An Epic UConn Love Story — in Eight Acts
By Claire LaFleur Hall
Photos by Peter Morenus
Y
ou might think that what is possibly the greatest love story in the history of UConn would have ignited at a place like Mirror Lake or the Dairy Bar. But this epic Husky love story has its roots in The Jungle, as McConaughy Hall on the Storrs North Campus was iconically known. It was there in the late 1980s that eight women — most freshman residents of the third floor — and eight men —most freshman residents of the fourth floor — met and began dating.
Not so surprising in and of itself.
More surprising is the eight marriages that resulted.
And what truly defies belief — and all accountable odds — is that three decades later, all eight couples are still married. (Among them, they’ve had 21 children — six of whom, so far, have become Huskies themselves.)
Their friendships, too, have endured over time and distance. The couples still get together regularly for dinners, celebrations, Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters concerts, and, of course, Husky games. In fact, they gather so frequently that they keep a spreadsheet of which couples are attending each event. Still, some had not been back in Storrs for many years, and none had stood center court at Gampel Pavilion. Until now. UConn Magazine reunited the entire group in early December, at the Alumni Center’s Great Hall and at Gampel, to share photos, stories — and some marriage advice.
You might think that what is possibly the greatest love story in the history of UConn would have ignited at a place like Mirror Lake or the Dairy Bar. But this epic Husky love story has its roots in The Jungle, as McConaughy Hall on the Storrs North Campus was iconically known. It was there in the late 1980s that eight women — most freshman residents of the third floor — and eight men —most freshman residents of the fourth floor — met and began dating.
Not so surprising in and of itself.
More surprising is the eight marriages that resulted.
And what truly defies belief — and all accountable odds — is that three decades later, all eight couples are still married. (Among them, they’ve had 21 children — six of whom, so far, have become Huskies themselves.)
Their friendships, too, have endured over time and distance. The couples still get together regularly for dinners, celebrations, Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters concerts, and, of course, Husky games. In fact, they gather so frequently that they keep a spreadsheet of which couples are attending each event. Still, some had not been back in Storrs for many years, and none had stood center court at Gampel Pavilion. Until now. UConn Magazine reunited the entire group in early December, at the Alumni Center’s Great Hall and at Gampel, to share photos, stories — and some marriage advice.
What Was in the Water?
Carol (Marques) Barrios ’88 (BUS), ’97 MBA, who met her husband George Barrios ’87 (CLAS), ’89 MBA when they lived on those third and fourth McConaughy floors, says the romances blossomed organically among friends who just greatly enjoyed one another’s company.
“No matchmakers were necessary. Love was in the air,’’ she says. “I think it was because there was no social media then, and we were a very social group.’’ She doesn’t think something similar could happen again today, as young people are more likely to text than start traditional conversations.
But Taylor Beerbower ’89 (CLAS), who met his wife Arianne (Iannone) Beerbower ’90 (NUR) during their first McConaughy Hall meeting, is more of a romantic. “I’m an ordained minister and my belief is that love finds a way,’’ he says. “I do think the same thing could happen today. It’s fate, finding someone meant for you. Sure, there’s luck involved too, but I like to believe that when it comes to love, it was meant to be.’’ Despite the couples’ relationships originating as teens, he recalls no breakups or time outs among the group. “They’re all very solid relationships.’’
Elise (Berman) Siegel ’89 (CLAS) met her husband Russ Siegel ’89 (CLAS) the day of an exam in their shared introductory psychology class. Thinking he was both cute and nice, she says she decided to skip her next class, a philosophy discussion course, so they could walk back to their connecting dorms together. After that, she chose walking with Russ over that philosophy discussion course more often than not. At the end of the semester, her future husband was surprised to learn that she had had a class at the time he had been flirting with her.
“All of us met our partners when we were teenagers. We grew up together,’’ says Elise. “Statistically, half of us should be divorced — but we’ve all had successful marriages and fulfilling careers. We all remember when our friends met their spouses. We know each other’s stories.’’ She fondly recalls Taylor Beerbower returning from rugby practice, sweaty, dirty, a little beat up, and yelling down the hall, “Ariaaaaaanne!” They all recognized how smitten Arianne was — and how lucky it was that she was a nursing major.
