2008 Woodie Awards
Students race to the altar
Liz Klimas
Issue date: 9/27/07 Section: Focus
- Page 1 of 1
A breeding ground for the M.R.S. degree in the 1950s and 60s, Hillsdale College housed more than 40 married couples in 1967, according to the Winona.
One campus club offered an opportunity for fellow wives to share experiences, recipes and remedies.
The Wives Club planned a Halloween Masquerade, a Christmas Party and an end of the year picnic for members' spouses and children - Yes, some couples had children while attending college.
Couples have begun waiting longer to marry since then. But there are exceptions on campus who are happy with their decision to marry during their college years.
Today, if the Wives Club were still around, it would have a membership of three.
There are currently five married couples with at least one spouse attending Hillsdale.
Coincidentally, two of these couples even live in the same apartment building.
Assistant to the President Mike Harner calls it "married housing," said recently-married junior Ryan Walsh.
Meet the Walshes
Ryan and junior Emily (Bartlett) Walsh met at a Halloween dinner their freshman year. A few days later, Emily invited Ryan to smoke cigars.
From then on they were inseparable.
"I always told my friends in high school I was going to marry a woman who smokes cigars," Ryan said of Emily, a cigar aficionado since age 13. "Within two weeks of dating, we knew."
By Oct. 28 their sophomore year, Ryan offered an elaborately planned proposal at 3 a.m. in Mauck Hall involving more than 1,000 candles, narrated scenes from their relationship and an instrumental string duet.
"It was like he was narrating special moments of our relationship, like I had never been there," Emily said.
By July 2007 they were married.
While many may see potential hardships when getting married in college, the Walshes said they have found it easier so far.
"People always say you can't get married in college because you have too much to do," Emily said. "But like Ryan was saying, all the stress seems to be gone. We get to spend more time together and don't have to plan to spend that time as much."
The Walshes discussed the issue of getting married in detail before taking the plunge.
"We debated for months," Ryan said. "We had to figure out finances, and as soon as we figured out we could do it, we did. Why wait?"
Ryan said the biggest change is being able to go home with Emily every night.
"Last year was terrible in that every night I had to walk her back to [the Pi Beta Phi sorority house]," he said.
For fun as a married couple, the Walshes like to eat, smoke cigars and watch movies.
Meet the Hamiltons
Senior Mike Hamilton and his bride Maggie shared their first kisses on stage in high school plays.
Two years later, when Mike was a junior in high school and Maggie was graduating, they started dating.
Though their relationship was long-distance for three years while they attended different colleges, they knew marriage was in their future.
"We both matured a lot because of our time apart," Mike said. "It forced us both to learn how to draw from the Lord a lot more and communicate better."
The Hamiltons were married in May 2007 and can now enjoy being together instead of six hours apart.
"I never knew how much we were alike until these last four months," Mike said. "If we had known the things about each other that we knew now, those three years apart would have been easier."
"I am not used to having him with me all the time," Maggie said. "It is still sort of surreal."
While Maggie works as a nurse at Hillsdale County Health Center, Mike is finishing his senior year.
"It is a little harder with all the studying I have to do, but I don't think being married in college has taken away from my college life," Mike said. "If anything, I feel like my strengths have multiplied."
Like the Walshes, the Hamiltons' favorite hobby is cooking.
The two couples often get together to cook.
"It may seem dad-ish, but I like to get out there with the grill," Mike said.
One campus club offered an opportunity for fellow wives to share experiences, recipes and remedies.
The Wives Club planned a Halloween Masquerade, a Christmas Party and an end of the year picnic for members' spouses and children - Yes, some couples had children while attending college.
Couples have begun waiting longer to marry since then. But there are exceptions on campus who are happy with their decision to marry during their college years.
Today, if the Wives Club were still around, it would have a membership of three.
There are currently five married couples with at least one spouse attending Hillsdale.
Coincidentally, two of these couples even live in the same apartment building.
Assistant to the President Mike Harner calls it "married housing," said recently-married junior Ryan Walsh.
Meet the Walshes
Ryan and junior Emily (Bartlett) Walsh met at a Halloween dinner their freshman year. A few days later, Emily invited Ryan to smoke cigars.
From then on they were inseparable.
"I always told my friends in high school I was going to marry a woman who smokes cigars," Ryan said of Emily, a cigar aficionado since age 13. "Within two weeks of dating, we knew."
By Oct. 28 their sophomore year, Ryan offered an elaborately planned proposal at 3 a.m. in Mauck Hall involving more than 1,000 candles, narrated scenes from their relationship and an instrumental string duet.
"It was like he was narrating special moments of our relationship, like I had never been there," Emily said.
By July 2007 they were married.
While many may see potential hardships when getting married in college, the Walshes said they have found it easier so far.
"People always say you can't get married in college because you have too much to do," Emily said. "But like Ryan was saying, all the stress seems to be gone. We get to spend more time together and don't have to plan to spend that time as much."
The Walshes discussed the issue of getting married in detail before taking the plunge.
"We debated for months," Ryan said. "We had to figure out finances, and as soon as we figured out we could do it, we did. Why wait?"
Ryan said the biggest change is being able to go home with Emily every night.
"Last year was terrible in that every night I had to walk her back to [the Pi Beta Phi sorority house]," he said.
For fun as a married couple, the Walshes like to eat, smoke cigars and watch movies.
Meet the Hamiltons
Senior Mike Hamilton and his bride Maggie shared their first kisses on stage in high school plays.
Two years later, when Mike was a junior in high school and Maggie was graduating, they started dating.
Though their relationship was long-distance for three years while they attended different colleges, they knew marriage was in their future.
"We both matured a lot because of our time apart," Mike said. "It forced us both to learn how to draw from the Lord a lot more and communicate better."
The Hamiltons were married in May 2007 and can now enjoy being together instead of six hours apart.
"I never knew how much we were alike until these last four months," Mike said. "If we had known the things about each other that we knew now, those three years apart would have been easier."
"I am not used to having him with me all the time," Maggie said. "It is still sort of surreal."
While Maggie works as a nurse at Hillsdale County Health Center, Mike is finishing his senior year.
"It is a little harder with all the studying I have to do, but I don't think being married in college has taken away from my college life," Mike said. "If anything, I feel like my strengths have multiplied."
Like the Walshes, the Hamiltons' favorite hobby is cooking.
The two couples often get together to cook.
"It may seem dad-ish, but I like to get out there with the grill," Mike said.
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