By all accounts, June 14, 1964, was a lovely day. The weather was not too hot, the sky was bright and clear and blue. Fayetteville was truly beautiful that day, and for one University of Arkansas hurdler, that summer day would be the start of a very exciting week.
Ed Renfrow would marry his bride, Jane Reagan, that day at the First Baptist Church in Fayetteville, and although the church was large, the small-town boy and the army brat had a small ceremony. "Track boys" stood by the groom and cousins and a sorority sister attended the bride. Planned by her mother, the wedding was a short three months after their engagement -- so hurried, in fact, that a substitute minister, Jack Taylor, had to step in because the Rev. Andrew Hall was out of town.
And while some may think the engagement was too short, the couple had a good reason to hurry.
"I wanted her to go with me," Ed Renfrow said. "I had qualified for the first time my senior year for the NCAA National Championship track meet in Eugene, Ore. So we spent our honeymoon there, staying with my aunt and uncle and their three young boys."
Ed ran the 120-yard high hurdles three days in a row, and although he did not win, the couple enjoyed their vacation.
Upon returning to Fayetteville, Ed continued his schooling, going on complete his master's degree and work as a graduate assistant for the university's track coach. Jane continued teaching Spanish at Fayetteville High School until 1966, when she would leave to have their first daughter, Mindy.
"You couldn't teach and be pregnant at that time," she said. "So I quit to have Mindy, and after we moved to Neosho, Mo., two years later, I had Lori. She was a sickly baby and weak, but she made it through."
The couple returned to Fayetteville in 1971 when Ed took the job as head coach for the University track team, and although she stayed home with her girls, Jane continued her work as an educator as a substitute teacher, children's minister and librarian.
Ed helped to establish the first women's cross-country and track teams at the university and coached the team until leaving to teach at John Brown University. He retired in 2004.
The couple continue to enjoy their retirement, often visiting with their four grandchildren, volunteering and traveling. As they reflect on their 50 years of marriage, they view their strong commitment to their vows as the glue that has kept them together.
"The marriage vow is a commitment," Ed Renfrow said. "You need to make sure you are really committed for the length before you get married."
"You also need to have respect for each other, especially if you come from different backgrounds like we did," Jane Renfrow said. "Respect where they come from and where they are coming from, and build on the good qualities."
"A faith in God has also held us together," her husband added. "We always have hope when things don't seem to be working out."
"My parents' commitment to each other is evidenced by their 50 years of marriage," their daughter Mindy said.
"Through the time they've spent with their children and grandchildren as well as their work, church and community involvement, they've demonstrated on a daily basis the importance of commitment to not only each other but to family, friends and responsibilities, thus instilling many of the same values in my life," she said. "I'm thankful for them and the example they've been to me and my children."
And while their faith in God and strong adherence to their vows have been keys to a successful 50 years, the couple agree that their lightheartedness and willingness to smile through the tough times have been their saving grace.
"You have to have a sense of humor," Ed Renfrow said. "A lot of things in marriage you just have to laugh at. It can't all be perfect, so sometimes you just have to laugh."
NAN Profiles on 07/27/2014