Courtesy | Nicholas Macaluso
These responses have been compiled and edited by Tracy Wilson.
How did you meet your spouse?
Kátia Sherman, Assistant Professor of Spanish, married to Tom Sherman for 30.5 years:
“He was teaching at Oberlin College, and I was an undergraduate student there. He had rooms to rent in his big house, and my sister and I came to check out those rooms. I had already seen him in the cafeteria and could hardly stand how gorgeous he was but did not know he was the landlord I was about to meet. Surprise!”
Maria Servold, Assistant Director of Dow Journalism Program, married to Ryan Servold for 11.5 years:
“We were introduced by my brother. He and Ryan worked together at a smoothie shop and my brother and my mom thought Ryan and I would like each other.”
Dwight Lindley, Associate Professor of English, married to Emily Lindley for 16 years:
“We got together long distance over AOL Instant Messenger, then went on our first date at a restaurant called The Trout, outside of Oxford, in the U.K.”
Daniel Coupland, Professor of education, married to Kari Coupland for 27 years:
“As college undergrads — because, oddly enough, I resembled my wife’s roommate’s boyfriend.”
Justin Fawley, assistant coach of Men’s and Women’s Track & Cross Country, married to Jessica Fawley for 4.5 years:
“We met on the Hillsdale College track team while we were both student-athletes.”
Nicholas Macaluso, admissions interviewer, married to Jolene Macaluso for 7 months:
“Jolene and I did not cross paths until our junior year at Hillsdale, which was providential. She would not have been as enamored of underclassman Nick Mac, who believed that dorm shenanigans were a character trait. Butter knives, glitter bombs, and opossums make a poor romantic backdrop. Instead, we first met officially on the Hayden volleyball courts where I was impressed, i.e. humbled, by her skill.”
What was your first date with your spouse?
Kátia Sherman:
“It was no more than a meeting at his office to talk about details pertaining to renting the rooms. The universe had other ideas for us: he proposed, and I accepted immediately. This meeting happened only a few days after I visited the house and realized he was the man from the cafeteria. It was just meant to be! He was 57 and I was 22, and yet, we knew it was right!”
Ken Calvert, Professor of History and Director of the Oxford Program, married to Beth Calvert for 31 years:
“Pizza, beer, frozen yogurt, a drive in my 1972 Volkswagen Bug, and lots of laughs.”
Jolene Macaluso, admissions counselor, married to Nicholas Macaluso for 7 months:
“Nick asked if I would like to ‘get a meal’ with him sometime. He earnestly added that I was one of the only head RAs he didn’t know terribly well and that it might be good to get to know each other better — you know, as head RAs. We sat on the ‘stage’ in Saga at the table next to the far pillar for two hours talking about everything…except our dorms or serving as head RAs.”
Nicholas Macaluso:
“Our first date was a walk to Rough Draft. A friend who spied us walking together noted that we left enough room between us not only for Jesus, but for all twelve disciples as well.
What’s the most memorable date you’ve been on with your spouse?
Ken Calvert:
“Our 5th anniversary. A man with a sailboat named ‘Amazing Grace’ took us out for an afternoon of sailing happiness. We were eating lunch on the dock, and he just said ‘hop in.’ Never saw him again.”
Jolene Macaluso:
“Summer of 2020, I drove eight hours to Senoia, GA to surprise Nick with an early visit. We drank steaming black coffee together with his parents in the early morning. I gathered eggs from their hen house to make omelets. We rode Cheyenne and Ariella, their feisty horses, around in the woods. Neither of us felt the glamorized pressure of dating — it was more that we learned just how wonderful being together is. That was the summer I think we truly fell in love.”
Justin Fawley:
“We were on a trip through Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. Part of the trip included getting coffee and brunch in Düsseldorf, then sitting 5 rows back, midfield at a Borussia Dortmund v. Bayern Munich match in Dortmund, Germany.”
What’s one funny or sweet memory you have with your spouse?
