"I MET MY MATE AT LAKELAND" It was something of a chance meeting -- and yet it wasn't. I had clearly noticed her the year before as the attractive, seemingly shy, very talented young organist at the church on the hill - Immanuel. My church attendance was remarkable that year! She, as a senior in high school, found endless excuses to come to campus, just a mile from her home, to check me out through her lenses.

The setting for our first date was provided by a Zeta Chi Fraternity social. It was a beautiful, colorful, apple-eating fall day at Mauthe Lake. We were immediately amused by the fact that we had worn the same color-cordinated clothing. We soon found ways to isolate ourselves from the rest of the group. We then made the commitment to walk around the entire lake.

Holding hands, then holding each other, experiencing the smells, the sights, the sounds, the adrenaline, the sheer joy of having so quickly come to know one another so well, all these lead to a beautiful long walk around a very small lake -- and a wonderfully romantic first date.

It takes very little imagination today - some 50 plus years later - to recall the exhilaration of the first date - and of course the many subsequent dates leading to a wonderful life of commitment together. Viva Lakeland College!!