Rusty Saber: Hopeless romantic sees couple then, now

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One of the first things I turn to in the Sunday newspaper is are you ready for this? the newlywed section. Unless I happen to know a particular newlywed couple, my motivation isn't to learn about recent brides and grooms. I'm drawn to this section of the newspaper by stories, with accompanying photos, about couples celebrating their 50th anniversaries. |ret||ret||tab|

Before telling me it's time to get a life, let me explain why I like this section. Some readers may speculate that what I actually turn to are the obituaries, to make certain I'm not there. Truth be told, I have reasons for my fascination with the anniversary announcements.|ret||ret||tab|

Most 50th anniversary articles are accompanied by recent photos of the couple; a few were taken on their wedding day. Either way, I am intrigued with them. If the photo is of them today, I try to imagine how they looked when they were just embarking on their lifetime journey together. Should the photo be 50 years old, I try to envision what they look like today. |ret||ret||tab|

I suppose you could call it a little mind game I play, and I can play it either way. What would really be neat would be side-by-side "then and now" photos. Of course, I wouldn't be able to play the "what did they look like then and now" game. |ret||ret||tab|

In photos from 50 years ago, you get a pretty good notion about hairstyles back then. In some photos taken at the time of the wedding the man may be in a military uniform. Five years ago the uniform would have meant the groom was a World War II fighting man. Couples celebrating 50th anniversaries today were married in 1951; men probably were too young for World War II. A military uniform in 1951 likely means he was a Korean War military man. |ret||ret||tab|

Young people today may not know about the draft, nor do they understand how it compelled many couples to either postpone marriage or to marry and be separated until the military obligation was taken care of. Young men continued to face military obligations until the draft was abolished at the end of the Vietnam War. So, couples observing their 50th probably had to put their lives on hold for awhile. |ret||ret||tab|

This is the sort of thing I think about while perusing wedding anniversary notices.|ret||ret||tab|

You can call me a hopeless romantic, because I am: To me, these stories are boy meets girl; boy and girl fall in love; boy and girl marry and spend the remainder of their lives together in wedded bliss. Hopeless romantic, indeed. |ret||ret||tab|

Whether it be a then or a now photo, I find myself wondering what they hoped life held for them 50 years ago and what actually happened. Did their lives turn out as they hoped? I know that on my wedding day, teaching didn't even show up on my radar screen of likely career prospects. |ret||ret||tab|

As it turned out, I wouldn't have wanted to have spent my life doing any of the things that were first and foremost on my radar back then. I wonder if anniversary celebrants are happy about how their story turned out. I like to imagine they are.|ret||ret||tab|

Couples married 50 years ago have raised children who probably have grown children of their own; this leads me to another mind game. Usually, anniversary announcements indicate that children and/or grandchildren are hosting the 50th anniversary celebration. I like to read into this that the celebrants raised children who appreciate the sacrifices Mom and Dad made in raising them into the kinds of adults who want to show their love by honoring them on their big day. I told you, I am a hopeless romantic.|ret||ret||tab|

Looking into the eyes of these couples, I realize they are old enough to have experienced what may seem like prehistoric times to today's young marrieds. They have firsthand experiences with the Great Depression, World War II, the dawning of the Atomic Age, the Cold War and undeclared wars in Korea and Vietnam. It is likely that as new parents they vowed that their children would have it easier than they did when they came of age in times of economic hardship and war. |ret||ret||tab|

I like to think these couples truly had a glorious 50 years and stayed together because they loved each other and couldn't imagine life without each other. I feel like yelling at the newspaper: Good for you guys! Happy anniversary! Of course, I'm a hopeless romantic.|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|(Joe McAdoo is former chairman of the communication department at Drury University and a Springfield public relations consultant.)|ret||ret||tab|

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