the first of many dates, most of which were in the library. We studied and got to know each other and by the time Peter's graduation rolled around in June we were in love. We've been married now for over 50 years and we have 6 kids and 16 grandkids to show for it. When we attended Peter's 50th reunion in 2006 one of the first things we did was visit the library and get our picture taken on the steps. What wonderful memories that brought back.

Jim Royle '63

We were two frightened young college freshman in September of 1959, standing in the hallway outside the studio door of Professor David Strickler, waiting to audition for the Albion College Choir. It was only the second day on campus for both of us. Coming from opposite sides of the state of Michigan, we did not know each other but had shared (though we did nit know it at the time) a love of choral music performance as high school students. There was "magic' in that first meeting. I know that I wanted to spend more time with this dark haired girl with the beautiful smile...and the feeling seemed to be mutual. She accepted my offer of a date for the freshman mixer and neither of us ever looked back. I gave her my fraternity pin the following year and an engagement ring the year after that. The editor of the 1963 Albionian asked us to pose for a picture to be used on the inside covers of the book for that year...because we "were the most likely couple to still be together by the time that yearbook came out to print"...and together we stayed. We were married a few weeks after graduation. We sang together in the college choir and Carol singers (smaller group) throughout our college years...and have been "making music" together for nearly 50 years now.

James R. Lampman

My wife and I met at Albion, at choir, if you please! As it so happens, she was a Home Economics Major and I was a Chemistry major. Hence, when we met at choir rehearsal, she generally brought along some goody that she had prepared at class that afternoon. I brought nothing but my appetite. Due to finances, I worked between years, while she graduated before I did. I served two years in Guam, during the way, and lost track of her. When I returned to my parent's home, in Monroe, Michigan, my mother pointed out to me an article in the paper which told about Jeanne serving as a consultant for Consumer's Power right there in Monroe! Needless to day, I got in touch with her and, after I got a job, we were married in January of 1948. Sixty two years later, we are now in a retirement community in Lynchburg, Virginia and happy to be together.

Kristin Rahn '99

My husband and I met through Sigma Nu, since we were both good friends with the then-President, Jason Prater. My husband later returned the favor by introducing Jason to his wife! The Sigma Nu house will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Jim Barrett and I came to Albion in 1950 as high school friends. Four years later, we graduated with the class of 1954. Shared friendships, challenging classes, interesting Greek experiences and many part time jobs made them wonderful years. We became engaged in Victory Park our last year, and married two weeks after graduation. Within a year, we were living in California where Jim served in the U.S. Army at Ft. Ord for two years. Our lives kept crossing paths with Albion Alumni there. Returning to Illinois in 1957, our civilian life began. Jim in the life insurance and investment world sales, while Ruth oversaw home and family life as four sons were born in the following 13 years. Family life kept us on our toes, but allowed Ruth time to work for the United Methodist Church in early childhood education for 20 years. Our grandchildren began arriving in our life in 1991, adding a wonderful new energy to our world. We were living in Cary, Illiinois, within an hour's drive to all six grandchildren. We had both retired in 1998, sold our home and now divide our year between our family cottage in Glenn, Michigan and our retirement home in Green Valley, Arizona. Our life together has been rich in so many ways--our education, our children, grandchildren and our ongoing relationship with strong Christian congregations. We have truly been blessed in our 55 years of marriage. Thanks for giving us this opportunity to share our love story!

A Journey of 42 years starts with one question. What time is it? Jan Bird ('71) and I spent two years at the same high school, Bloomfield Hills, and didn't know it. But the summer of 1967 we both attended a party for foreign exchange students and met briefly. I asked her what time it was, touched her wrist, and was smitten. But hey--I was off to college and I had no idea where this adorable girl was headed in the Fall. Two weeks later I left for summer football camp at Albion, the town of my birth, and a few weeks after that, along with a couple of my teammates, was standing around as the rest of the incoming freshmen were registering for class. Guess who was standing in the A-E line? Jan Bird, the same girl with that great wrist. Thanks to a couple of friends on both sides, we were introduced again, had our first date on December 8, 1967, a Cowsills Concert (don't ask), and in the the lightly falling snow we walked back across the Quad after the show and into the rest of our lives together. We are still together. We were married on June 26, 1971 and after living in some of the greatest cities in the world, we are now in Chicago. But one town will always be our most favorite. One place will always mean more to us than any other. That place is Albion. Hey, how often to you get to see the Cowsills?!?!

