Twice the love for Ducks who love Ducks
We asked UO alumni couples to share their tales of romance, and we received dozens of interesting stories ranging from meeting in an elevator in the residence halls to standing in line at graduation. The beginning of each story is different, but they all end in Duck love.
They spanned five decades and included couples who met off campus after graduation and those who met during a Graduate Teaching Fellow Federation strike. There are couples who knew right away they would be together, those who fell for each other after years of friendship, and even late-life reunions that led to love.
Choosing just a few stories for publication was tough. We wish to thank everyone for their submissions!
Charles Mattox, MS ’67 (education) and
Elouise Foiles Mattox, BA ’64 (social science), MA ’66 (interdisciplinary studies), MA ’76 (counseling)
It was March 1964. I had received early release from the Army to obtain an Oregon teaching certificate at U of O. Elouise had been accepted into a teacher training grant program from the US Department of Education. We both found ourselves in the required "Audio Visual" class that Spring Term. One assignment was to tour the Eugene School District Audio Visual Center.
Carpooling was encouraged. I had a car, Elouise did not, so she accompanied me to the tour site. We learned that she would be doing student teaching in Springfield, and I was driving the school bus for that district. I offered her rides to Springfield which turned into shared study time at the library which turned into walks and drives around Lane County.
I got sidetracked to a special poverty program with the Lane County Youth Project while Elouise completed her BA and MA in Education. She began a 35-year teaching career at Willamette and North Eugene high schools, retiring as a counselor from Bend High School.
By June of 1965, we decided we enjoyed each other's company so much that we married. One degree for me and three degrees for Elouise, careers in teaching/counseling and Vocational Rehabilitation, and two children have brought us to current day retirement in Bend, Oregon, a 58-year Duck Love Story.
Bryan Murray, BA ’97 (communications) and
Ayanna Murray, BA ’98 (education studies)
It wasn’t love at first sight when I met my husband, Bryan. I immediately put him in the friend zone. However, I didn’t know it at the time, but friendship is one of the foundational pillars of a successful long-lasting relationship. It was at the end of my freshman year in college that Bryan asked me to meet him at the Black Student Union (BSU).
“I just wanted to apologize to you,” he shared, “I don’t know if you have noticed but I’ve been acting kind of strange around you.”
I had no idea. Well, that’s not entirely true.
In all honesty, earlier that day, my father mentioned to me that Bryan liked me but I just couldn’t believe that was true. And now, in the BSU he continued, “But, I started having feelings towards you and I didn’t want it to ruin our friendship.”
I don’t remember what I said, but I do know that I got out of there in a flash and avoided him until the quarter ended for summer vacation! My strategy was avoidance. I hoped that with distance, Bryan would forget all about his feelings and move on to someone else.
Surprisingly, my plan didn’t work.
That summer, when I was in Chicago visiting my grandmother, a package came in the mail with a 10-page letter from Bryan! “Girl, that boy likes you!” My aunts and cousins all chimed in as I shared the contents of the letter.
In truth, we had become great friends and my family loved him. You see, my parents and siblings lived in Eugene and met Bryan when he started attending our church, Bethel Temple. He and my dad immediately clicked and Bryan would often help him with construction projects at the church.
One thing I loved about Bryan was that he was such a teachable person and willing to help anyone. When I lived in UO’s Family Housing, he lived nearby and was always willing to pick me up on his way to campus. That’s how we got to know each other--those car rides to campus, singing in gospel choir together, and being involved in clubs like BSU and Cru Ministries. He was always so happy and loved people.
I remember one day on campus, a friend came up to me and exclaimed, “I just saw Bryan walking a blind lady across the street! That is so Bryan!”
His kindness was evident to everyone, but I still didn’t want his romantic gestures coming my way. Undeterred, he would leave me love notes and cookies in the BSU, bring flowers to class, and let me borrow his car. The guy was the sweetest, but I just wasn’t feeling him at the time.
For about two years, I rejected Bryan’s romantic efforts and reiterated that I only wanted to be friends. Even still, my roommate Jamila Taylor would often tease me whenever he stopped by and say, “I know who you’re going to marry!”
It wasn’t until 1997, my junior year, that I saw the light. I was a bridesmaid in the wedding of UO alumna Jennifer Scurlock and she paired me with her groomsman--you guessed it-- Bryan. I remember standing there with him at the altar hearing the pastor talk about God’s divine purpose when bringing couples together. It was then that my heart and mind finally opened to the idea of us being together.
