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West Liberty celebrates alumni couples

By JANICE KIASKI 8 min read

WEST LIBERTY -- Some West Liberty University students come away with more than an education and fond memories.

Some find a spouse on the hilltop campus off state Route 88.

And that's grounds for celebrating love in the eyes of West Liberty University's Alumni Association as it pays tribute to married couples by soliciting alumni sweetheart stories.

"We wanted to reach out and have a positive, fun event for alumni, especially in light of COVID-19," explained Ron Witt, executive director of alumni relations and university special projects. "We did a similar promotion 20 years ago, and it was very popular. We had a great response then, and we hope to get even more now. Alumni from all over the country enjoyed sharing memories of how they met their soulmates on the hilltop."

It's easy to participate through an online registration form posted on the alumni website at https://westliberty.edu/alumni/sweetheart-stories.

"The form is easy to fill out, and we encourage couples to submit 'then' and 'now' photos," Witt said. "As soon as we receive their submission, it immediately is published on our alumni website. In addition, they will appear on our alumni Facebook page throughout the month of February and beyond. We are showcasing one couple per day on our Facebook page. We are trying to keep these heartwarming love stories running as long as possible," he added.

There is no deadline for submission, and for those not comfortable filling out the electronic version of the registration form, a hard copy can be mailed instead. For help, call (304) 336-8888.

"They can mail the form, along with their photos, and we will scan and return them, if requested. For couples who don't share through social media or have questions, the WLU alumni office is happy to assist by phone," Witt said.

It was 20 years ago that the promotion was done in print in Top of the Hill, the alumni magazine, according to Witt, an alumnus of the Class of 1992 who has worked at WLU close to 24 years and considers himself fortunate to have been involved in both sweetheart projects.

"We also ran the photos and stories on the WLU website. This time we are relying on social media, along with traditional media to get the word out. We would like to hear from even more alumni, of all ages," he said.

The idea to revisit the project arose from a discussion between Witt and Becky Bugaj, alumni engagement specialist in the alumni relations office.

"With all the stress right now, it seems like the perfect time to redo this sharing of sweetheart stories for Valentine's Day 2021," commented Bugaj.

Witt noted the project this year wouldn't be possible "without the creative minds and technical expertise of our web designer, Thomas Estlack, and graphic designer, Samantha Wilson. They were instrumental in creating the online form and overall design. We have a great 'creative' team at WLU, and they make what we do look good."

The call the first time around went out through "Let me call you sweetheart," an article published in the alumni magazine in 2001. It recruited the participation of married couples who had met at then-West Liberty State College.

"We simply said, 'If you met your sweetheart at WLSC, we want to hear from you," recalled Witt of an appeal that brought overwhelming response for the times.

"We ran a full-page spread in the spring 2002 issue of Top of the Hill. Due to space constraints, we could not publish every submission, but the entire list of entries were posted on our alumni website."

Although that online version is no longer available, there are copies of the magazine in the alumni association office and Paul N. Elbin Library archives.

"If someone wanted to see the articles, we could scan and e-mail the select pages. They would just need to contact the alumni office," Witt said.

The yesteryear and present-day project generated participation from one couple both times.

"Interestingly, we did have one couple submit photos the first time and again in this recent promotion," Witt noted. "The alumni magazine article in 2002 just shows one photo of the couple when they were dating. This time around, they shared the same photo along with a current photo nearly 57 years later. The couple married in June 1964," he said.

Asked about what feedback the undertaking has generated this time, Witt commented, "Overall, I would say this is a positive human interest story, and even if the reader has no affiliation with WLU, I think they can appreciate and respect the love these couples share. In addition to providing a high-quality education, West Liberty also is a place where friendships are developed and memories are made. As a result, many of those friendships turn into nuptials."

Witt said the alumni association always is looking for opportunities to engage with its alumni.

"Plans are already under way for the next project," he noted.

The profiles of four couples with a local residency connection are part of today's Valley Life feature story.