Cheryl Clawson, aide for Institutional Advancement, married to Ken Clawson for 45.5 years:
“The day we first met he warmed my freezing toes while we sat on a ledge of a church window watching a Thanksgiving parade. He thought it was funny that I worked in a shoe store and didn’t own any boots. He took a pair of his socks off, and put them on my feet. He likes to tell people that he picked me on a street corner in Detroit. We re-created that scene at the same church on our 40th anniversary of meeting each other.”
Kátia Sherman:
“Our idea of ‘sweet’ might be a little different from most people’s given our history. Tom became catastrophically ill with heart problems and needed a heart transplant in 2001. Before the transplant we were ‘worried’ that, when they changed his heart, he would come back not in love with me anymore. After surgery, we were happy and relieved to know that was not the case!”
Maria Servold:
“On our first date, we went mini-golfing and I ‘won.’ I genuinely believed I won until years later, when Ryan revealed to me that, no, he most definitely rigged the score sheet to let me win. Now that I know how athletically talented he is, I’m not sure how he managed to ‘lose’ so well!”
Bill “Wild Bill” Lundberg, Hayden Park fitness director, married to Sharon Lundberg for 38 years:
“I pulled off a great surprise and celebration for Sharon’s 40th birthday. We went over to a friend’s house after church, and they just so happened to live next door to the Munro House Bed & Breakfast. The moment we stepped out of the car, everybody came out of the house yelling, ‘Surprise! Happy birthday Sharon!’ Even almost all of Sharon’s bridesmaids from our wedding day were able to be with us.”
Paul Rahe, Professor of history, married for 23 years:
“We had dinner together one night. Still no romance, just friends. After dinner, she asked me whether I thought that she ate too much. I laughed and did not answer. Had I answered, well… who knows what would have happened?”
What is your proposal story?
Maria Servold:
“Ryan proposed at the Garden Party during my senior year, in the fall of 2009. He was not a Hillsdale student, but flew to Michigan and got to my brother’s dorm room without me knowing. I was called on stage during the Garden Party, and he snuck up behind me and popped the question.”
Ken Calvert:
“We traveled to Altoona, Pennsylvania and drove up to Mount Wopsononock where my father had asked my mother in 1955. Mom said yes. So did Beth. Still amazed that they did.”
Jolene Macaluso:
“January 4, 2021, Nick asked me to dance. ‘I realized that we’ve never danced together before, and I want to change that.’ As the song died away, Nick looked down at me, smiling. ‘That was on my list of things to do together before I propose,’ he said. Laughing, I teased, ‘Well, what else is on that list? Let’s knock it out!’ He said, ‘Just one more thing: kneeling.’ And he knelt. This was the easiest question I had ever answered.”
Dwight Lindley:
“In my wife’s family, you are expected to get the father’s permission before proposing. I had to labor long and hard to get that permission, and when I finally did, I took her out to hike a small mountain outside Little Rock, Arkansas. Near the top, I knelt down, but because I was higher on the slope than she was, I actually ended up being slightly above her to propose! She said yes. I said, ‘Well, do you like the ring?’ She said, ‘… I could learn to like it.’ So we spent the rest of the day getting a replacement ring.”
Bill Lundberg:
“Sharon was babysitting for a great young family that we both knew through our church and the parents were out on a date. I went over to see her and help her with the kids before she got them settled down for bed. We were just going to watch a movie, but instead I had a bouquet of flowers ready to give her with her engagement ring hidden inside the bouquet on one of the rose stems so I could bring it to her attention when the time was right! As I gave her the flowers, she went to smell them, and I pointed out to her, ‘Hey Honey, what’s that on one of the flowers?’ And as I got down on one knee, I asked her, ‘Sharon – will you marry me?’ She said yes, and the rest is history!”
Paul Rahe:
“We dined at a place in Tulsa where I was then on the faculty of the University of Tulsa, and I talked about our future together. Laura responded, ‘Well, then you would have to ask me to marry you.’ I replied, ‘Consider it done.’”
Daniel Coupland:
I proposed to Kari in front of her entire family — only her father knew that the proposal was coming. She covered her face with her hands and cried for two (long) minutes before she finally said yes.”
