Did you meet your spouse, fiance or significant other at SIUE? Many happy couples have met on campus and the Alumni Association wants to celebrate their love stories. Whether you met in class or at a campus party, share your love story and connect with other Cougar couples.
To participate, email your information to kabenne@siue.edu. Share the story of how you met and a quick update on where life has taken you as a couple. Please include contact information in your email as well as photos to post online. Your story will be featured with the other couples below and may be selected to be featured in a future edition of the eConnection.
Thank you in advance for participating and enjoy the SIUE Love Connection stories below!
Featured Stories:
Lawrence Jackson (BS '99) & Kimberly (Shelton) Jackson (BS '00)
Chris Pedo (MPA '06) & Rachel Pedo
Kim (Edgar) Bradley (BS '05) & Chris Bradley
Elizabeth (Johnson) Asbrock (BS '01, MS '07) & Dr. Rodney Asbrock (BS '02)
Edwin Franklin ('82 BA) & Kimberly (Tolson) Franklin ('88 BS, '95 MBA)
Lynn (Long) Schaffner ('83 BS) & Tom Schaffner
Erica Thompson ('06 BS) & Jack Sykut ('06 BS)
Cindy (Holesko) Allen ('06 MBA, '04 BSA) & Justin Allen ('07 MSED, '05 BS)
Andy Shelby ('97 BS) & Karen (Kelleher) Shelby ('99 BS)
Former Chancellor David Werner & Kay (Buxton) Werner ('88 SD)
Susan (Levy) Kulasakara ('88 BA) & Nali Kulasakara ('92 MBA, '90 BS)
SIUE Love Connection
Lawrence Jackson (BS '99) & Kimberly (Shelton) Jackson (BS '00)
Lawrence and Kimberly met during Kimberly's first weekend of college her freshman year. She worked with Lawrence's previous roommate and he was constantly trying to get Kimberly to come out to his apartment to meet his roommate. Kimberly thought he was just trying to get her to come to his apartment for him. That weekend, two different people invited Kimberly to the same party, so she went with one of her friends. She walked in the door and saw Lawrence. He walked right up to Kimberly and said "It's my birthday are you going to tell me Happy Birthday?" So she did and walked away. Kimberly says she could not quit looking at Lawrence the whole night and he finally came up and started talking to her and they hit it off right away. He called the next weekend and said he was having a party and asked her to come out. Kimberly and Lawrence have been together ever since. Their first date was at the SIUE bowling alley and Taco Bell. On their first date, a guy walked up to them on campus and said "One day you will have beautiful children." Kimberly and Lawrence have been together almost 13 years and just celebrated their 8 year wedding anniversary. They have 2 beautiful babies, Logan 6 and Karley Jo 2, so the strange guy was right.
Chris Pedo (MPA '06) & Rachel Pedo
Rachel and Chris met through Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. Chris is from Kenya and arrived in the US in August 2004 for grad school. He joined Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and became an active member. Within one year, Chris knew Rachel and they became friends. They started dating during the fall semester of 2005, got engaged in 2006 and got married in August 2006. Chris works at AT&T Yellowpages in St. Louis and Rachel is back in school at SIUE. They are currently living in Cougar Village.
Kim (Edgar) Bradley (BS '05) & Chris Bradley
My story isn't about finding a love connection on campus, but instead the ultimate act of love taking place on campus. I graduated from SIUE in '05 with a B.S. in Bus. Admin. I love the school. The years I spent there were the best of my life. I lived in the dorms two years and met some amazing people. One of the things I love best is the beautiful campus. Three months after graduation I met the love of my life, Chris Bradley.
Christmas Eve '06 I got the shock of my life when I was given a ring and a proposal. A few days later my fiancee was offered a job in Atlanta, GA. and I learned that I would have only 5 months to plan my dream wedding. Everything moved along pretty smoothly, except when it came to where to have the ceremony. I spent many hours looking at churches, vineyards and any location I could think of to have a wedding. Nothing seems right, and then I flashed on the Religious Center. I always loved this building and it seemed like an amazing place to have a wedding.
We were married under the glass dome on June, 2 2007. Rev. Greg Fields married us and I couldn't have been happier with the ceremony. With the help of Greg, I was able to completely customize the ceremony to us. It was so special, a day I'll always cherish. Right as the ceremony began, it began to rain. At first I was horrified that this would ruin my outdoor photo session after the wedding. Then I remembered being told that rain on your wedding day was good luck and was awed at standing under this beautiful glass roof listening to the rain fall. God must have been smiling on us because the rain stopped as our ceremony ended. It ended up being a beautiful day and being married on my college campus only made it more special.
