Gwen and I met in the summer of 1981 while we were both working for Abbott Laboratories on a summer internship program.  At first we were just two friends in a group of seven college students having fun exploring the culinary and social highlights of Chicago and the surrounding area.  As the summer went on we found that our friendship went a little deeper, although Gwen was hesitant to distinguish ourselves as a couple from the rest of the group.  She also had reservations about dating a guy whose life was so different from hers.

     Finally, on a trip to Columbus, Ohio that our group took to tour Ross Labs, Gwen relented to the continuous onslaught of date requests.  A few days later, we found ourselves on a date in downtown Chicago at a fancy restaurant named The Tamborine.  We later went to Rush Street to do some dancing at the clubs.  When one of the doorman examined our I.D.’s from Ohio State and Ole Miss, he was perplexed how we had gotten together, but he did comment that we made a beautiful couple.

     We ended the evening at the top of the John Hancock building after a very good evening.  It was there that God revealed to me that this would be the girl that I would marry.  I was in love from that moment further.  Gwen would need a lot more time and much more convincing that I was the right guy.  We went out together a couple of more times before the time came for me to return to Texas.  Gwen still had a couple of weeks left in Chicago.