 "Photo: Courtesy photo")
“Oh, well, we just kind of walked into that one,” said Beth Olson, explaining how she and her husband, Ted Olson, became the first couple to wed in K-State’s Danforth Chapel. The two married several years after they both graduated from K-State, so Danforth Chapel became a natural location to invite friends and family for the wedding, Beth said.
The Olsons celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary Oct. 28, and Beth said she is more in love with Ted now than ever before.
The Olsons’ story over spans several important events in American and world history, beginning with World War II. After graduating from K-State with a degree in chemical engineering, Ted enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a Frogman. The Frogmen were a precursor to today’s U.S. Navy SEALs. Ted served in the South Pacific during the war and returned to K-State to obtain his master’s degree. He received his master’s in chemical engineering and stayed to teach at the university.
Beth also attended K-State and graduated with a degree in home economics. After graduating, Beth worked for the United States Department of Agriculture Extension Service, which she described as a branch that helped farming families before and after the war.
Although the couple knew each other as undergraduates, Ted said it was not until after he came back from the war that they “got more acquainted.” They met again at the Avalon Ballroom in Manhattan, when both showed up to an event with different dates. Beth was then working in Kansas City, Kan. and Ted was teaching at K-State, so Beth said she did not expect anything to come of the reunion.
“I wasn’t really wanting to get proposed to,” she said, when asked about how their relationship started.
Ted was persistent, however, sending flowers and making frequent visits to Kansas City to visit her until, as Beth said, his enthusiasm was enough to convince her to marry him.
Family members and friends of the Olson family often describe Ted as the quiet one in the relationship, and he stayed true to form when describing why he decided to propose to Beth.
When asked what made him know he wanted to marry Beth, his response was simple: “Well, what didn’t, honey?”
Beth was more verbose with her response to the same question: She said Ted fulfilled one of her deepest prayers. Beth said she had asked God to find her someone she could live with for the rest of her life, because she did not want her marriage to end in divorce, and she knew she would argue with anyone if given the chance.
“My husband is kind of a quiet person,” Beth said. “He has been so steady and never gets mad ... He’s just a wonderful person and I’ve grown more and more in love with him. It’s just gotten better as we get older.”
Beth said their marriage has not always been easy, and sometimes she feared it might be over. Each time, however, they managed to overcome their hurdles. Despite struggles, both Beth and Ted agree their marriage has been strengthened through their relationships with God, and he is one of the main reasons it has lasted 60 years.
The Olsons’ daughter, Jo Ann Helweg, said watching her parents interact with each other and with God had a great effect on the way she conducts her relationship with her husband.
“They are always putting their arms around each other or just looking at each other, and you can just tell they love each other,” Helweg said. “It’s like they’re still 20 or 30.”
Helweg said she finds herself mimicking those actions and believes if more couples did so, more marriages would stand the test of time.
Throughout their marriage, the Olsons have found ways to focus on what they consider most important and fully commit themselves to their marriage. They love and appreciate each other for their strengths and are happy to celebrate them.
“Beth is a beautiful woman,” Ted said. “But I think her cookies are probably my favorite thing about her: They’re terrific.”
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