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All you need is love

More than 15 percent of Marquette alumni are hitched to fellow Marquetters. In honor of Valentine's Day, Marquette Magazine asked readers to share their stories of campus courtships. Here are a few of our favorites (some edited for length).

Jenny Risch, Arts '05, shared the following story about her grandparents, who are pictured at left:

"Jack Jewell and Shirley Bruens met at Marquette in 1945. Jack had returned from World War II and enrolled in Law School at Marquette. He was considered 'the catch' of the law students that year, but he had his eye on Shirley from the moment they met. She was a freshman, pursuing a bachelor's degree in English. Shirley's best friend at Marquette (Shirley Baldwin) also met her husband (also named Jack, last name Varick) at Marquette and the two 'Shirley and Jack' duos spent their four years together. They were social butterflies, attending every dance, sorority activity, and many arts- and sports-related extracurriculars. Once, upon entering a restaurant together, Jack scooped Shirley into his arms, sat her up on the coat check counter and proclaimed 'Check this out!' Jack proposed on Christmas 1948, during Shirley's senior year at Marquette. They were married shortly after she graduated. They always held close ties with their Marquette friends and were proud to be alumni as they watched the university grow and change over the years. They were married for almost 30 years when Jack passed away in 1978. Shirley never took off her wedding ring and never remarried. Jack was the one true love of her life. Shirley passed away on Dec. 10, 2010, in the home where she and Jack raised their six children and 19 grandchildren."

From Laraine (Valerian) O'Brien, Jour '61

"We will celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary this year. It all started at the beginning of the 1959 MU football season, our first date. In those days, men wore ties and sport coats on dates, and women had on heels and dresses. It was not only a rainy night, but a tornado was spotted in the Milwaukee area. We were soaked in the stands in old MU Stadium as the University of Pittsburgh with Mike Ditka faced our Warriors. Since Mike was the Tribune sports editor, we could not leave early. My new wool sheath dress actually shrunk it was so wet. The colors in a friend's tie ran through his soaked white shirt. When the game was over, MU lost, but I had found a life partner."

From Charles Rickert, Bus Ad '07

"It was 5:55 p.m. on Sept. 1, 2005. I met Diana in the AMU lobby to discuss creating a new student organization. We led club meetings in the evening and afterward would take the No. 30 bus to Chipotle and Pick 'n Save. We soon began spending more and more time together. I was a guest on her Marquette Radio show, we studied at Raynor and went to Mass at St. Joan of Arc. During Christmas Break '05, I realized how much I loved spending time with her. We began officially dating not long after returning to campus and were inseparable for our next three years at Marquette. I proposed six months after we graduated, and we married in December 2009. We are a part of our local Marquette alumni club and make frequent trips back to campus for basketball games and to satisfy our Sobelman's craving."

 From Rebecca Warczak, Bus Ad '05

"My husband and I met in Professor Akers' audit class fall semester of our last year at Marquette. Audit was not my strongest subject and so I decided I needed the help of a tutor. I looked for the cutest smart guy I could find to help me, and it was Andy. We studied together for the entire semester, and right before we went in to take the final I asked if he would like to hang out over the break. He said yes, and that was the start of our romance. I managed to get my grade up in the class thanks to my great tutor, but Andy still blames me for his only non-A (he got an A-) in any of his business classes. But it was worth it!"

From Michael Doyle, Bus Ad '86

"Met my beautiful and pretty significant other at Marquette. Our first date was on Valentine's Day. Dropped off flowers with one girl, a card with another and put my significant other's card in my glove compartment and asked her to get me something in there on our first date. We made out almost as soon as we walked in my parents' house door and got engaged Valentine's Day exactly one year later. Go Marquette!"

From Alyssa Maas, Arts '10

"It was Oct. 13. I was a freshman member of the Marquette dance team and this night, Marquette Madness, would be my first performance with a college dance team. Needless to say, I was quite nervous. At one point a teammate said she had the greatest idea ever: I would be perfect for their friend Garrett and that they should set us up — tonight. Gulp. Forget the nerves I had at Marquette Madness, apparently in the next 20 minutes I was going on a blind date! We hit off from that very night. He was funny, quirky, goofy and mindful. We both LOVED coffee, which would later become our MO for mending any damage from relationship fires. We both wondered why the world was the way it was most days and always gave our undivided attention to understanding the goals, dreams and aspirations of the other. Over the last few years, we've had trouble keeping ourselves in the same place for long. I spent five months in Spain, in July he moved to Chicago, since August I've been working in Racine — you get the idea. But no matter what the distance, one truth remains the same: I met the love of my life at Marquette, and this year we celebrate our fifth Valentines Day." 

From Megan Drew, Nurs '03, Grad '07

"We met at a Halloween party sophomore year. I saw him from across the room when I walked in and determined right then that he would be mine. All of my friends left the party to try others, while I stayed back by myself to get to know him better. We found out we lived one floor about in Schroeder and frequently used the flight of stairs that separated us. We were 'official' by Thanksgiving, and on June 3, 2005, we were married at Gesu and have since had two beautiful daughters together, Lucille and Vivian."

From Holly Caretta-Weyer, H Sci '09

"I met Andy at the square dance freshman year when I was dancing with his best friend from high school. It turned out that we both lived in Straz, were in the Honors Program and were science majors. We hit it off immediately and started dating after a long walk all around Milwaukee while carrying a watermelon purchased at the Milwaukee Public Market. Three and a half years later, Andy asked me to marry him in front of Joan of Arc Chapel late at night in the snow, just a few yards from where we first met. We were married June 19, 2010, at Lake Park Bistro."

