Happy 40th to us

January 23, 1965 is a long time ago. That was the day two "kids" from Western Pennsylvania came together to form their own family. That is the purpose of marriage...to form a new societal unit that we call family.
Aleene Kneram was just 21 and in her senior year at "Indiana" (Indiana State College of Pennsylvania (then) which is known as Indiana University of Pennsylvania today. She was majoring in elementary education. I was home on leave from the Navy and was 23.
January twenty-third was picked for the wedding since it was a Saturday and was Aleene's semester break. She finished finals and came home just in time to make the last arrangements for the wedding. I got home on Wednesday just in time to get our marriage license. We had not seen each other in about five months, so there was a lot of catching up to do. Mom & Dad Kneram cut us a lot of slack during those last two days. They stayed away from us while putting the finishing touches on the big event.
My family was assembling. Jim and Nancy, married the previous June, were teaching in Mars and so were available close by. Dave and Tillie with their two oldest girls, Margie and Becca, and Kent not quite one, were in Callensburg, PA. Joe & Shirley, Greg, Jane and Carolyn were in Gettysburg and headed west. (Joe ended up getting a speeding ticket on that trip home and almost lost his license over the matter.) The day before the wedding...Friday, we had the rehersal dinner at the big resturant in Harlansburg...just down the road from the church, Faith Baptist.
Brother Dave was the pastor of record...Aleene's pastor was there as a courtesy, but just gave the final prayer. Brother Joe was best man, Brother Jim sang (Edwin Lewis, my/our voice teacher, played) and Don and Willie...Aleene's brothers...were ushers. Aleene's attendants were all sorority sisters...Carol Klintworth, Jeanie Lagano, and Dianne Klink.
On the wedding day we observed the usual custom of not seeing each other until the wedding. My family had a tradition...starting with Jim, the summer before...of keeping the groom occupied the afternoon of the wedding. We had lunch at Bonnie Beal's house and played games and did weird things during the afternoon...just to keep me occupied...all the family was there.

At 7:30 The Event took place. Faith Baptist was a small church. Only our closest friends and family were invited...less than 100. The church was illuminated almost entirely by candles. Dave, Joe and I were stashed in the pulpit entrance below the platform. We came up the steps together and we paused on the landing before going out the door we stopped and prayed as we listened to Jim sing "For You Alone." (Take thou this rose...God fashioned it for you, for you alone.) That song was my choice...I had sung it and I truly felt God had fashioned the rose (Aleene) for me.

We had memorized our vows...at least the exchange of the ring part..."in token and pledge of the vows between us made, with this ring I thee wed," and said them together. But I was not looking at Aleene. Dressed in my Navy uniform I was fixed in a straight ahead gaze... Only at the last moment did I think to look at her. It was over. Took less than 40 minutes. We had our receiving line, cut the cake and very shortly, believe it or not, we took off.

This was pre-arranged due to two of Aleene's cousins penchant for booby-trapping the wedding car. So we had Joe take us in town to Bonnie Beal's where we changed clothes and jumped in my car which was fueled and ready to head to Florida. However, while we were changing, a ruckus took up outside the house. Dave and Margy ran into town to give us a send off...I got a bit paniced, but when it was only the preacher and his 11year old daughter, that was just fine...So it worked, but Aleene's mom was a bit crushed...if I were to do it over, I would have put up with the chance that the Holman brothers (who were the brother husbands of her cousins who were, sisters.)

We headed for the turnpike down Rt. 19 in freezing rain. We got there before the worst hit. Next day we got to one of the rest areas on the turnpike and came across Joe and Shirley...just by chance. With a wink and nod we headed to Mayport, Florida.

Here we are January 23, 2005....forty years, two amazing kids, and so many good memories later...Thank you, Aleene!