Nancy Ogden  

Bruce Westerdahl

Today, May  15, 2014, marks the sixty-sixth anniversary of a special day in our lives. Sixty-six years ago, on May 15, 1948, Nancy and I danced in each others’ arms at the Junior Prom at Gettysburg High School.

Those who followed http://www.nancyandbrucetheearlyyears.com/ may recall our first dates were a hayride and a party, but in both cases Nancy asked me. Early in April of 1948, I asked Nancy to a Girl Scout dance, but the Junior Prom was a big deal!

Although dinners, tuxedos and limos were not yet popular back then, the Junior Prom was special with an orchestra, decorations, flowers and, of course, the  Crystal Ball!. 

Here’s the report on the evening from Nancy’s diary:

"Got my flowers this morning about 9:30. It was a wristlet of 8 talisman rosebuds  with a big silver bow in the middle.  The dance was called “Sous la mer” (Under the Sea) ——  the  decorations were dear and the orchestra was swell. After the dance we took a ride out around Barlow’s Knoll. We stopped awhile and he kissed me a whole lot. Came home about 12:30 and Mother and Daddy were still up eating so Mother made us each a hamburger and some drinks, He left at 1:00. I had a wonderful time."

That night, May 15, 1948, marked the beginning of a different kind of relationship between Nancy and me. The phrase that best described that partnership at that time was simply, “We were going steady.” It meant we wanted to be with each other more than we wanted to be with anyone else. 

The decision was initially sealed with an exchange of class rings, later a fraternity pin and finally, on May 30, 1953, it was forever sealed with wedding rings and vows before God and a congregation of family and friends.