That day, we started dating and it was one of the best decisions of my life. We dated for several years and then on May 20, 2000, we married in Eugene! I’m happy to say that this year, we are celebrating 22 years of marriage!
Bryan is the love of my life and we have lived all over the US with our four kids tagging along for the ride. Friendship and faith have kept our marriage strong and enabled us to weather the highs and lows of life. Still best friends, we consider ourselves blessed to have made a lasting Duck Love connection.
Chongrui Li, BA ’19 (Japanese), BS ’19 (business administration) and Shijing Zhou, BA ’19 (Japanese), BS ’19 (psychology)
We are Chongrui Li and Shijing Zhou, international Ducks from China. We met each other in an SAT training program in Beijing before coming to the US. We started to study at the University of Oregon together in 2014. Chongrui Li majored in business and Japanese. Shijing Zhou majored in psychology and Japanese. We did study abroad in Japan together for a year through GEO. On January 12th, 2022, we officially got married!
Cloud Schnoebelen, BS ’97 (psychology) and Kathryn Schnoebelen, BS ’98 (education studies), MEd ’99 (educational policy and management)
My wife and I met in Hamilton our first year at school. That was 1995. We started dating in 1996 and have been together ever since. After starting our careers in Portland, we moved to the Bay Area. We flew up for a game on November 11, 2000 and I asked Kate to marry me on the Autzen bridge, late-night after the game. We were married in 2002 and walked into the reception to the fight song! We have had two Duck babies and COULD be parents to a freshman in fall of 2022. Fingers crossed!
Danielle Gillespie Hallinan, BA ’05 (magazine) and Peter Gillespie Hallinan, BA ’05 (electronic media production)
My husband is a procrastinator, so I like to tease him that he waited until the last possible moment in college to meet me. We met at our graduation ceremony from the School of Journalism and Communication. Before the ceremony began, we were required to write our names phonetically on a card, so the announcer could say them properly when we crossed the stage to receive our diplomas.
To make sure that I had written mine clearly, I handed my card to the young man standing next to me and said, “You don’t know me. How would you say my name?”
He read it correctly, and then handed me his card. It read, “Peter Pan Hal-e-nan.” I laughed and asked if that was really his name. “It is today,” Peter said with a smile. We then sat next to each other during the ceremony.
I found myself liking this imaginative character named Peter Pan who made small talk with comments like, “I wish I had worn my rocket pack, so that after I received my diploma, I could jet off the stage.” When we said good-bye at the end of the ceremony, I took a mental snapshot of Peter, thinking that I would never see him again. I wanted to always remember him. He had made my graduation day extra special.
The rest of that day, Peter figured he should be reminiscing about college. But instead, he said he couldn’t stop thinking about me. He used his investigative journalism skills to find my email address, so he could ask me on a date. Now, 18 years later, we live happily in La La Land (Los Angeles) with our sweet dog, Kappie.
Alyssa Bjorkquist, BS ’16 (marine biology) and Ben Speare, BA ’17 (business administration)
My partner, Ben Speare, and I met because of a UO Class of 2016 Facebook page. Someone posted about how Ducks from Southern CA should meet up when we arrive on campus. We both got to talking in the comments and our conversation continued over different apps throughout our time in Eugene. Ben and I ended up reuniting in 2018 because our graduate studies led us to CSULB. Now we've been dating for three years! From football games to favorite trees, UO will always hold a special place in our hearts. #DuckLove!
Eddy Morales ’04 and Hugh Harris ’04
Our story began on a typical night out in Eugene. Hugh and I exchanged numbers, but we were too nervous to call. For weeks we crossed paths and shared numbers, just in case we lost them (before smartphones). A month later we landed at the same sorority formal. After the dance, we exchanged numbers AGAIN. Finally, a week later, I called Hugh and asked him to come watch movies with me and my roommates. Long after my roommates went to bed, we were still talking… until sunrise. From that day forward we've been adventuring together. It has been 19 years (one married) as of February 12, 2022.
Frances McGuire, BS ’68 (physical education), MS ’69 (health education) and Thomas G. McGuire, BA ’66 (journalism)
Tom and I met in the Erb Memorial Union at the University of Oregon in 1964. He liked to play Bridge and one of my friends from high school was a Bridge player, too. We think that this connection is how we were first introduced. We became friends and would meet to drink coffee between classes. Two years later Tom graduated, married, and became a journalist. I continued at the university completing BS and MS degrees. I taught at San Diego State College, then, after my marriage, I taught at Lane Community College for 32 years. Tom and I reconnected after 50+ years when I noticed an obituary in the Statesman Journal for his wife. By that time, I had been a widow for six years. I sent him a sympathy card and an invitation to have coffee and catch up on the last 50 years. He called and asked to take me up on the cup of coffee. After the initial cup of coffee we continued to meet and sparks flew. Two years later we were married and now live along the North Santiam River in Mill City, Oregon.