Jen Austin Teal, '00

 After I graduated in 2000, I stayed in touch with several friends who had moved to the Detroit area, including Jamie (Justus) Rawcliffe, who worked with another 1999 grad. One evening, I met her at her office to go out together, and she introduced me to Derrick Teal. Jamie ended up giving him my phone number, and five years later, we were married.

Missy Zimmerman Tuck, '87

I met my husband, Chris Tuck (1986) on my first day at Albion. The freshmen moved in first and the TKE's had a welcome party. We started dating on September 12, 1983 and got married on September 12, 1987. Interestingly enough, my parents David and Judy Davies Zimmerman (1963) also met at Albion. We'll celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary the same year that my parents celebrate their 50th! My Father-in-law, David Roger Tuck (1952) was also an Albion grad! Albion truly brought our family together!

Marcy and Jordan Lindberg '91

Jordan and I met our freshman year (because he was dating a woman on my hall), but it was our senior year before we got to know each other. Our different groups of friends started crossing paths, and we all hung out a lot at the annex where I was living (now the coffee house on Jackson St). Our first official date was the Kappa Delta winter formal which we attended after I had a grueling day taking the GREs. (Neither of us were Greek but we got invited--thanks KD friends!) We weren't sure what would happen after graduation, but, after a year spent in different states, we still wanted to be together. So we got married in 1993 and were serenaded with the Io Triumphe chant by our Albion friends as we walked out of the church. We sent our wedding photo with Albion alums into the alumni magazine and started the trend of putting wedding photos in the Io. Although between us, we've now attended three different grad schools, our "alumni hearts" belong to Albion.

Beth and Dan McCarty '98

I met my husband my jr. his soph. years at Albion College. Dan McCarty and I met going from Baldwin to Whitehouse. My suitemate introduced him to me and we have been together ever since. We were married in 2006 and our only child, so far, a son, Jack will celebrate his first birthday this Friday, Feb. 19th!! I will always be thankful for Albion College for introducing me to my husband, Dan McCarty Jr.

Marjory Priest '57

I met my husband my Junior year at Albion. We met at a Methodist Student Movement gathering at Bellemont Manor. I had seen him before as he was one of the angels in the play My Three Angels put on that year. Our first date was a Hawaiian Luau at Dean Hall. We were married after I graduated in l957. Don graduated in l958. We have been married for 52 years. My parents met at Albion in l92l and married in l926. They lived to celebrate a 60th. Anniversary. Both of our children went to Albion College. It is fun to gather with friends from Dean Hall every couple of years.

Robert and Carol Jones '69

Carol and I first met at the beginning of the 1965-66 school year during a meeting at the Methodist Church for those interested in teaching Sunday school. She came up to me and said "Bob Jones, I'm Carol Moss and I just wanted to meet a freshman boy that wanted to teach Sunday school." Carol lived in the Girl's German House, now a parking on Oswego Street, across the street from the Methodist Church. The Girl's in the German House ate at Baldwin Dining Hall, with the freshman boys. I was part of a group of pre-ministerial students, nick-named the "God Squad." During that fall the girls in the German House began hanging out with the "God Squad." We would eat together; get together at the Girl's German House for "hootenannies" and playing bridge and other games like "pass-the-bod." We were active together in the German Club, the Albion Methodist Church and MSM, and once or twice we joined in protests against the Viet Nam War. We fondly remember VIM week (God is Dead, and Situation Ethics) were two of the topics we remember. By the spring of 1966 I gave Carol a lavaliere; we were pinned the next fall; engaged a year later, and married after Carol's graduation. A year later (after I graduated) I went to Garret Seminary, and the rest is history.