Who’s Who in This Game of Love
Alan Hankin ’88 (ENG) & Michele (Rutsky) Hankin ’88 (BUS), ’92 MBA
Live: Westport, Connecticut
Work: She was in marketing; he’s in software sales at IBM
Married: 28 years
Children: 3
“Our UConn friends are a second family. Our children think of each other as cousins.”
Beth (Gedansky) Young ’90 (CLAS) & Ken Young ’89 (BUS), ’01 MBA
Live: Bethany, Connecticut
Work: He’s a digital technology manager at Collins Aerospace; she’s a counselor at Masuk High School
Married: 29 years
Children: 3, 2 UConn alums, 1 current UConn student
First date was watching a UConn football game.
Thomas Russo ’90 (ENG) & Kristine (Nolen) Russo ’88 (CLAS)
Live: Chester, New Hampshire
Work: He’s a VP at Lactalis US Yogurt; she was in commercial lending and sporting goods buying
Married: 29 years
Children: 2, both UConn alums
Have a 5-foot UConn fathead at the entrance to their house — the 1980s Husky.
Carol (Marques) Barrios ’88 (BUS), ’97 MBA & George Barrios ’87 (CLAS), ’89 MBA
Live: Fairfield, Connecticut
Work: He was co-president of WWE and is founder and co-CEO of Isos Capital; she was in marketing
Married: 30 years
Children: 3
Carol made George re-create their first kiss many times in the fourth-floor dorm hallway where it first happened.
“I Do” Dominoes
Christine Hawks-Ladds ’88 (CLAS), ’91 JD, ’10 MA and Joshua Hawks-Ladds ’87 (CLAS) were both English majors. Josh says he spotted Christine in a Shakespeare class in the fall of her sophomore and his junior year, but didn’t have the nerve to approach her. The next semester, when he spied her in an antebellum literature class, he got special permission from the professor, Ross Miller, to over-enroll in the class. Sparks flew. They were the first couple to marry, and a host of weddings soon followed.
“We went to weddings constantly,’’ Carol Barrios says of the years after graduation. “We were in each other’s weddings and I had a closet full of bridesmaid dresses. Every wedding was a weekend-long event.’’
How have all these marriages had such staying power? Kristine (Nolen) Russo ’88 (CLAS) and Thomas Russo ’90 (ENG), who also met in the Jungle, shared a few of their secrets to success: You can never say “I love you” too many times. Don’t sweat the small things. Don’t hold a grudge — accept that we all have faults and move on. “You have to not only listen but you have to hear an issue, concern, or problem, or that someone just needs to be held,’’ agrees Taylor Beerbower. “I tell my daughter to, ‘Marry your best friend. Choose a spouse who is always going to be there for you. But also have your own goals.’’’
Michele Rutsky Hankin ’88 (BUS), ’92 MBA met her husband-to-be Alan Hankin ’88 (ENG), in the study lounge of Hurley, an adjacent dorm. “Alan used to try to make me laugh while we were studying,’’ she recalls.
“We all have a sense of humor,” notes Beth Gedansky Young ’90 (CLAS), who married Ken Young ’89 (BUS), ’01 MBA. She thinks the group was inherently compatible in many ways. “We all started with the same values,’’ she says. “We were all hardworking, we had one, sometimes two, jobs in the summer. We came from honest, hardworking, tight-knit families. Our parents knew our friends.’’
At Christmas, Elise Siegel’s dad would rent a van and take them all to New York City, a first trip for many, to go shopping and out to dinner in Manhattan before returning to her home.
Back on campus, the dorm was the center of everyone’s social life at that time, offering semiformals and picnics. No meals were served on weekends, so the friends would cook together. In those earliest days, that camaraderie may have helped prevent any breakups. “The group was so fun and cohesive, you didn’t want to walk away,” says Beth Young. They graduated before the time of ubiquitous cell phones. “We all had to get together to see each other because to call everyone would have been too big a phone bill,’’ says Beth.
Who’s Who in This Game of Love
Charlie “Chas’’ Turecek ’89 (ENG), ’94 MBA & Kim (Foran) Turecek ’90 (CLAS), ’97 (NUR)
Live: Portland, Connecticut
Work: He’s at Pratt & Whitney; she’s an RN
Married: 27 years
Children: 3, 1 current UConn student
Chas liked Kim but was afraid of being rejected; he finally kissed her at a party spring semester.