My husband and I now reside in Atlanta, GA. I miss home and family, but am enjoying a more mild winter than I am use to. After graduation I took a job with Cox Auto Trader as an advertising consultant. My husband works for IHG as a training consultant.
Elizabeth (Johnson) Asbrock (BS '01, MS '07) & Dr. Rodney Asbrock (BS '02)
They met in Calculus class at SWIC (BAC at the time) just prior to enrolling in SIUE in different majors. Elizabeth had a boyfriend at that time which proved to be a trend that continued through their first semester at SIUE. Now, Rodney can honestly say that the magic of SIUE literally wanted Elizabeth and he to be together. He says this because, even though they knew one another from a class they had taken elsewhere, they hadn’t spoken all summer, and really weren't much more than casual acquaintances before the first day of class at SIUE.
Rodney, being late as usual, walked in to the first floor lecture hall of the science building for his first botany class at the university. He walked in the back door of the room, in a vain effort to conceal the fact that he was late on the first day of class. He scanned the back of the auditorium for a seat which would cause the least disruption. He found one and hurriedly moved to get into it, sat down, opened his bag, removed a pen and notebook, and flipped the desktop up, to begin taking notes. Being good and settled in, he turns to see Beth looking right back at him with a curious smile, asking him why he was late. They had lunch together that day, and found out that they also would be in physics class and physics lab together. This meant that they would be spending a lot of time together, especially considering that for next 4 months they had lunch together everyday.
They started dating over Christmas break that first year, after Elizabeth gathered up enough courage to ask Rodney on a date, because he's basically a coward. Rodney believes it was 1999 when they first started going out, or early 2000, because the Rams won the Superbowl on their second date. They were engaged shortly thereafter, and were married just after Rodney graduated in 2002 at the officer’s club at SAFB, it was beautiful. He was trying to get into dental school at the time, but couldn’t seem to impress the dentists enough to give him a chance, and he desperately wanted to start a family. Elizabeth, being stubborn, demanded he "just try" to get into pharmacy school before she would agree to discussing having children. He applied to St Louis College of Pharmacy, and the pharmacists were somehow impressed enough with him to let him in, and their first son Ryan was born in January of Rodney's first year at STLCOP. Beth worked as a science teacher at Alton High School to pay the bills, and supported them while Rodney went to school. During this time she also went back to SIUE to get a master’s degree, and she somehow managed to have Maggie, their lovely baby girl, in Rodney's last year in pharmacy school. They both graduated one week apart in the summer of 07. She earned a master’s degree from SIUE in Education Administration, and he is now a Doctor of Pharmacy. Rodney studied all last summer, and passed his boards to become a licensed pharmacist, and took a staff position at a local hospital. They bought a small house in Collinsville where they plan to stay until Beth finishes her most recent educational goal of getting yet another degree from SIUE, this time a BS in nursing which she will do sometime in 2009. That’s pretty much their story in a nutshell. Rodney says, "And just so you know, my son Ryan wants to be a NASCAR driver, he wants everyone to know that."
Edwin Franklin ('82 BA) & Kimberly (Tolson) Franklin ('88 BS, '95 MBA)
Ed and Kim initially met in the fall of 1984 when she was a freshman on campus. Ed had been working full-time at SIUE for a few years. Some claim that Ed has always tried to be one of the most friendly and helpful people on campus. Being a transplant from Alabama and Auburn University, that’s just the southern way. Kim knew Ed only in passing. (Hi, How are you doing?, See you later.) Ed always says Kim appeared to be a woman on a mission as an undergrad. She graduated in 1988 and subsequently moved to the Washington, DC area for a few years. In the ensuing years, Ed came to know Kim’s younger brother, John, and younger sister, Stephanie fairly well. Kim returned to the area in 1994 and returned to SIUE to complete her MBA. During that time, she took a student job at the WSIE radio station in the Communications Building (now known as Dunham Hall.) Kim and Ed ran into each other again in the summer of 1995. They renewed their acquaintance by thawing out from their respective frigid offices during the lunch hour every day. At first, they waved at each other across the Quad. Eventually, Ed took the chance and joined Kim for lunch in the warm summer heat. They talked for weeks about everything from A to Z and gradually got to know each other. Over time, Ed suggested they go see a movie and go to dinner one day. They did and after months of dates and worst, Ed’s weird southern humor, he finally proposed to Kim in Harry’s Restaurant in St. Louis on September 1996. They were married February 15, 1997. They currently reside in Glen Carbon living a normal life with Ed’s Black 2006 Corvette.
