When Billy Met Ellen

I attended St. John’s and graduated in 1971 with a BS in accounting.  Since the Vietnam War was still raging and I was about to get drafted, I beat the draft by enlisting in the US Air Force.  Poor eyesight kept me from being an officer, but not a grunt.  When my tour of duty ended in March 1975 my parents urged me to go to graduate school but I was not interested since was enjoying life too much and was pretty that higher education and I were never meant for each other.  Then, in April 1976, a relationship with an Irish born young lady ended, as she went back to Ireland.  Now I had time on my hands and decided to give graduate school a try.  After meeting with a few advisors, I decided to start school in the July 1976 summer session.  When I arrived at the classroom in St. Augustine Hall at St. John’s University on July 12, 1976 I noticed that there were only 4 women in the class, and one of them sat in the front of the class away from the other three.  I sat in the back of the room to keep a low profile as I was very apprehensive about returning to college.  Later in the class the professor, Dr. Raymond McGowan, asked each of the four women why they were in the College of Business Administration graduate school as opposed to St. John’s College or the School of Education.  He asked Ellen, and it turned out that she was a former music teacher and that there were no jobs in that field.  Anyway, I was still "pining" over the Irish lady, and Ellen's Irish surname and the fact that she was a music teacher and musician made me notice her, as I played guitar and loved music.  On several occasions Dr. McGowan split the class into groups and I managed to get into her group.  Unfortunately, another classmate who sat next to her also was in the group.  He started to walk her to her car after class, and I decided to not pursue it right now.  After all, only 5 years earlier I was put in a bad spot at St. John's when I was hung up on a sorority girl.  I did not want history to repeat itself. 

 

In September 1976, I returned to SJU and Ellen was in another core class with me.  This time I sat near her and we began to talk to each other.  It looked like success this time until the professor, Dr. Cusack, came in said that the class had to be split since it was too large.  I went into a newly opened class, while Ellen stayed put.  It looks as if it was not meant to be, at least in 1976.

 

Over the next 2 years, each of us had other relationships and did see each other on campus.  Then on October 13, 1978 my intuition told me to go to the Alumni Singles dance that night, which I did.  I volunteered to tend bar, and during course of the evening two friends of a woman I recently dated came by to say hello to me.  Ellen. whom I remembered as the cute girl from Dr. McGowan’s class came in alone and eventually sat at the table with these two ladies.  It looked as if fate smiled on me, for during a break from behind the bar, I sat down at the table to say hello to the two ladies that I knew, and somehow, we began to talk about London.  Ellen mentioned to us that her sister lived in London (and still does).  I then started to talk to her about London and we decided to have a few dances together.  I mentioned that I remembered her from Dr. McGowan's class.  Later I walked her to her car and asked if I could see her soon.  She said yes and we had our first date the next night at Sonny's Jazz Club in Seaford NY (which has since closed).  We were married on November 24, 1979 at St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre NY and our daughter Eileen was born on March 19, 1990.

 

On Valentine's Day 2009, Ellen, Eileen and I went to St. John's University for a service at the new St. Thomas More church on campus, and a renewal of our marriage vows.  The University had invited those couples for whom played St. John's played a part in their meeting.  We have been returning almost every year since then. 

 

On April 20, 2011 Ellen, Eileen and I went to an Alumni Fest at St. John's Jamaica Campus.  It was officially called the Great Lawn Party.  The Great Lawn was called the Quadrangle when I was there and I still refer to it as such.  To me, the only Great Lawn is in Central Park.  But, whatever the name, we all had a good time and towards the end, we had our portraits drawn by a caricaturist.  We had to wait on line for about 2 hours, but the result was worth it.

 

In March 2014, we went to Disney World to attend the wedding of my friend’s daughter.  His entire family is comprised of Disney fanatics, so it was appropriate that both the ceremony and the reception be held there.  For Ellen and Eileen, it was their first time ever in Florida, and the first time since 2nd grade for me.  You can read about the trip here:  http://waltdisneyworld2014.weebly.com/.

 

On December 31, 2019 I retired from the client accounting of a law firm after 30 years in the industry. At home in Islip, I am active in the local fire department and American Legion post.