Eagles in Love

“Where did you meet?” is a question married couples hear often. For many of our alumni, the answer is simply Georgia Southern. True love and marriage has blossomed between more than 5,000 Eagle alumni couples including Adam Pace (’11) and Emily Cannady (’13) who met in an art class. They dated for more than two years, and when it came time to propose, Pace took his girlfriend to the most romantic spot on campus: the lush green lawn of Sweetheart Circle. In the spring of 2014, the graphic design majors returned to the Circle to tie the knot in front of friends, family and GUS, the University mascot.

Emily’s paternal grandparents, Linda Paschal and Benny Cannady, also found their soul mate at Georgia Southern. “My mother and daughter graduated exactly 50 years apart,” says Emily’s father, Dal Cannady (‘90), the bureau chief for WTOC-TV in Savannah. “Bringing together two couples that I love is one of many reasons that Georgia Southern has a special place in my heart.”

We asked several alumni couples to share their stories of how they went from Georgia Southern sweethearts to husband and wife. Now we invite you to join us as we take a walk down memory lane to a place of lasting love.

Is He The One?

Kerry White Kruegler (’91) and Todd Kruegler (’92)

Todd and I were in the same biology class during the first quarter in 1986. Just a row or two separated us in the Biology Building Lecture Hall. But it wasn’t until we went to an Alpha Phi Omega information meeting that we met. I remember thinking, “Is he the one?”

Todd, my roommate, Julie, and I started hanging out at baseball games, football games and the movies. We dated different people. It wasn’t until December 1989 that we went on our first date. At that point, Todd had been gone from Georgia Southern for a little bit but was coming back in January.

Todd worked several jobs simultaneously at a bar, the Student Union and the car wash; and I worked at both Pizza Inns. The busy working and college schedules didn’t interrupt our dating life.

He asked me to marry him during Thanksgiving break in 1992 at the top of Stone Mountain near Atlanta. We were married on December 18, 1993, and this year we are celebrating more than 21 years of marriage, but, to me, that isn’t the fun part to tell. I always like to say, “We were friends for three years. Dated for four. And have been married for 21. We have known each other more than half our lives.”

Today, we live in Lawrenceville, Georgia, with our two boys, a senior and freshman in high school.

Kerry Kruegler earned her degree in Early Childhood Education and Todd Kruegler earned a bachelor’s in Marketing.

City Girl and Small Town Boy

Shannon Stewart Robbins (’07) and Gregory Robbins (’08)

We met at Georgia Southern the first week of my sophomore year through mutual friends. We hit it off immediately and were pretty much inseparable from the beginning – the city girl from Augusta and the small town boy from Waycross, Georgia.

We spent as much time together as we could. I remember Gregory would ride his bike to my residence hall (Southern Courtyard) in between classes. We also enjoyed playing intramural volleyball together as well as going to the Recreation Activity Center. I remember countless ball games and some fun concerts as well. Another favorite memory is getting our dog Beazle. We had only been dating a few months when Gregory got him and he is still with us 10 years later.

One of our favorite spots was El Sombrero. We went to the restaurant at least two times a week it seems. We have been back to Georgia Southern a few times and we always stop at El Som. It was fun this last time to tell our 4-year-old, “This is where Mommy and Daddy met.”

Gregory and I were married in 2008, and we have another son who is almost 2 years old. Georgia Southern will always have a special place in my heart. It is the place that started it all.

Shannon Robbins has a degree in Community Health and her MBA in Healthcare Administration. Gregory Robbins majored in Logistics and Intermodal Transportation.

First Meeting

Susan Powell Arnold (’70) and Stephen Arnold (’70)

Steve and I met in our freshman English class in 1966 and married in 1969, the summer before our senior year. While students, we loved getting burgers at Parkway Motel (best ever), meeting between classes in Sweetheart Circle and attending the wonderful concerts on campus. We remember seeing Percy Sledge, The Tams, Chad and Jeremy and The Lettermen perform. My children can’t believe that we had curfews, and girls couldn’t wear pants or shorts on campus except from sundown on Friday until sundown on Sunday.

We were members of the original group of students who talked to the Dean of Men and Women about bringing national social fraternities to Georgia Southern. Steve is a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and I joined Kappa Delta. We graduated in 1970, and will soon celebrate our 46th Anniversary. We have three married children, four perfect grandchildren and reside in Huntsville, Alabama.

I recently retired after teaching kindergarten and first grade for 32 years and Steve retired from a career in Contract Administration. I will forever be grateful for the amazing teaching experiences I had at Georgia Southern—especially the BLOCK classes, and student teaching at Sally Zetterower Elementary.

