Alumni Happily Ever After: Tips from Alums on Keeping the Love Alive Stories You May Like Love Letters: How Willard Straight Wooed his ‘Princesse’ Cornellian Crossword: ‘It’s a Date!’ Who Wrote the Book of Love? Cornell Alums and Profs! We asked Big Red couples for their wisdom on sustaining a relationship—and then we turned their advice into Valentines! By Joe Wilensky; illustrations by Caitlin Cook For the past few Februarys, we’ve celebrated Valentine’s Day by asking Cornellian couples to share their most romantic Big Red memories, show off their adorable throwback photos, and regale us with the stories of how they met. This year, we reached out to several dozen of those couples and asked them to dig deeper: what advice would they give their fellow Cornellians about making relationships work over the long haul? What makes a successful long-term relationship? How do they keep the romance alive—for years or decades? Among the day-to-day hustle of modern life, how do they make their beloved feel cherished? Among the many Cornellian Cupids who responded were Paul Hayre ’91 and Jeannette Perez-Rossello ’91—who met during their final months as undergrads, and have been married for more than 30 years. They offered, among other wisdom, lessons gleaned from their own meet-cute on East Hill: Sitting with friends, Paul spied his future wife walking into Trillium—and made a beeline to intercept her. Once the awkward small talk had petered out, he asked her on a first date: the Cornell Tradition dance, happening the very next day. The takeaways? “You never know when you might meet the love of your life.” “Ask someone out with a little more lead time than 24 hours.” “Be gracious toward awkward engineers—they ripen with age!” From Paul, Jeanette, and other Big Red lovebirds, we collected dozens of pointers on making love last. They include reminders to focus on the little things; to nurture your independence while being stronger together; to listen well; and to make room for each other to mature and change. “Ultimately, it’s about growing together through experiences and creating a partnership rooted in mutual respect and deep sincere affection from the heart,” said Janet Tang Wong ’02, MEng ’03, and husband Peter Wong ’02, MEng ’03. “Always stay grateful—and remember why you fell in love with that person in the first place.” Scroll down for a collection of Big Red Valentine’s Day cards, crafted from your fellow alums’ own words of wisdom! (Editor's note: if you're reading on mobile, turn your phone sideways for the best view.) — Dwane Morgan ’02 & Tami Tiamfook-Morgan ’00 — Risa Mish ’85, JD ’88 & John Lauricella, MFA ’87, PhD ’93 — Janet Tang Wong ’02, MEng ’03 & Peter Wong ’02, MEng ’03 — Sheela George ’12 & Owen Amadasun ’12 — Karen Kaufman Polansky ’67 & Steven Polansky ’67 Stories You May Like Love Letters: How Willard Straight Wooed his ‘Princesse’ Cornellian Crossword: ‘It’s a Date!’ — Michelle Moyal, DVM ’07 & Morgan Dickens ’08 — Glen Shannon ’88 & Mark Sifling ’87 — Paul Hayre ’91 & Jeannette Perez-Rossello ’91 — Sujin Lim Chang ’96 & Jae Chang ’95, BS ’96 — Karen Kaufman Polansky ’67 & Steven Polansky ’67 — Dwane Morgan ’02 & Tami Tiamfook-Morgan ’00 — Paul Hayre ’91 & Jeannette Perez-Rossello ’91 — Sheela George ’12 & Owen Amadasun ’12 — Sujin Lim Chang ’96 & Jae Chang ’95, BS ’96 — Michelle Moyal, DVM ’07 & Morgan Dickens ’08 Published January 31, 2025 What's your advice on how to make love last? Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Quizzes & Puzzles Could You Have Gotten into Cornell in the 19th Century? Bear Hugs Mother-Daughter Alums Share a Vocation—Forging a Special Bond Quizzes & Puzzles Cornellian Crossword: ‘Street Wise’