Lynn (Long) Schaffner ('83 BS) & Tom Schaffner
Lynn and Tom met at SIUE in 1979. Tom was a business major and worked in the University Bookstore. Lynn was a biology major and worked in the University Information Center, which at the time was conveniently located right across from the bookstore. The Information Center had a bulletin board in the bookstore that posted want ads from students and informational fliers. It was part of Lynn's job to keep the postings up to date, so she spent a lot of time in the bookstore. According to Lynn, the Information Center was probably the best student work job on campus. If it was going on, they knew all about it. Information Center staff got to participate in many important University events. It was because of the job that she met her husband.
Every time Lynn was working on the bulletin board in the bookstore, this nice guy would talk to her. Then she started to run into him all over campus. Although she saw him almost every day, she didn't know his name until a friend introduced them in the Goshen Lounge, right underneath the Plumbob. Lynn had the strangest feeling, almost like an electric shock, that this was the man she would marry. That was a little awkward, since she was engaged to someone else at the time. But true love conquers all, and they became engaged a year later. On June 26, 1982, they were married at the Religious Center.
What great memories Lynn has of SIUE! Living at Tower Lake, going to concerts at Mississippi River Festival, hanging out at the University Center, meeting her husband, the wonderful people she met while working at the Information Center. She will always be grateful to the University for making the best things in her life possible--work that she loves and a happy marriage!
Lynn graduated in 1983 with a B.S. in Biology. She is currently a Medical Technologist and works for Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital. Lynn and Tom live in Hazelwood, MO. They have two daughters, ages 20 and 19. Lynn tried to convince the 20 year old to go to her alma mater, but alas--she chose the University of Missouri (they still love her, though).
Erica Thompson ('06 BS) & Jack Sykut ('06 BS)
Erica and Jack first met in August of 2002 in the engineering wing of Bluff Hall where they were both residents. When Erica moved in, Jack was in his second year and Erica in her first. She became friends first with Jack's roommate and then got to know him through his roommate. They would frequently watch movies and eat dinner together in the MUC. Neither of them showed interest in dating though. Jack was an Electrical Engineer major and Erica was a Civil Engineering major. They had a few classes together and helped each other with homework and studied together. If one of them had taken a class the other was taking, they would exchange notes. In July of 2005, they were both living in Cougar Village taking summer classes. Because many of their other friends had gone home for the summer, they spent a lot of time together. Somewhere in there they began to become interested in each other and started dating. They dated all through their Senior years and graduated together. They both got jobs in the St. Louis area after graduating. In June of 2007 they took a cruise together and Jack proposed on a nature hike to a waterfall in Dominica. They plan to get married in June of 2008 and currently attending grad school part time at SIUE.
Cindy (Holesko) Allen ('06 MBA, '04 BSA) & Justin Allen ('07 MSED, '05 BS)
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| Photo by Buddy Bartels Photography |
When Cindy was a junior studying accounting, she accepted a position in the University Center Business office as a student accountant. Her husband, Justin, worked as a student supervisor in the building. They were both seeing other people at the time, but since they had mutual friends, they would see each other occasionally. Then they both ran for positions in student government. She ran for Vice President and he ran for senator on the same "ticket" with their mutual friend, Ryan Bundy. They all got their elected positions, and during that year they worked on some committees together. Since he was a Philosophy major and she was a Philosophy minor, they even took a metaphysics class together. At the end of that year, Cindy ran for student body president and Justin applied for a graduate assistantship with University Housing. She won her election, and he got his assistantship. Over that summer they served on the planning committee for Evergreen Hall. When the Fall semester of 2005 started, she was asked to give a speech at a student affairs breakfast and afterwards chatted with Justin. He asked how she was doing and she told him that she had just broken off her long term relationship and things were a little rough, but it was well over due. Later that day Justin sent Cindy an email asking her, as Student Body President, to write a little something for the welcome back edition of the Prairie Hall newsletter, so she did. When she sent in the article, Justin emailed her back asking if they could go out to dinner sometime. They went on our first date on October 8, 2005. Justin asked Cindy to marry him on October 8, 2006. They got married on July 28, 2007, nine days after they moved into Evergreen Hall where Justin is now employed as the Hall Director.
