Bob and Janet
A Long and Winding Path of Love Leads Back to Kent
Our Story
Jan Hadley and I met in a KSU physics class on Hill Top Drive in 1963. Jan sat right behind me in the class. After class Jan would walk home to her sorority house, Gamma Phi Beta, which was right across from the class on Lincoln Street. My house was on Willow Street right behind the Jan's sorority house. I would wait for Jan to come out of her sorority house and cut through the back yard to meet her on the way to our Physics class. That is how we met, got to known each other and began dating. The rest is history!
The Proposal and Marriage
After Jan graduated in 1964 and my graduation in 1965, we were both working and living in separate apartments in Kent. Jan became a teacher in the Field School District, and I became a therapist at the VA Hospital in Brecksville, Ohio. Being in love in 1964, one evening at dinner, I asked Jan to marry me. She said yes! On June 19, 1965, we were married at the old Kent United Methodist Church, now Wild Goats Cafe.
Staying Connected to Kent State Today
After marriage we moved around following my career in Independence, Ohio; Newton, Iowa; and Pittsburgh, PA. We stayed in touch with KSU through my Phi Delta Theta fraternity and Jan's sorority Gamma Phi Beta newsletters. We also enjoyed reading mailings from KSU. After our retirement six years ago we decided to move back to Kent for a few reasons. We loved Kent State when we were here as students. This is where we met! Also, we wanted to retire in a college town and most importantly we wanted to be close to our family. As it turned out our daughter Stacia and her husband Mike Kaschak had both graduated from KSU and were living in Cuyahoga Falls. Today Mike and Stacia live in Kent. Stacia is a faculty member at KSU, and Mike is the Principal at Portage Career Center. They have two beautiful children, Lydia (age 6) and Tommy (age 5). In a nut shell this is our story, and our daughter Stacia and Mike have a similar story! In summary, Jan and my circle of life experiences started at Kent State University fifty years ago and will most likely end together at our plot in the Standing Rock Cemetery!
