Those who set sail for East Carolina University find themselves in the heart of Pirate Nation, a community of educators, coaches, staff and fellow students who help throughout the journey. Some find extra treasure along the way — the love of their life.
This Valentine's Day, we celebrate love in Pirate Nation.
Brett Parker + Alyssa Gutierrez
Many Pirates remember Sept. 20, 2014, as the 70-41 win over the Tarheels. For Brett Parker '10 and Alyssa Gutierrez '15, the day holds an extra special meaning.
Brett, attending the game as an alumni, was standing in line for food. Alyssa, also in line for some Chick-Fil-A, was there for one of her first game experiences as a grad student. At first, there was innocent flirtation while they waited in line, Alyssa says, but after their first date a week later, she knew it was something more.
I am so thankful for ECU because it has given me the keys to be successful in my career, but also gave me the love of my life. Greenville and ECU will always have a special place in our hearts."
Brett's parents both are ECU alumni, "so the love for the purple and gold runs deep in his family," Alyssa says. And her own experience was so incredible that ECU was her younger sister's first choice coming out of high school. Her sister is now a Pirate sophomore.
The Pirate pair live in Youngsville, where Alyssa works as the director of communications for the Better Business Bureau of Eastern North Carolina and Brett works for Progressive Insurance. They are planning an April 27 wedding.
Velvet McClurkin + Cornelius Martin
Tooth be told, Velvet McClurkin '19 first looked at Cornelius Martin '19 as only a friend — her best friend — but Cornelius knew right away their relationship was destined for more.
Their paths crossed for the first time in 2015 during orientation week of their first year at the ECU School of Dental Medicine. With their last names so close alphabetically, the two often were paired to work together on school assignments and soon became best of friends.
Without ECU, Cornelius and I would have never crossed paths. With our like-minded career goals, and ECU providing an avenue for us to access those goals, we were both in the right place at the right time."
In a couple months, Velvet and Cornelius will begin their dental careers, with Cornelius starting a pediatric dental residency in Virginia and Velvet going straight to work in North Carolina. They are planning a March 10 wedding.
Diego + Grace Racanco
Love took flight in Pirate Nation for Diego '17 and Grace Racanco '17. The duo met in high school in 2010 in Philadelphia and decided to go far from home for college. They landed at ECU.
We grew so much at ECU both personally and professionally."
Grace and Diego were married Dec. 30, 2016, in Greenville. In 2017, each graduated with a degree in exercise physiology and was commissioned as a second lieutenant from the Air Force ROTC program.
Grace lives in Minot, North Dakota, where she is the deputy chief of protocol for the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base. Diego lives in San Antonio, Texas, where he is completing Remotely Piloted Aircraft training.
Emily + JJ McLamb
In 2007, JJ McLamb '01 '06 was ECU's assistant athletics director for administrative affairs. Emily worked for Conference USA in Dallas, Texas, and JJ was her point of contact for the conference baseball tournament.
The longtime joke that they fell "hook, line and sinker" ended up being incorporated into their June 19, 2010, wedding by each person without the other knowing — JJ, who was in charge of the koozies for the event, had the saying imprinted on them, and Emily had it inscribed inside JJ's wedding band.
We are true believers in 'things happen for a reason.' If life circumstances had not occurred in both of our lives, we most certainly would not have been in the roles that we were in 2007 that led to us meeting one another."
JJ is the senior associate athletic director and has worked for ECU Athletics for 15 years now. Emily is the chief of communications for Student Affairs and has worked for ECU for 10 years. The couple have a 4-year-old daughter, Brayden, who loves cheering along with the ECU cheerleaders at basketball games.
Frances Isaac + Virgilio "VG" GONZALEZ
Though Virgilio "VG" Gonzalez '16 and Frances Isaac '18 were like ships passing in the night while VG was still at ECU, the pair did meet in April 2017 in downtown Greenville at Club 519 where VG worked as a bouncer. They quickly realized they had something big in common: their love for Pirate Nation.
ECU was where we met, so it's the foundation of our relationship. We have huge Pirate pride, and it gives us a place to go back to together that feels like home."
