COUPLE RETURNS TO CAMPUS After 40 years By SCOTT QUEEN
On June 19, 1982, there was a small, but significant wedding in the Mabee Memorial Chapel on the campus of Missouri Valley College. Two Valley alums, Ed Farricker ’80 and Mitzi Medley ’81 were the first couple
As the years passed, they often reminisced about their days at Valley, particularly their memories of a snow- covered campus. They loved sharing stories about meeting in the fall of 1978, and their first official date on Valentine’s Day 1979 when they spent hours together after decorating the Ferguson Center. Through the years, Mitzi maintained a close relationship with her Alpha Xi Delta sorority sister and roommate, Rhonda Moore Helling, but despite Rhonda’s nudging, the Farrickers never found the time to return to campus. Until this year. After a carefully orchestrated retirement together, in late spring visit in over 40 years. “It was like stepping back in time when we arrived,” said Ed. “We were by the library and we saw these big mature trees that were saplings when we were on campus. It was kind of a metaphor for us.” “It was different in a lot of ways, but when I saw all the students and cheerleaders and their excitement, it took me back for sure,” Mitzi said. The campus, Ed said, “is absolutely beautiful. And the facilities just blew us away.” Their Homecoming visit was a perfect trip down memory lane, but they assured Rhonda they are already planning to spend Homecoming ’24 back at their alma mater. 2023, one of the first things they planned was their long overdue trip to Marshall, Mo. for Homecoming at Missouri Valley. Rhonda got a phone call, and planning had begun for the first
to marry in the chapel. They didn’t stay around Marshall for long. Ed was headed to law school in California and Mitzi was about to learn about the bureaucracy teachers face when they move from one state to another. “Mitzi would need to be the
primary earner while I was in law school,” Ed said. “She worked two non-education jobs back to back for 12-14 hours a day to support us.” On the day Ed passed the California bar exam, Mitzi was finally able to quit both jobs and pursue a teaching position. She ended up following her passion, teaching special education and students with disabilities. Most of her career would be in the town of Glendora, where the Farrickers lived and raised their children. Ed practiced law as a civil attorney for 20 years, but it took him away from home for a significant amount of time. He spent his last 17 years as a general counsel, which provided an acceptable work/life balance. “Other than the occasional wedding trip or rare opportunities to visit family in Missouri or on the east coast, our respective schedules were never in sync,” Ed said. “Mitzi and I took exactly one ‘real’ vacation together during our first 19 years of marriage.”
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