Andy Shelby ('97 BS) & Karen (Kelleher) Shelby ('99 BS)
When he first came to SIUE, Andy was looking for a major, new friends and adventure. He found all of it in the SIUE intramural program. It started in Towerlake Apartments with the 521 crew and went through the duration of his undergrad career. He found lifelong friends who are still a part of his life today. Andy's future wife and he were both named Intramural Athletes of the Year in 1997. When he graduated 10 years ago from SIUE, a degree was not the best thing he received. He met his wife Karen. Andy was from Southern Illinois and Karen was from the suburbs of Chicago. He was a Type A and she was a Type B personality. After meeting in 1994, Andy knew they would get married. Karen and Andy were married in Naperville's Centural Memorial Chapel on July 17, 1999. They now have two kids - Brooke 3 and Connor 1. Karen pursued a career in special education until last year when they decided she would stay home with their two children. Andy is currently an assistant principal in Marion, IL, and enjoys success as a basketball coach. Without SIUE, Andy says he would not have what makes him the happiest.
Former Chancellor David Werner & Kay (Buxton) Werner ('88 SD)
The summer of 1967 is considered the “Summer of Love.” For former SIUE Chancellor David Werner and his wife Kay, 1969 will do just fine. David had been on the faculty here for just six months and, the then, Kay Buxton was teaching at McCluer High School. Both lived in north St. Louis County, and although they had mutual friends, they had never met. On July 16, 1969, Iron Butterfly was performing at the Mississippi River Festival. Another faculty member had invited David to join a group of 14 heading to the performance. That group included Kay. The concert- goers were waiting at the apartment of another member of the group, when all were startled by a loud noise. “That’s Dave,” announced the faculty member. David Werner’s 1960 Ford Falcon and its broken manifold declared his coming. When he walked into the apartment, he was greeted with laughter and “Hi Dave!” from basically a group of strangers. They attended the concert as a group, but David was struck by Kay and began asking her to go out. Five times he asked her out with Kay declining each invitation. As Kay described it, ‘I was very busy.” Two years later they reconnected at what they called “a big party in Ladue.” They left the party and went for coffee. That was June of 1971. They went out over that summer, with their time together interrupted by a trip David had to make to Europe. In September of 71, David proposed to Kay beneath the Arch. They were married in January of 1972. Kay always said “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” was their song. The love they share includes a deep affection for SIUE. David Werner says, “Our lives are intertwined with the university.” Kay describes SIUE as “home,” a place “where we have spent all of our adult lives. Their three boys have grown up here. The Werner’s stress Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a special place, and a great environment for people to get together. Or as David Werner put it, “there’s something in the water.”
Susan (Levy) Kulasakara ('88 BA) & Nali Kulasakara ('92 MBA, '90 BS)
Susan Levy’s father was a biology professor at SIUE, so she considers herself an “SIUE brat.” Susan was working toward a degree in English, spending most of her time on the second floor of the Peck Building. It was in the fall of her junior year, 1987, when she began noticing a man keeping an eye on her. This process was repeated frequently. Eventually, a mutual friend introduced Susan Levy to Nalin Kulasekara. Nalin had been born in Sri Lanka, but was raised in England by friends of his family, when his parents moved to Nigeria when he was very young. Nalin’s older brother had researched engineering schools, deciding SIUE offered a tremendous electrical engineering program at an enticing price. Nalin decided to follow, and now he found himself following a twenty year old English major. When they were introduced, Nalin admitted to Susan that the only reason he was hanging around the Peck Building was to see her. Susan says she didn’t think too much about it at the time, adding “He didn’t make what I would call a strong first impression.” She was, however, attracted to his English accent, so the two began dating in November 1987. When Susan received her BA in English the next year, she decided to enroll at the University of Illinois to pursue her Masters in Library Science, a degree she earned in 1989. Nalin remained at SIUE working on a BS in Business Administration, a degree he was awarded in 1990. The couple would travel back and forth in an effort to maintain the relationship. While she was attending the University of Illinois, Susan Levy’s father died suddenly in March 1989. “Nalin,” she says, “helped take care of my mother, even teaching her how to drive.” That, she adds, “brought them closer together.” Susan and Nalin became engaged in 1990 and married in July 1991. Nalin continued his education, completing a MBA in 1992, and a Graduate Certificate in Gerontology in 1994. He is now the Corporate Director of Supply Chain Management for SSM HealthCare. Susan left her job with the Hayner Public Library in Alton in September 2004, to devote full attention to their children, ten year old daughter Michaela, and five year old son Ryan. Even their wedding has an SIUE connection. The couple exchanged vows in the SIUE Religious Center, where during one of their first visits, Nalin noticed Sri Lanka is at the exact top of the Center. At the time, Nalin told his wife to be, “I came exactly half way around the world to meet you.” Their love has lasted, but Nalin’s English accent hasn’t. Susan says, “I sometimes accuse him of bait and switch.”
