Portland State Magazine Winter 2009

Viking love and marriage WORK AND SCHOOL are two common places for people co find love, and for couples Andrea and Bob Shunk and Dianne and Brian Black their Portland State romances led co marriage. Did you find love in the halls of PSU? We would like co put your story on our Web site in February; e-mail it co us at psuaLum@pdx.edu AS STUD ENTS , Robert "Bob" Shunk '02, MS '05 and Andrea (Barnum) Shunk '01, MS '08 worked for the Vtm– guard, Portland Srate's student newspaper. It was a defining experience, says Andrea. As a new couple, "we had co learn co balance our personal and professional relationship, and agree co keep our relationship out of the newsroom." Both applied for the job of news editor in 1998, and Bob got it. When he left a year later, Andrea was his replacement. The couple attribute much of their success as students to their mentor, Judson Randall, adviser and executive secretary for the Vanguard and namesake to their two-year-old son, Jud. Bob and Andrea married in August 2003. Today Andrea teaches language arts at Fir Ridge, an alternative high school in the David Douglas School District. Bob is an academic adviser and site coordinator for PSU's School of Extended Studies. The couple are also PSU football season ticket holders, and "we love attending Young Alumni Events," says Andrea. 'Tm a big PSU booster," says Bob. "It's easy for me co cell people about how great the school is. We made lifelong friends at Portland State." YOU MAY NOT believe in love at first sight, but the story of Brian Black '69 and Dianne (Erickson) Black '70 may convince you of love at first step. Brian first saw his wife-co-be walking down the stairs in Shattuck Hall. He knew immediately he'd like co meet her, and arranged through a mutual friend for them to be introduced. After that chance encounter, things moved fast. Brian and Dianne's first date was January 21, 1966, they were engaged in July of the same year, and married in September 1967. The Blacks had two daughters and went co work in banking in Portland. Dianne is now retired and has more time for their five grandchildren. 18 PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE WINTER 2009 The couple still enjoy their connection to Portland State and have been involved in PSU Weekend and participated on the Alumni Board. They remain avid fans of Portland State athlet– ics and are both members of the PSU Alumni Association. "We couldn't have afforded to go to college if it weren't for PSU," says Dianne. Brian adds, "We feel it's important to support the University chat gave us so much. That's why we became members of the Alumni Association." TOP PICTURE Bob and Andrea Shunk fell in love at PSU and worked on the Vanguard together. They named their son, Jud, after Vanguard adviser Judson Randall. BOTTOM PICTURE A quick glance at each other in the stairwell of Shattuck Hall in 1966 was just the beginning for Dianne and Brian Black.