Rob H.
Born October 1950
Story told in Kalamazoo, Michigan
Note: this story was verbally shared four months before Rob's death and was written posthumously based on family recollections
On the first of October, my fraternity brothers were hosting a small birthday party for me, however “fraternity” is a term I use loosely as this was at a small community college in Muskegon and we were more like a drinking club than a formal Greek organization.
Even though the house was packed with college friends, I deeply missed my girlfriend, Nancy, who was going to school at Northern Michigan University in Marquette. The house was filled with laughter, dance music, clanging glasses and cheers and jeers and then suddenly all of the noise seemed to come to a hush around me.
And I saw, to my surprise, Nancy gliding through the crowd. Dumbfounded with her unexpected arrival, I rushed to her and without a word swung her into the air with an enormous hug followed by a deep kiss.
I later found out that Nancy bought a plane ticket at the spur of the moment by cashing out her savings account. That was the best birthday surprise and the best day of my life. On that day, I knew that Nancy and I would get married and we’ve been happily married now for over 40 years.
And that was the best day of my life.
Rob's
Favorite Book
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and
Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
by Daniel James Brown