Arianne (Iannone) Beerbower ’90 (NUR) & Taylor Beerbower ’89 (CLAS)
Live: Fairfield, Connecticut
Work: Own and manage Mulberry Street Appraisals
Married: 29 years
Children: 3
Met at the first McConaughy Hall dorm meeting.
Joshua Hawks-Ladds ’87 (CLAS) & Christine Hawks-Ladds ’88 (CLAS), ’91 JD, ’10 MA
Live: Bolton, Connecticut
Work: She’s a former lawyer and current high school English teacher; he’s a lawyer
Married: 30 years
Children: 2, plus a current UConn student from Ghana, whom they’ve sponsored for 3 years
Started dating on Valentine’s Day 1986 after having their first dance at the old Huskies Bar.
Elise (Berman) Siegel ’89 (CLAS) & Russ Siegel ’89 (CLAS)
Live: Sharon, Massachusetts
Work: She’s a counseling psychologist; together they own and operate Attleboro Veterinary Clinic
Married: 28 years
Children: 2
Elise regularly skipped a class to instead walk back to McConaughy with Russ.
A High Bar
Over the years, they’ve continued to travel together, vacationing as couples, and with children. When George Barrios was co-president of WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), the group attended WrestleMania together, hanging out before and after the events. They all acknowledge talking so much when they go to dinner that they inevitably close every restaurant. And though they don’t always agree on politics, everyone is comfortable stating his or her views, and then leaving it alone.
“I think that one of the common threads is that each of us has a little irreverence in our personality,’’ says George Barrios. “We don’t take life, each other, or ourselves too seriously. I realized pretty early that it was unique that a group of teenagers who met contemporaneously would get married. That we’ve stayed married for 25 to 30 years seems more than unique, almost crazy,’’ he continues. “There’s something special about any lifelong friendship — I have a couple outside of UConn too. But it’s a true blessing to have an entire ‘family’ of lifelong friends.”
“I don’t think at the time we set out for a 35-year friendship, but we were going through life stages together,” says Beth Young. “We’ve helped each other, we’ve helped each other’s kids. When someone loses a parent, everybody is there. It’s a really unique situation.” She and Ken met in McConaughy, went on their first date within the first two weeks of her freshman year, and have been inseparable since. All three of their children went to UConn, too. “UConn has been such a large part of our lives, as well as the starting point for our family. We can’t help but bleed blue.’’
Taylor Beerbower also appreciates the effort the group has made to stay together. “A lot of people come and go in your life,” he says. “I work 80 hours a week. This group is so social, always inviting people and reaching out, saying they’re thinking of you, and including you. That’s a big part of it.’’
“This is something unique, to have such a special group of friends that you’ve shared so many life experiences with. It is something so treasured,’’ says Elise Siegel. “If at any point in time one of us needed anything, we could call on each other without hesitation. It really is such a gift.’’
For Kim (Foran) Turecek ’90 (CLAS), ’97 (NUR) and Charlie “Chas” Turecek ’89 (ENG), ’94 (MBA), romance evolved somewhat slowly. He was “a bit afraid of being rejected.” But after a party in spring semester, they kissed for the first time and that was that. Day trips to campus, from their home in Portland, Connecticut, were always part of their plans.
“Our kids grew up very familiar with UConn. This is one of the key reasons our daughter, Avery, is attending UConn,’’ says Chas. It turns out they, and the others, were setting a bit of a false expectation.
Their children, who call one another friend-cousins, say they all went to college expecting to meet their future life partners — and feel a bit cheated they didn’t have the same success as their parents.
“We set the bar very high,’’ says Carol Barrios.
The group and a surprise visitor at the Alumni Center’s Great Hall.
Do you have your own UConn love story? Or know of one even greater than this? We’d love to hear — please share it in the comments.
This was a wonderful story. I loved it! Wishing all eight couples and their children the best. May their love and friendship last forever. <3
I (‘84) was a freshman living in Buckley and Carl (‘83) was a junior. Spotting him in the cafeteria sparked a crush. He was shy back then- I started hanging out on his floor near his room, and we soon talked, became a couple. That year we danced on the homecoming float, at many dorm parties, date nights at Chucks by the fire, Husky games, four-wheeling up horse barn hill, Rosal’s, Rap’s, Huskies with friends – still friends today. Married 33 years, two daughters, 22 and 18 – who is now a Husky – living in the Jungle:).
What a great story! How very inspiring to read about such an improbable love story on Valentine’s Day.
