photo courtesy of Dawn Francis
True believers of fate would agree that everything happens for a reason. When certain stars cross and magic happens, more times than none it is when we least expect it.
A Roast Beef Romance
Dawn was all business with a school bag that her friends referred to as “the briefcase” and the big bows that she wore in her hair, while Dan was more alternative with his long hair that he permed and put in cornrows. To top of Dan’s eccentric style he was a bass player in a band called Flynap. Despite their different styles these two opposites attracted.
“When two people love something or share a common interest they tend to gravitate toward one another. We did all of our projects together and became friends. I would go and see him play in his band. I thought that he was really cute, but we were both dating people at the time,” Francis said.
Dan graduated from Cabrini in ’92 and Dawn graduated a year later and then went off to Ohio University for grad school. Over Christmas break in Dec. ’93 Dawn and Dan had met up again. They went out a few times, but that was it.
“Three years later, I was at a trade show and the guy whose booth was next to mine asked if he could read my palms. I told him no because I don’t believe that stuff, but he kept persisting so I finally gave in. He took my hands and began to get all excited. He said that the next guy that I was going to meet was going to be a lot like me and I would marry him,” Francis said.
Two weeks later I left Ohio and came back home. I was working at my church and a mutual friend had told Dan that I was working there and they came down together one day when I was serving food at a social. It was so funny because when I turned the corner and saw Dan I couldn’t believe that he was there.”
Dawn and Dan were reunited that day over roast beef sandwiches. Dan was trying to be cool and ask Dawn out again while almost choking on his sandwich. Dawn had thought that Dan had gotten married and had had kids by that time. They had their second first date on Nov. 14, 1997 and Dan knew that he wanted to marry Dawn on that date because she ordered dessert, something that most girls don’t do. On May 15, 1998 Dan and Dawn were engaged and they were married on May 22. 1999.
“We had a down-home wedding with all homemade food. It was a great time. Dr. Zurek and Cathy Yungmann were there. My whole wedding party was made up of Cabrini girls except for my maid of honor and Dan’s best man was a Cabrini guy,” Francis said.
Love At First Sight
Freshmen Gabby Beltran met sophomore Shawn Hazlett at cross country camp in the summer of ’98. “He saw me, but I did not know who he was,” Beltran said. “Once school started I was taking a class at Villanova. One of my friends usually picked me up and one day I was standing there waiting, but I didn’t see her car. Shawn was there to pick me up instead. He had asked my friend to let him pick me up because he wanted to ask me out.”
Shawn and Gabby had their first date at the movies along with two friends. One month later they were going out and have been ever since. “Shawn is the only guy that I have ever kissed at Cabrini. I went out with a guy in high school who was the complete opposite than him. Shawn was everything that I was looking for and I can’t see myself with anyone else,” Beltran said.
In Aug. ’01, Shawn rode a rental bike over from Bikeline where he was working to propose to Gabby during her student ambassador training in Grace Hall. He proposed to her on campus because that is where they had met. “I had no idea, I thought he wanted to borrow money for lunch and then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him,” Beltran said. “He told me that he had the ring for three days under my bed. He was hiding it in my room. I couldn’t believe that it was right under my nose the whole time.”
“From the first time that I saw her I knew that there was no else in the world for me, but her,” Hazlett said. The couple will marry in June ’03. They are still deciding on where the ceremony will take place. Gabby would like to get married in an arboretum where there are tons of flowers blooming, but the couple is also considering getting married at Cabrini being that this is where they first met and got engaged.
A Proposal Over Pizza
Melissa Feehan met Chad May at her freshmen orientation. She was an incoming freshmen and he was an orientation counselor. “Our first conversation was through an event ran by Campus Ministry to the Tyler Arboretum for a pumpkin festival,” May said, who was a junior at the time.
Melissa and Chad began dating in Dec. ’98. Their first date was at Bennigan’s. “Melissa said that she knew from the first time that she met me she knew that this was something special,” May said.
Melissa, an early-childhood education major graduated a semester early this past Dec. and is now teaching. Chad graduated in ’00 with a double major in Math and History. He now works in the Office of Institutional Research in the Registrar. “With Melissa living at home in N.J. and teaching I don’t get to see her as much because she is 45 minutes away from me. I got to see her more when she was on campus,” May said. Soon enough Chad will get to see Melissa everyday and every night. On Oct. 19, 2002 they will be married at St. Lucia Church.
On Nov. 30, 2000 Chad proposed to Melissa at Altameo’s on Lancaster Ave., in Stratford. Their Friday night ritual was going to Altameo’s when they were both students. “We had talked about it, but she was surprised at the timing. It was really nice because we knew all of the waiters and waitresses from always going there,” May said. “I am really excited.”
A Softball Sweetheart
Rosanne Crafagano was working in a doctor’s office ’92. One of her colleague’s told her that her friends, Kevin Corcoran, needed a girl for a softball game that he was having. Rosanne was the perfect teammate because she was a softball player. In August of ’92 she agreed to play on team.
Kevin graduated from Cabrini in ’88 and Rosanne is a graduate of the class of ’94. The two are only a year apart, but Rosanne took some time off from school, but later came back to Cabrini.
“We played in the game and that was it. Then later that year in Dec. I had a Christmas party to go to. I wasn’t going to bring anyone, but one of friends suggested that I ask Kevin so I did,” Corcoran said. “It was a whole different atmosphere. When you are playing sports it is so competitive, going to a party together was completely different.”
Not only were they compatible teammates, but also mates for life. Rosanne and Kevin married a year later on Dec. 26, 1993. They had 17 guests that were Cabrini graduates at their wedding. “I like the fact that we had our first date in December and we married in December,” Corcoran said. “I think that’s pretty neat.”
The Corcorans have been happily married for eight years and have two daughters, Rosemary, 4 and Erin, 11 months.
