Never Give Up : The Risk Paid Off And They Remained Inseparable For Their Rest Of Life
Janice Rude and Wilson Prentiss were a match made in heaven the
moment they first laid eyes on each other in the college cafeteria of
Occidental College, Los Angeles. So in love were they that after only a
few months of dating they announced their engagement.
However, Janice's father had different ideas and put an end to their
relationship, leaving them with little choice but to go their separate
ways. But 50 years later, a series of extraordinary discoveries would
change their lives forever.
It was 1962, and Janice Rude was a biology major at Occidental
College, Los Angeles. Like many students, she had a part time job
working in the campus dining room.
Serving up food for the students, it was during the early hours of
the morning that she first encountered the future love of her life,
Prentiss Willson.
A grade-A student and a Kappa Sigma brother, Wilson's academic
prowess would soon see him become the president of his chapter;
something made more commendable after his chapter parted ways with
the national fraternity due to their refusal to allow his black
classmate to join.
From an early age, it was evident why Wilson was such a catch, and it
isn't surprising that Janice fell from him in as quickly as she did.
Yes, Willson wasn't only a looker and high-achiever, he was also a man of honor, and knew injustice when he saw it.
It's for these reasons that probably led both to describe their first encounter as love at first sight.
Speaking to The Huffington Post, Wilson said, “I believe we were
simply meant to be, I even remember the first time I laid eyes on
Janice.” Willson was transfixed, and consequently, he soon started
making regular visits to the canteen for breakfast.
“Every day, at 6:00 a.m., because I just wanted to see her and have
our little morning exchange." Adorably, Wilson didn't think he stood
much of a chance, "I actually didn’t think I had a chance with her. She
was a year ahead of me and just so beautiful.”
Thankfully, he wasn't the only one catching feelings. Janice was,
too, and she proved this during the 4-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
As there was a pre-Thanksgiving dinner at the college, she expected
Wilson to be there, but because he had gone home early for the
holidays, she was heartbroken.
Still, not content with waiting, she asked a fellow student to look
for him, and though Wilson was nowhere to be seen, Janice did manage to
get an address from her friend.
That same day, she drove 150 miles north to Santa Maria to see him.
It seemed that by that stage, Janice couldn't get enough of him.
Upon arriving, Janice, unannounced, boldly knocked on the door.
Surprising Willson, it wasn't long before he went with the flow and
invited her in.
And the risk paid off as Janice forged an instant connection with Wilson's mother, and most importantly, Wilson himself.
Winning over his parents, the two enjoyed a whirlwind romance during
the four-day holiday, and they remained inseparable for the remainder
for the Thanksgiving weekend.
Cementing their bond, the couple announced their engagement in
December 1962, and as was the way back then, the local newspaper
reported on it. But it also stated, “No date has been set for the
wedding.”
Reading the story, the details no doubt incensed Janice's father and
for reasons that are still unknown, put an end to the engagement.
If his daughter didn't cooperate with his wishes, he threatened to
cut her financial support unless she broke up with him, something that
left Janice with little choice but to say goodbye to a man she wanted to
spend the rest of her life with.
In fact, even though her father was so against the nuptial, her
mother sought a second mortgage to continue funding her daughter’s
studies so she wouldn't have to be beholden to her father's demands
though these efforts proved futile and Janice eventually said goodbye to
Wilson.
“We tried to figure things out, but I guess we weren’t smart enough,” Willson said.
After such a storybook relationship, it appeared theirs wouldn't have the fairytale ending.
Though the pain would be palpable, both still had their whole lives
ahead of them, and they embarked on their own careers. Naturally,
straight-A student Willson went onto attended Harvard Law School before
landing a job as one of San Franciso's top tax attornies.
As for Janice? She decided to stay close to home, running her
family’s diving board manufacturing business in Reno, Nevada. But her
work didn't go unnoticed, as many years she was inducted into the USA
Diving Association's Hall of Fame.
What's more, both married, but neither lasted. Despite the divorces,
the two remained apart until two family deaths in a short period turned
both their lives around.
Sadly, both their mothers died within a short space of time, but in
many ways, this proved a blessing in disguise as it also led to the
discoveries of two newspaper cuttings.
In an extraordinary set of circumstances, Willson was looking through
his late mother’s belongings when he found a cutting of the
engagement announcement. Without telling him, his mother had kept it in a
safe place ever since.
Soon after, Janice's mom passed, and she, too, sifted through her
mother's belongings. As was this case with Wilson, Janice's mom also had
a clipping, keeping a laminated copy in her wallet for 35 years.
Speaking about the bizarre coincidence, Wilson believed it was fate.
“The mothers got it. The mothers simply knew, and I think we also knew.”
It was then that both decided to reunite, 50 years after they had been torn apart.
Naturally, they hit it off instantly, almost as if the last 50 years
apart hadn't mattered and less than six months later they become engaged
again. Honoring their late mother's lives, Willson and Rude used
the original engagement announcement as their invite- only this time
with a fixed date.
YouTube/HooplaHa – Only Good New
Taking place on August 19th, 2012, at the Occidental College student
union, various friends from their college attended in an area that
proved most fitting. And though the marriage may have been 50 years in
the making, their fairy tale ending showed that the age-old saying, "If
it's meant to be, it will be," is usually always right.
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