Each of the eight couples are a part of blessing all that have the opportunity to read this article.
My wife Melissa and I met behind Hawley Armory our Freshman year in 1979. Since she lived in Hilltop and I lived in West campus – it took us a little longer to make the connection, but once we did …
We were married between our Sophomore and Junior years and moved off campus to Knollwood Acres in 1981. Last year we celebrated forty years.
Go Huskies!!
To add to the McConaughy couples: Robin Scrivener ‘87 and Alex Glenn ‘87, JD ‘90. Married 30 years❤️
My wife and I met at Uconn but neither of us remember how. My nickname amongst her friends was “The Ladybug” because I was dressed in a female ladybug costume nowhere near Halloween. Years later we connected on Facebook over our love of UConn athletics. We still don’t know how we were Facebook friends, and where we met, but she would not date me. We talked for months, until I bet her if UConn won the Championship this year, she would go with me to the parade. And then Cardiac Kemba happened. It was fate! Our first 2 dates were the spring football game and the championship parade.
We were married on campus the summer of 2013, with a cocktail hour in the Husky Heritage museum. The next summer we had our first child, which we aptly named Rip. Two years later our second boy which we named Cal, she wouldn’t let me name him Calhoun.
#bleedblue
My freshman year, in Hollister, I met a friend who brought me to a party in the Jungle. We played a card game called Killer, in a circle of people. One fellow had a very nice wink, and basically we’ve been together ever since. We got married in 1974, and adopted two beautiful children. Wallingford has been our home. My husband’s name is John Marco, and he’s a regular at the UCONN basketball games.
Cynthia Chapman Marco
I remember exactly when I met my future wife; RA orientation up at Hilltop before the Fall ’96 semester. We stayed in touch after graduating the following Spring (Aimee; CLAS, me; BUS), got together in 2001, and were married in 2005. Almost 17 years – and two kids – later, she is still my best friend and partner in crime. We have a few years before we catch up to where these couples are, but we will.
What a wonderful story and life these couples have shared. UConn is such a wonderful place. We have something in common with one of the couples. I was ‘84, my husband Kevin was ‘86. We met at Wheeler B dorm where I lived and he worked in kitchen since he lived in a fraternity and that is how they ate, by working at the dorms. Our first date was at Huskies in 1986 on Valentine’s Day! Just like Joshua and Christine Hawks-Ladds! Same exact night. We’ve been married 30 years.
We met my senior year at UConn (1989), through a mutual friend who introduced my now husband shortly after he graduated. We have been married happily for 24 years with one child attending UConn and our youngest currently waiting to hear if she is accepted (this is very important to her to join the Husky family).
We both love the area so much that we live still nearby and have watched the campus grow impressively while partaking in events and enjoying local restaurants and of course the Dairy Bar.
Although many of our friends from those wonderful UConn years no longer live locally, we keep in touch and occasionally find ourselves giving tours of campus when visits occur. Still going strong and it all started at UConn.
What a great story. Congratulations and best wishes to these couples. My time at McConaughy predates these folks, it was all male in 1959 when I lived there. I was fortunate that my girlfriend at the time (we were high school sweethearts) moved back to Connecticut and UConn in time for our second semester as freshmen. We were married in September 1963, 3 months after graduation and have been together ever since. Although we now live in Upstate New York, we still follow our Huskies sports teams, through good times and not so good! Go Huskies!
Our love story began in 1967 and continues to this day. We met on the stairs in the back hall of Sig Ep; I was a Kappa pledge living in Stowe D. I’d brought my pet rabbit to show a friend who introduced us. Like all of you UConn was the setting for our story, and we are eternally grateful. Husky pride and gratitude.
Timing is everything! He lived in Mahan North Tower; I lived in Mahan South Tower. We had our rust colored hair in common which also set us apart from others. We always said hello ,”hey red”, if we passed by. It was not until after graduation that our paths crossed and he asked me out. It was a great date- dinner, music theater, an overall wonderful night. But I was moving away and did not think it would be practical to see him again. I still think of him as the one I should never have let get away. Lesson learned. Seize the moment! Kudos to these couples for finding their UConn love.
HI: Great story! I can add another. There were four of us who were graduate students in the School of Fine Arts Acting Program between 1978-1981 (Kevin Collins & Kathleen O’Brien, Brant Pope & Barbara McConnell). We not only shared the same classes and stage, we also shared the same house (first in Willimantic, then in Mansfield). And yes, we married within a few years of graduating…and both pairs are still together over 40 years later.