Chuck 1969 and Joyce (Mason) 1970 Jeswilkowski

Chuck Jeswilkowski still remembers the first time he laid eyes on the girl who would be his wife, the former Joyce Mason.

It was September 1968; the setting was the student union at the then-West Liberty State College.

"When I saw Joyce walk into the student union, I said to my Lambda brothers, 'Wow, look at her.' I walked up and introduced myself and asked her to go to our fraternity party."

They were an item from that point on.

A Burgettstown native, Chuck graduated from Union High School, Class of 1964. He sat out a year before heading to West Liberty in the fall of 1965 where he had a double major in English and history.

He would go on to teach and coach at Bethel Park for 10 years before he would become a sales representative for hunting products.

Joyce had come to West Liberty from Ruthsburg, Md., for West Liberty's highly respected dental hygiene program.

The couple live in Peters Township, Pa., and celebrated 50 years of marriage in 2020.

The couple have a son and a daughter and four granddaughters.

And lots of good West Liberty memories.

Tanner 2015 and Merideth (Bickar) 2015 Stocker

Tanner Stocker of Tampa, Fla., and the former Merideth Bickar of Steubenville are 2015 WLU graduates. Both majored in business, and both now work remotely at Rocket Pro TPO in the mortgage department.

They met through mutual friends.

"We met in the fall of 2012 and started dating in the spring of 2013," Merideth explained.

"Tanner proposed to me after asking for my father's blessing in Ohio in front of my family in January of 2017. We were married July 29, 2017," she said.

The couple lived in Columbus where their son Mac, now 22 months, was born. Shortly afterward, they moved to North Carolina and reside in Charlotte.

"Our first Valentine's Day we spent celebrating at Tanner's family restaurant in Wheeling -- Figaretti's," she said, noting this Valentine's Day will involve a visit to a winery in Charlotte.

James 1988 and Jacqueline "Jacki" (Kirschner) 1986 Laurine

"Our friendship started when we met in August 1983," Jacki said. "Jim was a freshman, and I was a sophomore. We were both music majors. We had a close friendship through college, and I was a senior getting ready to graduate when we started dating," she noted.

"In May of 1989, he proposed to me, and we were married June 16, 1990," she said.

The setting was as special as the proposal.

"We would always take walks and talk around the campus. The evening he proposed we had gone to the symphony at the Capitol. After he said let's take a ride up to West Liberty. We walked down to our favorite spot, he got down on one knee and proposed. It was memorable knowing that he proposed on the campus where we met," she said.

Jim graduated from Brooke High School and is a technology specialist for Ohio County schools. Jacki graduated from Ringgold High School in Monongahela, Pa., and is the director of music ministry and education for St. Vincent DePaul Parish.

Valentine's Day means a dinner at the Grand Concourse in Pittsburgh, making good on a gift certificate their children gave them for their anniversary in June.

Cody and Katherine "Katie" (Mallory) 2017 Schwertfeger

Cody and Katherine "Katie" Schwertfeger reside in Wheeling with their 2-year-old son, Connor.

They were married on July 8, 2017, after Cody, a Wellsburg native, proposed at the home of his parents, Norm and Jeannie Schwertfeger.

Cody majored in criminal justice and is a police officer for the city of Wheeling, working as a resource officer for Bridge Street Middle School. Katie majored in dental hygiene and is a dental hygienist at Gentle Dental Care in Wheeling.

The couple met at WLU in the fall of 2013 in a history class in Main Hall. He sat behind her and would pass her notes. They were friends who hung out.

But by homecoming, the friendship had turned to courtship.

"The week of homecoming he asked me to be his girlfriend, and we met each other's parents. After the homecoming dance, he told me he loved me," she said.

By the end of her junior year in 2016, Cody proposed.

Their "beautiful happily ever after" includes celebrating Valentine's Day in a fun and thrifty way -- a tradition of sorts involving buying candy and cards the day after at a reduced rate.

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