Celebrating 50 Years - How It Began

Back then, in the early 60s, Put In Bay had old antique cars that they used as taxi service. The taxi stand was right in front of the Round House, the middle of the main street of the town. And right next to the Round House was a little enclosed area of the front porch that housed Mrs. Ohlamacher's Pizza place--my first summer job.

It was actually the second year I'd worked the pizza place and early in the summer I began to notice that the taxi drivers were beginning their summers as well. It was unusual for drivers to work more than one year. You really had to hustle and it wasn't always a pleasant job in those late night hours with overindulgent drinkers from the bars. Suddenly I noticed a familiar face. It was a driver from the year before.

Now that would have been curious enough as I watched him drive a white convertible taxi past the pizza place. The next thing I knew, he was driving a red Cadillac convertible in the other direction past me and now he was wearing a hat. This continued for a while until suddenly the two cars crossed slowly in front of me and I realized I was seeing double! Dick had returned and he had a twin brother, Bob!

One of my most vivid memories of that summer is Bob walking down the street from his boss's shop with a big wad of cotton candy on a stick. I smiled and thought he had cute knees (he still does).

Our first date was the free open house at the Ohio State University Lab on Gibraltor Island in the bay. We explored lots of stuff in jars. Little did I know then how big OSU would loom in my future.

Gibraltor Island-OSU lab

As the summer progressed so did our interest in each other. Lots of rides home after work and just rides around the island for fun. Bob's favorite memory is the night he walked me to my door and was about to kiss me good night (for the first time, if I remember correctly). Don't know what made my mother open the door but when she saw the two of us there she got embarrassed and called out, "Oh, it's you two. Well go to it!" Then she closed the door.

He reminded her often that she'd told him to "go to it".

When summer ended neither of us had any idea that our relationship would continue. We began writing every day and visited several times over that year--my first at Kent State. When the year ended, and it seemed that this was getting serious I petitioned my dad to let me transfer to OSU so I could get to know this guy better since it seemed that it was going to be serious.

I guess you could say the rest is history. Wow, that makes me feel really old. By Christmas of '67 we were engaged and when Bob's job commitment gave us an income, we planned our wedding for September.