Not only that, my wife and I worked together (high school teachers) and Brant and Barbara worked together at various collegiate theater departments. We all came from different places (me – Boston, Kate – Rochester, NY, Brant – Minnesota, Barbara – New Jersey)
My wife,Tonia Branch at that time, and I met in 1989 at Thumpers, the local off campus night club/bar – hahahaahha, after a brawl with some guys who were not too kind to her. She lived in French – South Campus and I lived in Buckley. We dated from 1989 until 1992/1993 and both graduated – Tonia fashion design; Ryan business admin. Thereafter, we continued to date off and on until 1996 as I was from Rhode Island and Tonia from Manchester CT. After that time we parted and went our separate ways. She went to Los Angeles CA, and I moved to Washington DC. After 12 years of no contact, I found out she was still single through one of me best friends, and I reached out to her. After long phone conversations she agreed to meet me in Miami after going on a “girls trip” to Jamaica. Once we reconnected in 2008 it was like seeing my best friend, and it felt like we had never missed a step after all that time. We maintained a long distance relationship from 2008 to 2014 when we got married in Newport Beach, CA on 7/11. Thereafter, I moved to Los Angeles in 2016 where we live currently. What an amazing love story huh hahahahahah?!!!!! Who wants to make a movie hahhahahaha.????!!!! Now that is a UConn Love Story!!!!!!!
I was a sophomore and Ann was a freshman when we met on Sept. 17, 1969, the 3rd day of classes, at a Kingston House Shoot. Thousands of times, I have thanked Rick S., the Shoot organizer, for inviting the Crandall C girls dorm that night. We had so many great times on campus: Kingston House parties, skating on the ice rink, basketball and football games, movies at the College Theater (Butch Cassidy & the Sundance kid was a favorite), concerts at Jorgensen (The 5th Dimension headlining in 1970 or 71 — tickets cost $5.00), early morning runs where we met half way and then ran around the farm (she always brought along apple chunks or carrots and the horses learned to run to the fence to meet us), the year that Phil S. and I delivered the Daily Campus paper and she met me at the Crandall C door as I dropped off the papers and collected a kiss, me as a backseat driver as she learned to drive her roommate’s standard transmission car in preparation for a spring break trip to Florida, and so many other memories. We just celebrated our 49th anniversary, have three great kids, and 6 grandkids. It’s been a fabulous life, with much more to come, and it all started at UConn in 1969.
My husband, Kirk and I very much enjoyed the above article.
We too, met and fell in love while students. We started dating February of 1979 as Sophomores. Kirk asked me out while we were attending a CRU campus ministry meeting. We were starstruck from the very first moment we connected! 🙂
Our first date?? a UConn vs URI basketball game held at The Hartford Civic Center on 2/9/1979. Since home games were held off campus back then, student buses were provided for the faithful hoards of Husky fans. The catch for us was that the return trip would not happen until several hours after the game was over; close to midnight. Since bar hopping on our first date was not what either of us wanted to do, my dear date had his Dad pick us up and bring us to their Wethersfield home for a night of games and hot chocolate. (Imagine meeting your date’s parents on the first encounter!) Fortunately, my escort had the foresight to arrange a double date with another couple, taking a little heat out of the awkward moments I felt when meeting his parents.
It honestly was fireworks from the first date, but we didn’t disclose that to the other for some time. Kirk continued to pursue me with lots of other fun and creative date nights, including a hysterical performance by David Letterman. (This was long before he was a household name!) We knew within a very short time, we were destined for the other.
We were engaged our senior year and married in September of 1982, just a few months after graduation. (We wanted an earlier date than that, but my parents were insistent Kirk have viable employment first! ) You may not know this, but 1982 was a terrible year economically and very few graduates were walking away with an offer in hand.
Well, here we are: 40 years, 3 adult kids, and one grandchild later, more in love than ever. Kirk and I have been, and continue to be best friends and are super grateful we have each other.
We were relocated from Newington, CT in 1989 to Indianapolis where we still reside.
Fun facts: We have attended every UConn vs. IU football game held in Bloomington.
We have attended every basketball game the boys have played in Indiana.
and we were present to see the Lady Huskies win their national championship against Syracuse in 2016.
So, that’s our story of love, marriage and UConn, in a nutshell.
