GCU TODAY • 2 9
Douglas Baker, B.S. inPhysical
Education, ’59, andPatsyBaker,
B.S. in Elementary Education, ’59,
met in 1956. At first, Douglaswasn’t
really Patsy’s type, but she grew
to like himas an athletic, tall and
“really good looking, however, too
witty” guy. Patsy watched Douglas
play baseball and basketball games
at GCU and they attended campus
events and church together.
Eventually they fell in love and
shared their vows on Feb. 21, 1957.
They have three children, including
GCU alumni Robin Baker, ’80, and
Keith Baker, ’82.
Keith Henze, B.S. in Business
Administration, ’82, and Lori
Henze, B.S. in Nursing, ’84,
met
when Lori complimented Keith
on his 1978 blue Firebird Formula
400. Keith tossed her the keys
and invited Lori to drive it. Lori
declined, but Keith insisted,
saying, “How about tomorrow
before Chapel?” The next day, Lori
went on a ride with Keith and fell
in love with the car. They married
on Aug. 20, 1982. Keith is now
restoring another 1978 Firebird
Trans Am. Keith and Lori are still
madly in love.
AlanMerrill, B.S. in Business
Administration, ’84, and Patricia
Merrill, B.A. in Behavioral
Science, ’86,
met in 1981 at a
GCU baseball game. Patricia was
sitting at the end of the bleachers
with some friends when Alan
tripped on his flip-flop and landed
on Patricia. Patricia jokes that’s
when he truly “fell for her.” They
had a lot of the same classes and
study groups and became friends,
played sports, went to church and
hung out. They were married in
August 1984 and are the parents
of three kids.
Len Keso, B.A. in
Communications, ’87, and
Michelle Keso, B.A. in
Communications, ’87,
met during
freshman orientation week.
They dated the first two years
of college and as juniors took a
class that included a trip to the
Grand Canyon. They hiked down
the canyon, and Len took Michelle
to a spot by the Colorado River
to propose. They married the
following January and enjoyed
the rest of their time on campus
as a married couple. Their son is a
GCU student, and their daughter
is enrolling in the fall.
Steven Heller, B.S in Corporate
Fitness andWellness, ’98, and
Kelly Heller, B.S. in Corporate
Fitness andWellness, ’98,
met at freshman orientation.
Steven saw Kelly standing in line
getting her photo ID and tried to
time it so they took their photo
at the same time. He eventually
got to meet her, asked her on a
group date and, fortunately for
Steven, no one else showed up.
They married in 1998 and have
two boys who love coming to
the alumni tailgates and GCU
basketball games.
Nathan Johnson, B.S. in
Secondary Education, ’03,
and Emily Johnson, B.A. in
International Studies, ’02,
met
during a GCU baseball game. Emily
was taking photos of the baseball
team, and they introduced
themselves by the dugout. Nathan
later saw Emily in the library and
they talked about her trip to a
crocodile farm in South Africa.
The next week, Nathan sat down
next to her and pulled out the
photos fromwhen he, too, went
to a crocodile farm in Kenya. They
married 10months later.
Brandon Hays, B.A. in Graphic
Design, ’06, andMakyla Hays,
B.S. inMathematics, ’05,
met
at GCU Preview Days in 2002
when they were seniors in high
school. Brandon was from
Tucson, Ariz., and Makyla was
from Sacramento, Calif. They hit
it off the first night and spent the
whole time together. They kept in
touch and emailed for the next six
months until they became GCU
freshmen. They began dating
in October and were engaged
in June 2003. They have been
married almost 10 years and have
twin boys.
AnthonyWhitlatch, B.A. in
Christian Studies, ’12, and
KarissaWhitlatch, B.S. in
Athletic Training, ’11,
played
for the GCU men’s and women’s
soccer teams and met during
strength and conditioning
practice. Karissa was discussing
a skiing trip she was taking
over spring break and invited
Anthony to go along with her
and her family. A week after the
trip, they started dating and
married in 2012. They have taken
mission trips around the world,
including to India, China, Mexico
and Kosovo. They are in classes
together at Phoenix Seminary.