Mun Li Kong, BA ’05 (electronic media production), BA ’05 (political science) and Brian Gee, BS ’99 (economics)
Brian and I met in 2000 during my freshman year at U of O and never once did it cross my mind then that he would one day be my husband. You see, we couldn’t be more different. I was the studious one focused on a career path to becoming a journalist, triple majoring in electronic media journalism, political science and Chinese and he was well, let’s just say he was enjoying college life to the fullest, you get the idea. Fast forward to 2007, shortly after I left KMTR-TV (NBC) as a news reporter, we met again through a mutual friend (also a U of O alumni) in Portland and the rest is history. Sometimes life has a fun way of bringing two people together. And as it turns out we DO have a lot in common (even though we didn’t see it then), for one we’re crazy about the Ducks! We married in San Francisco in 2013, made our home in Portland, Oregon and now have two beautiful girls Victoria (5) and Gemma (2). Some of our fondest memories were made in Eugene, Oregon as well as memories we are continuing to make rooting on our Ducks at home and on the road. You will always have a special place in our hearts because without you this beautiful union may never have happened. Go Ducks!
Rachael Petitt, BS ’92 (accounting) and Michael Petitt, BS ’91 (accounting)
We met back in Fall 1990. We were both back on campus mid-September for Rush Week before classes started. I was a Junior in Alpha Chi Omega and Mike was a Senior in Phi Psi. It was a Friday night and one of my best friends convinced me to go with her to a Phi Psi Live-out party where she was hoping to run into someone. Little did I know that I would meet my future husband that night!
We had been at the party for a bit and Mike noticed me and asked my friend to introduce us. I can be a little shy, so my friend and Mike did most of the talking that night for all of us. It worked, as we quickly realized we had a lot in common, including being accounting majors.
We began dating and were “pinned” that next winter. Mike graduated in spring 1991 and started his career in Portland in public accounting. We dated long distance that year and got engaged in November of 1991. While planning a wedding, I finished my senior year and graduated spring 1992. That next fall I also started my public accounting job and then we were married Thanksgiving weekend 1992.
Fast forward to current times and this next November we will have been married 30 years! We have lived in Portland the whole time and have four children - ages 26, 24, 21 and 15. As a family we are huge Duck fans! Our oldest three have all graduated or are currently attending UO! Colin graduated in 2017, Madeleine graduated in 2020 and Jackson will graduate this spring. All three are business majors like their parents. Our youngest Macklin is already saying he will be a Duck too!
But what we didn’t anticipate is that history was going to repeat itself! Our oldest son Colin has his own Duck Love Story that coincidentally follows our story. He, like his dad, was a Phi Psi at Oregon. During fall 2016 of his senior year, he mentioned that he was dating a junior named Christiana that happened to be an Alpha Chi Omega at Oregon - and also a business major. It became clear quickly that this was someone special. They got “pinned” before Colin graduated - and now they will be married this coming fall! The UO definitely holds a special place in all our hearts for so many reasons!
Pictured above: The second generation of Duck Love. Colin Petitt and his finance, Christiana
Reid Carr, BA ’98 (advertising) and Amy Carr, BA ’99 (business administration)
I was first introduced to Amy when I was set up with one of her friends for a sorority barn dance as a double-date. We all had a good time together that night and everyone went their separate ways after the event. Yet, what remained was a connection and familiarity between me and Amy. As we would pass each other on campus or around Eugene, I would eagerly say hello. Amy had her classes at the business school and the honors college while I spent most of my time at the J-school. However, we each lived on Alder, so it wasn't hard to cross paths.
In my final year at the UO, I knew that time was running out for a deeper relationship. After graduation, my plan was to get a job at a large ad agency in a city like Los Angeles or San Francisco. So, one night, I asked Amy out on a date at a party, and she agreed. My impatience resulted in an immediate first date by departing from the party for a dinner together and we have been together ever since.
Amy graduated early in the spring of 1999, and we married that May. She joined me in Los Angeles after the wedding, where I’d taken my first job and she started her career there, as well. We’ve been married for 23 years with one teenage son and a marketing agency that we’ve been running together in San Diego, CA, since 2002.