Features

Elizabeth Harper Riordan '78
Brian Riordan '78
Liz: Brian and I met in Zoology 401 our freshman year. We were doing a project counting the heartbeats of frogs when we were told to find a partner. I turned to the guy behind me and said, "Do you want to be partners?" Little did I know we would be partners for life! We celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary this year. We started dating freshman year, then I went back to my former boyfriend, and then junior year we started dating again after meeting once again in biochem class in Spaulding. Brian proposed to me in College Woods, and we were married in August after graduation. We often go back to UNH to walk the gorgeous campus and reminisce.

Mary Crouch Robinson '51
Edwin H. Robinson '51
Mary: During my freshman year, I had friends who were in classes with Win and they often introduced us. He was shy, with a charming smile and a twinkle in his eye. He was a veteran and was working very hard to make up for lost time. Once in the spring, I sat down beside him at an otherwise empty table in The Commons. I expected a small conversation; he got up and left without a word. The introductions evidently didn't take.

Sophomore year I began to work on some committees at the Student Union and there was Win doing the same thing. At least we could now hold a short conversation.

In the spring the campus had a special program: MERP Week. Women were encouraged to ask out fellows and foot the bills for the date. One of my friends wanted to ask out one of Win's buddies but she didn't want to go without some moral support. I liked Win, but I had no romantic thoughts about him. I had nothing to lose but a little cash so I asked Win to double date. We went to the movies and he never even held my hand. After the show, our companions disappeared. We went for a walk on our way back to my dorm. We ended up in the bleachers at the Field House, watching the sky and talking.

Since I had shelled out for the movie and the food, I decided to really enjoy the experience and I kissed him for fun. (My love life to that point had been pretty boring and could use a little spice.) Well, that was a life-changing experience. That first kiss turned a friendship into a romance. Beware the spring in Durham!

Erin Heppe Dauphinais '97
David Dauphinais '93
Dave: I had recently graduated and was working at Kingswood Middle School in Wolfeboro, N.H. I met Erin one day when I was working on something in her mom's classroom. I was immediately captivated. A few weeks later, one of the assistant coaches told me I should ask her out. So I asked her to go dancing with me and a group of friends. She agreed. We left in time to catch the comedy routine that was on beforehand. I don't recall who the comedian was, but I do recall that he was talking about marriage and getting engaged. For whatever reason, I looked down at Erin's left hand and noticed a ring. I jokingly asked her, "What is that ring on your finger?" She looked at me a bit incredulously with that "Are you kidding?" look and told me it was an engagement ring. I laughed. "No, it isn't. What is it?" I said. She replied curtly, "An engagement ring." "Come on, really, what is it?" Leaning forward and looking me straight in the eyes, she said, "It's an engagement ring!"

Needless to say, an awkward moment ensued. We watched the rest of the show in a stunned silence. I think we were both marveling at my stupidity. I recall talking a lot on the 45-minute drive home. We talked until almost 4 in the morning. As it turns out, she was considering getting out of the relationship, but wasn't sure how. Her parents and most of the people who knew her didn't approve of her engagement and had conveniently not told me about it. The following day, she called off the engagement and returned the ring. I had given her the courage to act on how she was feeling. She graduated in May 1997 and we were married two months later.

Sara Desmarais Hannan '02
Ian Hannan '03
Ian: Sara and I met when we were cast opposite each other in the theater department's production of "The Basset Table." We dated in college and moved to Chicago together after I graduated. We founded a small theater company there before moving back to New Hampshire and getting married. Our wedding took place on the Hennessy stage, the very place where we met.