Thanks for taking up such a fun topic!
Gae Hill (and Kirk)
Class of 1982
My husband and I met at UConn in the spring of 1963. I was living in a sorority (Pi Beta Phi) and we were having a Sadie Hawkins Dance soon. We girls had to ask a guy to be our date. I had not asked anyone yet. My friends convinced me to ask Tom. I had met him at the Waterbury Branch of UConn in my freshman year but had not dated.
My friends and I were standing and talking together in the Student Union at Storrs when Tom walked by and recognized me. We said hello and he went on walking. My friends said, “Who was that, why don’t you ask him to the dance?” So I did. We had a good time and started dating. We had a lot in common. Both of us had recently lost our dads and both had four siblings. He lived in Thomaston and I in Waterbury. We dated quite a bit after that.
In January of 1964 we became engaged and were married on August 1, 1964. I had introduced my roommate to my brother, both graduates from UConn and they ended up getting married also in July of 1964! We have been married for 57 years. We still love watching the women and men play basketball.
Elaine Duffany
Your story made me smile !
I was one of 7 girls who lived in Holcomb Hall
who met our husbands to be at UCONN.
They all lived in Grange Hall (and we all ate in Whitney).
We all married in the mid fifties, and have remained friends
For 70 years. We have gathered for weddings, birthday parties,
funerals and still, (even thru COVID) meet several times each year
To laugh, reminisce, support one another and enjoy this very special friendship.
So fun to see the article UConn’s Greatest Love Story
My husband and I met at the West Hartford campus in 1977. My husband, Eric A Cope, graduated in 1979 and I graduated in 1980.
Our youngest son Dr Ethan Cope graduated from the UConn School of Dental Medicine in 2021, his third UConn degree
Karen A. Pagliaro, RN, BSN
I have a love story that maybe is not epic but it is sweet.
I am a U-Conn graduate. My two brothers and I attended U-Conn in Storrs at the same/overlapping time. We graduated from approximately 1980-83. While there, my brother Bill met Andrea and dated her briefly but stayed friends with her. Bill introduced my brother Peter to Andrea and they started dating and later married and are still married. My brother Bill met Christine whom he married and they are still married also. We were all friends and still are today. Thought you might like this story of two brothers marrying UConn girls.
My brothers are Peter Sikes and Bill Sikes. I am Mary Beth Sikes Wetmore.
Peter married Andrea Tomczyk and Bill married Christine Zehalka.
My husband working UConn storrs Connecticut for last 30 years. In pathobiology We have two kids my son graduated UConn health 2021 my daughter graduated UConn in microbiology Working CDC Atlanta I studied women studies graduated 2007. We are proud Huskies
I was a freshman nursing student lived at 5A met my husband Bill Hacker who was a grad student who lived in Manchester Hall on a blind date he vaguely remembered my name but called for a second date and soon we were going out regularly, becamed pinned my sophmore year and married by my junior year We have been married for 64 wonderful years I graduated in 1961 my husband graduated in 1952 and 1957 We are proud Huskies
My husband, Ben, and I met at UConn in the fall of 1963. I was a sophomore from Cheshire and he, who had returned after dropping out the previous year to study in France, was from Stonington. He had been assigned to TKE as a freshman and he subsequently joined that fraternity. I knew who he was since he was dating the roommate of a girl in my sorority, Theta, who was from his hometown, but we did not get to know each other until one night In Oct. at A’s and I’s when we shared a dance. After that, we began dating and it soon became obvious that we were meant to be together. We got pinned in Feb., 1964, engaged in the fall of 1964, and married in Aug., 1965, two weeks after I turned 21 and before the start of my senior year, and when he was 23 1/2, at a time when “living together” was not yet a thing. We lived in Clubhouse Apts., which was brand new, before graduating in 1966. Ben’s graduation year had been 1964 and he only needed to attend half-time the year that we married so that we could graduate at the same time. We moved to Chicago so that Ben could pursue a PhD in French at Northwestern. After spending a year in France, we moved to Ann Arbor, MI, where we have resided ever since, with time outs for sabbaticals in Korea and CA.. He taught French at EMU and I taught ESL for Ann Arbor Public Schools. We have 5 grown daughters, 3 adopted from Korea (one of whom is now deceased) and two from China, and 3 grandchildren. We have many fond memories from our time at UConn where it all began for us so many years ago.