Inside Education and Health Sciences

By Emily Clemenson

February means Valentine's Day, so let's celebrate love with a tale of two Flyers.

Gretchen (Trick) and Jeff Beadle met in Marycrest Hall, where they both lived, in the fall of 2016. They started dating that spring, and since they were both in the pre-physical therapy track in the Department of Health and Sport Science, they had lots of classes together.

"​​We also did an internship in Florida together and both volunteered for Maple Tree Cancer Alliance," Gretchen said. 

Senior year, Gretchen and Jeff started applying to PT schools. They were both accepted to the University of Dayton's Doctor of Physical Therapy program, and "it was an easy decision," Gretchen said.

Fast forward a couple of years: Jeff and Gretchen had just completed their fifth semester of the DPT program and were about to head out to Colorado for a clinical rotation the next morning.

Jeff convinced Gretchen to walk over to the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception with a ruse that they were meeting friends there during Reunion Weekend.

"I found the right time to get down on a knee," Jeff said. "Her best friend was in the bushes recording and taking pictures, so we have the memory captured on camera."

Gretchen and Jeff graduated from the PT program in May 2023 and got married in the chapel the following October. Both work as physical therapists in the Dayton area (him in outpatient sports medicine and her in developmental pediatric physical therapy) and still enjoy attending UD basketball games.

"I knew I wanted to attend UD as soon as I took the campus tour," she said. "It feels like my home away from home."

Jeff agrees.

"UD means the world to me," Jeff said. "I met my wife here and some of my best friends. It’ll be a place that I’ll be able to share with my kids and I really look forward to those days."