The couple now lives in Charlotte, where Frances, who was a fine arts major, works as a photographer. VG works in the Bahamas as a boat captain.
Their daughter, Abigail, was born in September, and she is, of course, already a huge Pirate fan.
Hannah Myers + Audrey Norris
In May 2018, after hearing for months from a mutual friend that they should meet, Hannah Myers '19 and Audrey Norris '19 said their first hellos and were smitten.
ECU is the reason we met. Audrey and our friend had a class together, and our friend said for a couple of months that there was someone I absolutely had to meet. If it weren't for those classes, we would have never known each other, and I am extremely grateful that ECU brought us together."
Following Hannah's spring graduation from the communication and political science programs and Audrey's summer graduation from the recreational therapy program, the pair plan to move to Colorado together.
Gray + Graham Williams
Gray '10 and Graham Williams '10 knew each other all four years at ECU, sharing mutual friends their freshman year and later becoming neighbors on Elm Street until graduation. Gray asked Graham to multiple sorority socials, but their relationship didn't truly take off till post-graduation, when each took a job in Greenville.
ECU is where our relationship started. It is a base for our marriage and our child's life. We are forever grateful for this university."
Gray, director of sports for the City of Greenville, and Graham, marketing director for SDS Restaurant Group, stay active with ECU. Gray sits as an advisor for ADPI and is on the executive board of directors for the Women's Round Table. Both are members of Pirate Club and friends of the School of Music.
They have a 15-month-old son, little Graham, who calls PeeDee and ECU logos "Go Go" since he hears Mom and Dad yell, "Go Pirates!" all the time.
TIM + TORI WOODWARD
Tim '16 '18 and Tori Woodward '17 '20 found chemistry on campus at ECU. More specifically? They found it in Dr. Brian Love's organic chemistry class in the fall of 2014.
Tori caught Tim's eye in her red flower sundress, and he scored a seat next to her. They set up a study date at Joyner but instead found themselves talking and learning about one another. Tim also happened to drive Tori's route for ECU Transit, and Tori would try to make conversation but he wouldn't respond while the bus was in motion (safety first!).
Friendship blossomed into romance as they had their first date at a corn maze where Tim was taller than the corn. That winter break, they went on a mission trip to Honduras. On the flight home, Tim told Tori he loved her.
The rest, as they say, is history. The pair were married Oct. 7, 2017, and they now live in Greenville, where Tim is a proud Pirate nurse at Vidant Medical Center in the cardiac ICU and Tori is in physician assistant school here at ECU. (P.S. Dr. Love did make it to their wedding, along with several of their other ECU professors and friends.)
ECU is where we found love and a home. We've made friendships that will last a lifetime and will always think back on our sweet memories made through friendship, dating, engagement and marriage, as Pirates!"
Kevin + Lisa Treadway
In early 1998, Kevin '01 and Lisa Treadway '14, self-described "turbo nerds," met in Dr. Donald Palumbo's science fiction literature class, which was held in the General Classroom Building, now known as Bate.
This school was the backdrop of our friendship, and later our romance. We both have an endless supply of small moments here: dinners at Todd dining hall, late nights in the computer labs, long walks across campus and beneath the neon ceilings in Joyner … we fell in love at ECU and so it will always be meaningful to us."
On Dec. 17, 1998, right before leaving for holiday break, Kevin and Lisa took one of their habitual walks together on campus, this time toward the stadium. Crews working on building the second deck had left the gate open, so Kevin and Lisa sneaked inside and made their way to the middle of the field. Kevin says they were surrounded by thousands of empty seats and all was quiet and still except for his racing heart. There, he told Lisa for the first time how he really felt about her. By the end of the evening, the pair were holding hands.
Later on into their relationship, Kevin says he was so nervous about goofing the proposal that he ended up asking Lisa to marry him right in his dorm room. They eloped in Wilmington on May 6, 2002.
The two started at ECU the same year; however, due to outside circumstances, Lisa finished her degree later on, in 2014. Kevin now manages ECU Creative Services' video team. Lisa is an administrative associate for the chemistry department.
Credits:
Photos contributed | Videos by Reed Wolfley and video team | Project by Natalie Shrader-Pruitt, Reed Wolfley and Kristin Zachary