These days, we love to attend Georgia Southern football games that are close to our Alabama home, and hope to visit Statesboro soon to see if our initials are still carved in the tree at Sweetheart Circle. Go Eagles!

Susan Arnold has a degree in Early Childhood/Elementary Education. Steve Arnold majored in Business Administration.

Making Beautiful Music

Gene Pinion (’79) and Cindy LaCount Pinion (’79)

I am from Augusta and in 1976, I transferred to Georgia Southern my junior year. I played trumpet in the Statesboro-Georgia Southern Symphony Orchestra. At our first fall rehearsal, I asked the conductor, Dr. John Kolpitcke, a question, and I noticed this very attractive violist, Cindy LaCount, from Savannah, smiling at me. A few days later at the film screening of a Marx Brothers double feature in the political science auditorium, I saw her walk in and I “made my move.” We’ve been making beautiful music together ever since.

We dated throughout our college years. Both of us worked at the Zach S. Henderson Library and we spent a lot of time in the Foy Fine Arts Building and enjoyed free afternoons relaxing near the lakes. Cindy and I were married and after retiring as a U.S. Army Bandsman, I spent 10 years as a fine arts presenter. Cindy has been a string music teacher and paraprofessional for over 20 years. We have two sons, Kyle, the Southeast regional director for the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America, and Kenneth, a doctoral student at Stony Brook University. Thanks, Georgia Southern.

Gene Pinion has a bachelor’s in History and Cindy Pinion has a bachelor’s in Music Education.

Love and Marriage

Erika Brayboy Collier (’05) and Curt Collier (’05)

Curt and I knew of each other throughout our college experience; however, we did not become friends until two months prior to our graduation. Nine months after we first started dating, we were married and had jobs teaching children in the Atlanta area. When we were students at Georgia Southern, Curt was involved in the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and I was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority. We remember that we could go anywhere in town without driving for more than ten minutes.

Our relationship today is full of love and serving one another the best way that we know how. In December, we will have been married for 10 years. With four children, it is a busy season for us.

Erika Collier, the first African-American to win the Miss Georgia Southern University scholarship pageant, graduated with a degree in Spanish and Curt Collier earned a bachelor’s in Social Studies Education.

The Plan

Kathy Diane Croy (’86) and Stephen Croy (’86)

Steve and I met initially in the halls of “Hollis College” in 1985. The story is that he found out my schedule and waited in the halls to talk to me. As I hurried to class every day, I wondered why he and his friend were always casually standing around. Little did I know it was all part of “the plan.”

We were finally introduced at the annual Zeta Tau Alpha/Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) Halloween social. This was always one of the most fun socials of the year. I was Cleopatra. He was a cowboy. I’ve often wondered if I would’ve still caught his eye if I had chosen the “Tweedle Dee” costume instead of Cleopatra.

On May 2, we celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary. We have a son, Stephen Brett Croy Jr., who is also an ATO and graduated from Georgia Southern in 2013. Our daughter, Bailee, is a sophomore at UGA where she is a Kappa Delta. Joining the rest of the Georgia Southern family, Bailee has also taken summer classes at Georgia Southern. My husband, Steve, is a real estate developer, and I am a technology integration specialist at Richmond Hill Middle School near Savannah.

Steve Croy graduated with a degree in Business, and Kathy Croy graduated with a degree in Management Information Systems.

Meant to Be

UnChu Kim Crosby (’04) and Stephen Crosby (’04)

Steve and I dated for about nine months before we were married three years ago, but our friends and family say that we have been dating since we were 16 years old. Surprisingly enough, we didn’t actually date as students at Georgia Southern; however, we were the best of friends and we went to each other for everything. All of our mutual friends encouraged us to date and repeatedly told us that we were perfect for each other and “meant to be.” I think that God used our time at Georgia Southern to groom us and cultivate us into the people that he wanted us to be before truly bringing us together.

Some of our fondest memories include baseball games in the spring, oyster roasts in our backyard when the weather started to cool and spending summers on campus as SOAR leaders, which allowed us to introduce incoming freshman to the wonders of Georgia Southern. We loved our school then and still do until this day. We are season ticket holders for Georgia Southern football, but we keep up with baseball and basketball as well. We were actually on the way to watch the Eagles take on Appalachian State when Steve proposed to me on a trail at the bottom of a waterfall on Blue Ridge Parkway. We got married at the Statesboro Primitive Baptist Church because Sweetheart Circle was taken that day for the Arts Festival. After the ceremony, we immediately snuck onto campus for a photo opportunity. My husband and I could not be more proud to be Georgia Southern alumni and supporters. Our greatest joy is our 18-month-old son, Walker.

UnChu Crosby earned a degree in Public Relations and Steve Crosby earned a degree in Business Administration.