Where it all began: William & Mary love stories
February 14, 2026
By
Mary Lee Clark
Legend says that crossing the Crim Dell bridge with your partner means you’ll someday be married. With over 6,000 alumni couples and countless proposals over the years, it’s safe to say the legend may be onto something.
In the “Hark” newsletter, alumni were invited to share their William & Mary love stories. Many responded, and a selection of those submissions is featured here in celebration of Valentine’s Day. Additional love stories can be found in the Class Notes section of the W&M Alumni Magazine.
Submissions have been edited for length and clarity.
Tori O’Connor ’23 & Sarah Bomar ’24
“Although Sarah and I were on campus together at William & Mary for two years, our paths never crossed until we both decided to study abroad in Adelaide, Australia, in the summer of 2022, right before my senior year and her junior year. When we got to Australia, I was instantly drawn to her. As we studied together at the University of Adelaide, we became fast friends, and I soon knew that our connection was even deeper than that. We shared our first kiss at our favorite bar in the city, and although neither of us was sure if it was just a summer fling, we came back to William & Mary that fall semester as a couple. We discovered that we shared many of the same friends, hobbies and favorite spots on campus, and knew that even though we had to travel to Australia to finally meet, we were destined to be together.
“We now live together in Denver, Colorado, and got engaged this summer.”
(Left) Tori O’Connor ’23 & Sarah Bomar ’24 while studying in Adelaide, and (right) now engaged.
Julie Luecke ’20 & Ella Benbow ’21
“My fiancée, Julie, and I met on the club rowing team! Seven years later, we finally crossed Crim Dell together at Julie’s five-year reunion after getting engaged.”
Jena Araojo ’19 & Matt Nickele ’16
“Matt and I met 10 years ago at the business school, where during college we spent our time trying to beat each other at ‘Mario Kart’ and grabbing late-night meals at Sadler. After graduation, we began dating and quickly became inseparable travel buddies. When COVID-19 began, we took advantage of teleworking opportunities to live in different cities across the country and explore national parks — an experience that remains one of our favorite memories together. Since then, we’ve continued to take trips each year to see new places, but our newest adventure is my favorite yet: Matt proposed on the Crim Dell bridge on Thanksgiving morning before we ran the Turkey Trot 5K in Williamsburg! What began on campus has grown into a life full of shared experiences, and later this year we’ll return to our favorite place to get married in the Wren Chapel!”
Meghan Ewell Powers ’05 & Chris Powers ’04
“We were just friends in college, although Meghan had a crush on Chris while we were in school. But we both moved up to the D.C. area after college, and Chris used good ole’ AIM to send Meghan a message saying he had moved up there and we should do a happy hour. We met up and then proceeded to hang out every week until we went to Homecoming together in 2006 — we arrived as friends and left as a couple!
“At Homecoming three years later, Chris proposed to Meghan in front of the Wren Building after enjoying a delicious dinner at Berret’s. She said yes, and we celebrated with friends (and the entire bar) at the Green Leafe. A year later, we got married on the patio at the Alumni House (where we still have a brick), had our reception at the Williamsburg Community Building, and then closed down karaoke at the Hospitality House!”
“Jackie invited Bob, a casual friend, to a sorority dance. He had to decline because he had a lacrosse match away that weekend. Sensing an opportunity, he invited her to dinner the preceding weekend when he had a home game. In that match, he had his front teeth knocked out. He finished the game, went to a dentist and then to pick her up — all wired up, without changing or showering. She offered to reschedule, but he said no, because how often can you go out with the Homecoming queen? His parents and sister had surprised him by attending the game, so they joined the couple for dinner and then headed home. They graduated a few months later, married a year after that and still are, happily so for 52 years!”
& Bob Wooldridge ’72, J.D. ’79, P ’04
Mary Ruth Marsh Payne M.A. ’75 & Philip Payne ’73, J.D. ’78
Philip Payne and Mary Ruth Marsh met at William & Mary in 1972, during registration. Philip, a senior at the time, was president of the Psychology Student Association and was working the registration table. Their relationship started out slowly while both pursued degrees in psychology. Mary Ruth was studying for her master’s degree, and Philip was in the honors program often sitting in on master’s classes. Their first date was at Russo’s Chinese American Steakhouse near campus, where you could get an entire meal for $1.25.
They married two years after they met, raised two children in Williamsburg, and now have seven grandchildren. Their commitment to William & Mary, and to students navigating hardship, has endured. In honor of Mary Ruth’s mother, Edith Rohlfs Marsh, they established the Edith Rohlfs Marsh Endowment at William & Mary to support students facing unexpected financial crises. Together, they started a nonprofit called the Lotus Campaign in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Alice Boone Riecks ’67 and John “Chuck” Riecks ’65, M.Ed. ’69
“History 101 with Professor Harold Fowler was my most challenging class. By exam time, I was spending a lot of study time at Wesley Campus Ministry, and other folks who studied there were aware of my struggles with history. Someone suggested that Chuck, a history major, could offer some guidance in preparing for the exam. This was the same Chuck who had invited me to Wesley, but despite attending many of the same activities, we had never become acquainted. Fortunately, he was willing to help a struggling freshman.
“With Chuck’s suggested study tips and his encouragement, I did pass History 101 AND History 102. By the end of the second semester that year, we were dating. Our homes were close enough that we dated during the summer. On one of our long walks on Duke of Gloucester Street during my sophomore year, we decided to get married after college. Chuck graduated in June 1965 with a degree in history and taught school in Maryland from 1965-66.
“We were married in the Wren Chapel on April 8, 1967, with many W&M friends in attendance.”
Marcia Anderson Partch ’65 & Bart Partch ’62
“It was the third day of Freshman Orientation Week in September 1961 when I met my future husband. Bart, a senior, was on campus early because he was serving as a dormitory counselor in Monroe. We first met at a freshman orientation dance in the Campus Center on Jamestown Road. I was with my suite mates from Ludwell, which was a freshman women’s dorm. We were standing together as a rock song began. Bart walked up behind us and asked, ‘Anybody want to dance?’ ‘I do,’ I answered, as I loved to dance. And we headed to the dance floor for what would be the first of many we shared in our almost 57 years of marriage.”