Some met over dishwashing and wait jobs at the campus dining
hall. Some sang together in the choir or were seated next to
each other in history class. Some met at campus dances, and
some just knew the moment their eyes met at freshman
orientation. But for all of these couples, their future
spouse was a definite part of their Whittier College
experience.
Nearly 50 alumni couples attended the event “For the Love of
Poets,” held at Wardman House, the home of President Sharon
Herzberger.
Last night, nearly 50 pairs of alumni—graduates from the
1930s to the 2000s—attended the reception “For the Love of
Poets,” an event celebrating the many marital relationships
forged on the Whittier campus throughout the years.
“This
is the first ‘For the Love of Poets’ event, one that I hope
will become an annual tradition around Valentine's Day,”
said host President Sharon Herzberger, who met her spouse
David during their undergraduate days. “I got the idea for
this event, thinking back to when David and I took our older
son to college. When all of the parents were gathered in
the gymnasium on that first day, the dean advised that we
should look around at the other parents and be kind to them,
since one day we might be in-laws.”
“Well, I
told that story at my first Whittier College Golden
Anniversary Brunch, in the fall of 2005,” Herzberger
continued, “and I asked how many of those gathered met their
spouses and partners through Whittier College -- an
overwhelming proportion stood up.
“Right
then and there, I decided that we should somehow celebrate
the role that Whittier played in bringing so many Poets
together in marriage. Tonight is the first such
celebration; I hope everyone here will join us year after
year, and encourage others to do so as well. “
The Parminters, married
67 years, offer sage advice to young marrieds, Tim Tiernan
and Eva Sevcikova, married but eight months.
Honors for the longest running Whittier marriage went to Kay
(Bandy) Parminter and Burt Parminter (Class or 1936 and 1937,
respectively), who just breezed past their 67th
wedding anniversary. Not surprisingly, during the course of
the evening, Tim Tiernan ’02 and Eva Sevcikova’03—the most
recently married couple at eight months—were spotted
conversing with the Parminters, perhaps seeking the secret
to lasting marital success.
After taking a “formal” photograph at the entrance to
stately Wardman House, attendees were serenaded with a
number of love songs, courtesy of members of the College
Choir, and snacked on traditional lovers’ fare such as
chocolate-covered strawberries. Individual stories of how
each couple met were gathered prior to the event, and plans
are underway in the Alumni Office to develop a Poet couples
“memory book,” complete with photographs old and new.
