Alumni celebrate 30 years being in lockstep

Melodie (Weaver) Hoff '91 and John Hoff '90 celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary on July 30.

"When you're married 30 years, you always get asked the question, 'So, how did you two meet?'" Melodie said. "My answer is always the same: a hilarious story about the Alvernia library.

"Fall 1987, my first night in Veronica Hall, freshman year," she recalled. "The RA gathered everyone into her room, turned down the lights and filled our impressionable heads with frightful campus tales, like secret underground passageways that led from the Sisters' Convalescent Home to Francis Hall, and how the Sisters would escape from their rooms and roam the tunnels."

The next semester, Hoff was sitting alone in Francis Hall Library when she heard a squeaking sound. She eventually traced it to a slowly turning doorknob on the wooden door behind her. With the first-night scary tales rattling around in her mind, she cautiously walked over to the door. As she approached, a woman yelled, "Let me in!"

"I tried to open the door, but it was locked," Melodie said. "Then the voice called out again. I meekly answered, 'I'm so sorry, I can't open it.' When she replied, 'Open this door!' I was in complete flight mode. I whipped around, and who did I see on the other side of the room, standing by the periodicals: my future husband, John. I had never met him before, but I ran up to him with my eyes practically bugging out of my head when I exclaimed, 'There's a nun on the other side of the door and she can't get in!"

John calmly told her everything would be OK; he would get the librarian. As soon as he walked out, Melodie dashed into the adjacent study room, imploring a student seated there to act natural.

"Keep in mind I had never met this girl before," she said. "Looking puzzled, she asked, 'Why am I acting natural?' I said, "There's a nun on the other side of the door and she can't get in!' She just looked at me confused.

"Through the doorway, I saw the librarian walking by, wearing his usual - sandals with socks - and John following. But then I saw John walking backward. He looked into my new room and shrugged his shoulders as if to ask, why did you switch rooms? I started waving my arms wildly, motioning for him to go on. The girl at the table asked, 'That's acting natural?' I said, 'I don't want whoever is on the other side of that door to know I'm the idiot who couldn't open it!'"

The next day, as Melodie approached a set of double doors in Bernardine Hall, she again ran into John, who smiled and said: "Let me get the door for you. There might be a nun on the other side."

Since then, many more doors have opened for the couple, who moved back to Pennsylvania to be closer to family after living in California for 13 years. This year, Melodie was named director of grants management for Franklin County. John is also employed with Franklin County and was recently promoted to Deputy Sheriff, first class.

In their free time, Melodie likes to write funny short stories and John, a history buff, likes to read. Together, they enjoy picnics in the park and taking long walks hand in hand.