Saratoga News

Photograph by George Sakkestad

Bill and Betty McCool met in Seattle in 1944 when he was a sailor and she was a clerk at the port of embarcation. They are among the couples who've been married 50 years or more who will be honored at the Senior Friends Valentine dance.

Longtime sweethearts star at Valentine dance

By Shari Kaplan

It's no coincidence that the marker for couples celebrating 50 years of marriage is the golden anniversary. Gold, being a precious and attractive metal, is an appropriate symbol of the priceless bond that enables two people to stay together.

It's also no coincidence that in the month that celebrates romance, the Columbia Good Samaritan Hospital Chapter of the National Association of Senior Friends hosts a Valentine dance, with special recognition given to those who were married in 1948 or earlier. The event takes place Feb. 14 at Villa Felice in Los Gatos.

Anyone 50 and older is invited. Following a renewal of vows ceremony there will be hors d'oeuvres, a buffet, cake, party favors, live big band music and dancing. "Mae West" and "W.C. Fields" will make special guest appearances.

Among the golden couples who will be tripping the light fantastic are Bill and Betty McCool, who have lived in San Jose near the Los Gatos border for nearly 30 years. Married since July 26, 1947, they felt an early and mutual attraction.

Betty was living and working in Seattle as a clerk at the port of embarcation when she and friend Jeanne stopped by a hotel after work for a drink. It was there, she recalls, they noticed two handsome young men wearing U.S. Navy uniforms. The year was 1944.

"We locked eyes, and it's lasted for 50 years," she sums up their relationship with a chuckle. "It was great from the beginning, and it still is. It was meant to be--anything that's lasted 50 years has to be right."

"You have to have a sense of humor, that's for sure," Bill adds. "We both like a lot of the same things, but more importantly, we like each other. You have to be friends before you're lovers."

Bill says he and Navy buddy Vincent initially noticed Betty and Jeanne because they were pretty; he asked if the girls would mind some company, and the four got to chatting. Bill and Betty began to click, he recalls, when Betty told him "some crazy story" about her trip to an island where she discovered a strange purple crab. That same evening, he asked her if she'd like to go on a date, and she accepted.

After 27 years as a naval pilot, Bill retired as a lieutenant commander. He later worked for the county of Santa Clara as a computer program analyst. Betty was assistant librarian at San Jose's Oak Grove High School. Both are now retired and have been active patient service volunteers with Columbia Good Samaritan Hospital since 1986. They have one son and a granddaughter.

Senior Friends is a nonprofit association that promotes health and wellness for senior citizens. Among its benefits are health screenings, health education seminars, fitness programs, consumer education, travel opportunities, social and recreational activities.

The celebration takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. Tickets are $13 for Senior Friends members or $18 for nonmembers. Villa Felice is located at 15350 Winchester Blvd. For reservations or information, call 559-2555.

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