From Melissa Doxtator, Arts '06

"I was a student manager at the AMU my junior year, and in November I began hiring for second-semester positions. I hired what I thought was all young freshmen so they could be trained and hopefully stay on staff for three more years. To my surprise, I hired Jacob, a junior (Whops! I thought he was a freshman!) Jacob was a very dedicated employee and a quick learner, but the best part was that he was willing to work all the weekend night shifts, which were super hard to fill. Jacob and I became close after working together almost every weekend for a few months and began to hang out outside of work. We began dating that March. Jacob and I have been together for nearly six years now and have been married for two and a half years. Thanks to Marquette and the AMU for bringing me my best friend and husband!"

From Lindsey Pietrowski, Bus Ad '07

"My husband and I met sophomore year in Mr. Hugh's calculus class. We bonded over Mr. Hugh's 'sea stories.' We had our next class together in Mrs. Gruber's accounting class. I was terrible at accounting, and Rich (now works as an accountant) would tutor me (although, I think I paid more attention to him than to the numbers). We got to know each other over the years through our friends, university functions, basketball games and his ROTC military balls. He proposed to me in March 2008 in front of St. Joan of Arc, and we were married in December 2008 at Gesu before he deployed to Afghanistan. We can't wait to take our new daughter to her first Marquette game in February. We are hoping we have a future Golden Eagle on our hands!"

From Melani Hinchey, Comm '02

"I did not meet my significant other at Marquette exactly — it was at the graduation party of one of my good MU friends. John was still in school. I'd graduated two years before. We'd both been at Marquette my senior year, his freshman year, but thankfully (because, as a senior, I was not paying any attention to freshmen), our paths had not crossed. On that day, however, I noticed him as soon as I walked into the room. He was telling jokes about reformation theology. I had also majored in theology, and so our first conversations were all about sacramentology and patristics. I had also majored in journalism, and it delighted me that he remembered several of my articles from the Tribune. As we dated, Marquette became my second home again. Two and a half years later, we were wed. The wedding party was full of MU alums, and the theology professors and Jesuits who had played a significant role in our lives were honored guests."

From Brian Loebig, Arts '92, Grad '97

"Nicole and I first met as employees at KFC but continued to fall more deeply in love while at Marquette in the early 1990s. I was majoring in psychology, and Nicole majored in biology. She lived in the newly remodeled YWCA dorm at the time, and I lived off campus. We had great times hanging out at the old Brooks Memorial Student Union, discovering roller blades, protesting Apartheid and participating in the Black Student Union and Integrated Leadership Council. I returned to MU and graduated with Marquette's first eMBA class of 1997, and Nicole traveled with the class as my wife during our international trip to Antwerp, Belgium. We married in 1993, have four kids and Nicole is back in school finishing her medical degree at Virginia Commonwealth University. We love Marquette!"

From Jerry Voors, Bus Ad '82

"In 1981 we decided to throw a party to recognize Father Naus and Father McGarrity for their service to Schroeder Hall. It was suggested I work with a Schroeder resident adviser who was close to Father Naus — Carin Campbell (Nurs '83), my future wife. Not only was the party a huge surprise for Father Naus, but the outcome was a pleasant surprise for me, too. Eighteen months later, I proposed in the Schroeder dining room. Father Naus helped celebrate our marriage at Gesu in 1984. Twenty-four years later, my kids are still celebrating Mass with Father Naus on Tuesday nights at Joan of Arc Chapel." 

From Kathleen Yonts, Arts '71

"It was the end of the spring semester in 1969, and my roommates insisted I go to a party. An acquaintance was celebrating pinning his girlfriend. Reluctantly I went, and there was this guy working on a take-home final. Something clicked. When he was leaving to take another couple home, I asked if I could go along. He was graduating and heading off to Ft. Benning as a new officer in the Army. We dated a bit that summer, then started writing to each other — this was before cell phones and e-mail. Eventually he ended up in Viet Nam. When he returned home, we again started dating, got engaged, married, had four children and now six grandchildren. This July marks our 39th anniversary. That friend who started it all is our daughter's Godfather." 

From Mike Sheets, Arts '02, Grad '05

"My wife, Sarah (formally Baertlein, H Sci '04, Grad '05), and I met at the Marquette Experience Retreat in the fall of 2000. Little did I know the impact this retreat would have on our lives. Until my junior year at MU, I had been discerning entering the Jesuits. Father Hohn Lawrence suggested that it might be a good idea for me to go on this retreat as part of my discernment and to get some time away. So, I signed up for it and still considered backing out at the last minute. In the end, I felt a need to go. On Saturday afternoon, during a scheduled snack break, a friend introduced me to Sarah. Sarah told me that she had also had some reservations about going on the retreat but decided to go in the end. Sarah and I decided to go on a walk together. Besides getting lost, a trait I still possess, and her thinking I was from Iowa rather than Ohio, the discussion was great and the time flew. It was one of those moments where I felt I had known her for years. I guess she felt some of the same feelings, or felt sorry for me, since we decided that we would call each other when we arrived back on campus. This retreat started a relationship and a story, and we always reflect that it was a great foundation to start from. In 2003, we were married in Littleton, Colo. In 2005, we moved to Texas for the Air Force when Andrew was born. We moved to Los Angeles in 2006, where I deployed to Iraq for seven months, and in 2008, we moved to Denver when Lauren was born."

Want to read more Marquette love stories? Check out our cover story from Winter 2008.