WHEN ANDREA MET MIKE...THE ENGAGEMENT...

Recoginze anyone???

This week, I explore the engagement of my friend and colleague, Andrea Roane. Look at Andrea and her husband, Mike, above! It looks like Angie took her cue from Andrea with the gold accents in her bouquet. Love the ruffles in the tuxedo shirt! I've seen Mike and Kate Walter's wedding picture, and ruffled tuxedo shirts were definitely IN in the 70s wedding attire checklist.

So, I asked Andrea to tell me how her engagement unfolded. Here she is, "in her own words":

"Mike & I became engaged on the 9th of March. I remember the date, because I was leaving for a week in Italy the very next morning. When I returned we went shopping for the stone and setting. Our plans were to share a romantic lunch and have him give me the ring. It was Friday, April 7th. I remember that date because it was the first day of the Jazz & Heritage Festival in 1978. I was in the booth at WYES-TV, the Public Television station, when he called to let me know he was in the parking lot. I ran down; he leaned out of his news car and said "here" and handed me the box over a water puddle. He explained he had been assigned to cover the Festival & had to go. Our lunch was off. He was going to leave right away, but I said No! You have to put the ring on myfinger. He did, as I leaned over that water puddle. I got a quick peck on the lips and he was off. The beginning of my life married to someone in the news business. I'm not complaining though. We will be celebrating 30-years in September. He's the greatest! And he loves to cook too!"

Sweet. I Y love Y the water puddle detail. How interesting that news managed to wiggle its way into their engagement plans... In this business, the news doesn't stop for anything!

And how about *this*! I just heard from Mike. This story is sooooooo cute -- I can imagine her Pop at the door...FUNNY! Here is what he has to say about first meeting Andrea:

"Yeah, I forgot about the ruffles until I scanned the photo. Except for those, and my sideburns, that picture could have been taken last week. Well, maybe of two slightly younger people ;-) .

When I first met Andrea, I was sure that she was waaaay out of my class. As she is now, back then she seemed very smart, was very attractive, and had a friendly manner. I didn't think I would ever have a chance to get to know her. Little did I know that two other people would be instrumental in our getting together. The first interesting happenstance was when I met her father, Fred Roane, at my barbershop. It turns out that we had been getting our haircuts at the same place for several months when our barber told him that I was a cameraman after hearing that Andrea was starting to work in television at WYES.

The second person instrumental in our meeting was a college classmate of mine, and one of my best friends, Alfred Carroll. Alfred was working at WYES and met Andrea. He figured that she was hanging out with all the wrong people (theater folk, from her days in local theater), and needed a bit more excitement in her choice of male friends. He knew that I was looking for a date to attend the New Orleans Press Club awards. He told me about Andrea, and after assessing my interest called me at my station, WWL-TV. He put her on the other end of the phone and told her that, no matter what I asked, she was to answer "Yes". Thus our fist date was arranged.

The amusing culmination of this experience came when I went to her house to pick her up for the Press Club dinner. I went to the door, rang the bell, then heard voices from inside the house. It went like this:

Fred: "Andrea, he's at the door!"
Andrea: " Ok Daddy, I heard the bell!"

Then someone peaked out from behind the locked door...then closed it slightly.

Fred: "Andrea, THAT's the guy I was telling you about! The one from WWL!"

A moment later, Andrea let me in and introduced me to her parents. Fred was grinning broadly as he shook my hand, for the second time. I'll never forget that smile."