Two generations of Colgate coupledom
From Rob ’73 and Laurie Allison ’75 Gunther
Laurie and I met in high school in Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y. Laurie was my date for Colgate homecoming my freshman year when she was a junior in high school. Based on my high school yearbook picture, her stepfather said I looked harmless and let her go. We dated on and off that year and she visited several times my sophomore year. I’ve always had a sneaking suspicion that she visited so often because she had fallen in love — more so with Colgate than with me.
When Laurie was accepted, she chose Colgate over several other schools. Once Laurie arrived as a freshman in 1971 as part of the second class of women, we were a Colgate couple from day one. We have great memories of drives into the hills chasing the sunset, evenings at The Jug and the Rathskeller, and Sunday breakfasts at Quack’s. Our classmates might remember Laurie as the girl who was always sleeping on one of the couches in the library.
After Colgate, we both went to law school. I proposed in a cabin in Maine in the Bicentennial summer of 1976. We married a year later in The Unitarian Church of Pocantico Hills. Our reception was in a beautiful garden belonging to the parents of Nancy Silver ’74, with many Colgate friends in attendance. Our children chose their own paths at small liberal arts colleges: Colgate for Russell ’04, Kenyon (’06) for Paul, and Bowdoin (’10) for Allie.
From Russell ’04 and Meg Lyons ’06 Gunther
Meg and I met on a “blind” date in 2008, thanks to the matchmaking skills of Abby King ’06, one of Meg’s closest friends and NYC roommate at the time, and a friend of mine from the Colgate Resolutions. Given a couple years of overlap and participation in the Greek system (Beta for me, Theta for Meg), “blind” date may be a generous term, but Meg agreed to give me a chance anyway.
Shared experiences and a love of Colgate helped pave the way for our love for each other, and we were married in Spring Lake, N.J., in June 2012. We had a great time celebrating with family and friends, helped no doubt by a strong Colgate contingent (30+ alumni) that included a few other Colgate couples.
Are you a married Colgate couple? If so, we want to hear your love story, whether you had your first kiss on Willow Path or didn’t first meet until years after graduation. Tell us your story in 400 words or less, and send a (current or past) photo to: the Colgate Scene at scene@colgate.edu or 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, NY 133461.
