See you at UD
Joseph McKelvey and Ruth Kaule first met during a high school performance of The Sound of Music in the mid-1960s. McKelvey was a senior at an all-boys school in Pittsburgh, while Kaule went to the nearby all-girls school.
They talked and learned they would both be going to college at the University of Dayton that fall. They agreed to stay in touch.
While they didn’t meet at UD, Joseph and Ruth are among the thousands of students who developed a relationship at UD that led to marriage. They tied the knot shortly after their 1969 graduation, making 2019 two times as golden for the McKelvey family.
“My kids won life’s lottery by having her as a mother,” Joseph said. The McKelveys now live in northeast Ohio.
As they checked in for Reunion Weekend 2019 on Friday, June 7, at Kennedy Union, Joseph proudly told the registration staff about their journey to Golden Flyer status, their six children and their upcoming 50th wedding anniversary on July 11. The McKelveys are part of the largest Golden Flyer induction in school history, as more than 200 alumni will be recognized this weekend for reaching the 50-year mark since their UD graduation. Around 3 p.m. Friday, UD had close to 3,100 total Reunion Weekend registrations, with organizers expecting a few hundred more to register on-site by the end of the weekend.
Shortly after the McKelveys left to explore campus, a duo with a similar story approached the registration desk. Anna Pyle looked for a Class of 1984 ribbon to add to her name tag shortly after check in and said she was also celebrating multiple milestones – a 35th graduation anniversary and a 33rd wedding anniversary. She and Mark Pyle ‘83, married on June 7, 1986.
“We met in my last semester at UD,” Mark Pyle said. “Both of our kids also graduated from UD.”
The Pyles live in Columbus, while their children Nathan ’12 and Maria ’13, are active in alumni communities in Nashville and Charlotte.
So many life stories, so many memories, all thanks to UD. Welcome home, Flyers.
