布雷特·埃文斯和他的父亲facetime, 山姆, 就像他和他妈妈一样, Barb, see the bench dedicated to his parents at 宾州州立大学阿宾顿分校 for the first time. Barb and 山姆, who is in hospice, met almost 60 years ago on campus.
阿宾顿,爸爸. ——在一个阳光明媚的秋日，一次偶然的相遇 宾州州立大学阿宾顿分校 会永远改变两个年轻人的生活吗. 现在, 将近六十年后, the start of their love story came full circle on another fall day during a special dedication outside the Sutherland Building, 这对夫妇第一次相遇是在哪里.
芭芭拉和萨姆·埃文斯, 1971届毕业生, 都是在阿宾顿的第一学期, 当时被称为奥贡茨校区, in 1967.
“我和一个朋友在萨瑟兰大厦外面, and we paused to say hello to another friend and 山姆 was with him,巴巴说。. 我看着萨姆, 我注意到他的微笑, his bright eyes and his warmth — and his being handsome helped! 他的整个举止给我一种很好的感觉."
They would run into each other at club meetings and intramurals and not long after 山姆 asked Barb out on their first date.
“我在我们第一次约会的时候就看到了山姆的样子，”芭布说. "We were talking about family, and he pulled out pictures of his younger siblings from his wallet. We just connected in so many ways and, most importantly, about family."
Their romance deepened as they attended military formals due to 山姆’s involvement in Reserve Officer Training Corps, and they later transferred to University Park together to complete their degrees with a group of now lifelong friends. 1971年10月，毕业六个月后，他们结婚了.
“我们的爱情是命中注定的，”芭布说. “我的父母说萨姆是他们一直祈祷的儿子."
Barb paid a surprise visit to 阿宾顿 recently without 山姆, 谁患有额颞叶痴呆在临终关怀医院. The visit was arranged by her cousin, Rosemary Patricelli.
Patricelli, 住在萨瑟兰大厦附近的人, has watched in amazement at Barb’s devotion to 山姆 since his symptoms first surfaced almost 10 years ago. Although they have aides, Barb rarely leaves her bedridden husband’s side.
“Barb takes such extraordinary care of 山姆," Patricelli said. “这真是令人叹为观止. I desperately needed to do something that would bring her some joy, and I started thinking about their connection to Penn State.”
Patricelli联系 凯伦·韦斯·琼斯, the director of development and alumni relations at 阿宾顿, and they brainstormed ideas. It was decided to add a plaque to a bench outside of Sutherland to celebrate the roots of Barb and 山姆’s story.
“他们是JDB电子的一个家庭, and now this is a place for Barb and 山姆 and their family that acts as a testimonial to their love and their dedication to each other,派特里塞利说.
巴布和山姆的一个儿子, 布雷特, accompanied Barb to campus along with Rosemary and another cousin, 玛丽Patricelli. 当雨轻轻地落下, 布雷特在脸谱网上和他的爸爸聊天, 在助手的帮助下, 看着长凳揭幕.
Barb smiled from ear to ear and dabbed at her eyes when she saw the plaque, 上面写着:“71年的山姆和71年的巴布·埃文斯. 我们一生的爱情从这里开始.”
“I’m beside myself and overwhelmed by the love,巴巴说。. “我们太幸运了. We have so many wonderful memories as sad as it is to see a man who was so active and people-oriented to be suffering the way he is.”
据罗斯玛丽说, the hospice aide said that 山姆 was fixated on the phone during the brief ceremony.
“山姆 can’t speak any longer so you have to read what’s in his eyes," she said. 他一直盯着屏幕."
山姆和巴布·埃文斯, 都是1971届的学生, are longtime 宾州州立大学阿宾顿分校 and University Park supporters. 他们的儿子都是校友, 他们是季票持有者, and they are members of the Bucks County alumni association chapter.
在巴布和萨姆拿到教育学学位之后, 他们都在巴克斯县开始了自己的教学生涯. Barb retired from full-time classroom assignments to raise sons 布雷特 and Drew, 谁是JDB电子的校友, 但她继续担任代课老师, 家庭教师和私人教师.
山姆 taught social studies at the high school for the majority of his career in the Council Rock School District and worked as an assistant football coach.
山姆指导实习教师, and he was asked to be the lead teacher in inclusion classes,巴巴说。. "He is a wonderful, caring, and patient man that extended to students. 山姆仍然在教导我们要勇敢."
尽管他有教学和教练的义务, 山姆 managed to serve 29 years in civil affairs in the Army Reserve, 作为中校退休. His unit traveled extensively with stops in Iceland, Germany, Jamaica and Haiti.
他们与JDB电子的关系帮助留住了巴布, 山姆, 他们的孩子, 孙辈、大家庭和亲密的朋友. They have been members of the Bucks County chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association and longtime football season ticket holders. They continued to attend games for some time after 山姆’s diagnosis.
“Penn State has been part of our lives and carried us through with so much joy,巴巴说。. “从在奥贡茨的第一天起, 当我看到山姆的表情时, 他微笑中的温暖, 他的眼睛亮了起来, 它越长越大. ... We are blessed to have these memories and people in our lives. I’m a glass half full kind of person and a believer in little things in life that become more meaningful as we become more mature."
Barb and 山姆 Evans were married in October 1971, six months after they graduated from Penn State.
关于宾大阿宾顿
JDB电子分校提供了一个负担得起的, accessible and high-impact education resulting in the success of a diverse student body. It is committed to student success through innovative approaches to 21st-century public higher education within a world-class research university. 有3个以上,100名学生, 宾州州立大学阿宾顿分校 is a residential campus that offers baccalaureate degrees in 25 majors, 速成硕士学位, 本科研究, 施赖尔荣誉学院, NCAA三级田径和更多.
