Augie Sweethearts: Alvin "Al" Westman and Marilyn "Dolly" Borden, Class of 1953

Submitted by Al Westman of Rockford, Ill.

Our first date was at a fraternity informal (Roundels) in the spring of 1952. I never dated anyone after that.

We found out we both liked tennis. Dolly was on the college tennis team and I had played in high school. We were competitive, and dated frequently on the tennis courts in Lincoln Park where we were fairly evenly matched. Sometime later Dolly confessed that she would never marry anyone who couldn't beat her in tennis.

We had other common interests including those celebrating our Swedish heritage. We both were in the Swedish Club. For some reason (no one else wanted it) I was asked to be the president. I had taken two years of Spanish but no Swedish! I played an accordion in the club dance group.

Just before graduation in 1953 we became engaged under the Bell Tower. Uncle Sam drafted me after college and I ended up at the U.N. Headquarters in Tokyo. I returned back in late 1955 and we were married in 1956. We had a wonderful marriage of 60 years before Dolly died unexpectedly in June 2016.

We were fortunate to have travelled the world and to see two of our sons graduate from Augie and the third who married an Augie professor.