Cornell Campus helps Source Love for Alumni

“The love was too pure and too strong,” Ms. ChengCimini said. To which Matthew Cimini said, “I couldn’t resist.”

Lovebirds’ Reunion

Julie Vargo ’82 and Chris Metz ’82 had paths that likely crossed often during freshman year, with both being involved in Greek life and regular patrons of the pubs on North and West Campus. Ms. Vargo worked at the concession stand at the football field, and Mr. Metz was a football player.

They started dating sophomore year and on-and-off their junior year. Ms. Vargo invited Mr. Metz to her sorority formal during junior year, and he turned her down, which she said irritated her.

“About a month or so later, he called and invited me to his fraternity formal, and I stood at the phone, repeated everything he said to me back to him and turned him down the exact same way he turned me down,” Ms. Vargo said. “We hung up the phone and I laughed like crazy. In retrospect we both think that was probably a bad idea.”

Both Ms. Vargo and Mr. Metz then went off to marry the next people they dated. At a 10-year college reunion, Ms. Vargo ran into another Cornell ex-boyfriend.

“[My ex-boyfriend] was fat, bald and obnoxious. So I thought to myself, I am going to make a point never to see Chris Metz ever again, because he was the most beautiful man I had ever dated. That was the extent of it, and then I went on with my life,” Ms. Vargo said.

At their 30-year college reunion, Ms. Vargo’s friends wanted to go to the Statler bar to meet up, but since she knew Mr. Metz would be there, she decided to go watch the President’s lecture in Bailey Hall instead. But then she received a message from Mr. Metz telling her to save him a seat, as her friends had seen him and gave him Ms. Vargo’s phone number.

“[Chris] wasn’t that bald and obnoxious — actually, he’s still a little obnoxious. And I love that,” Ms. Vargo said. “We just rekindled a friendship.”

It wasn’t until years later that the two became partners. Now they have six kids between them, two of which attended Cornell.

“We had eight years back on the Hill, going to these functions and tailgates and parties and football games,” Ms. Vargo said. “Fortunately our kids let us come back and infiltrate. It’s been super fun. And we go back to reunions every year, we just went to our 40th.”

Although their relationship was not linear, Ms. Vargo said it worked out the way it was meant to be.

“I’m really lucky that I got a second chance, and so is he, to have this really amazing relationship,” Ms. Vargo said.

Lucky Genes

Jennifer Leeds ’91 and Rob Hess ’91 became friends in genetics class in the fall of their junior year. Mr. Hess was rushing a fraternity at the time, and he invited Ms. Leeds to go with him to his winter formal.

“He picked me up at a happy hour at my girlfriend’s house. He was really, really nicely dressed and all clean shaven. He had this humongous bouquet of flowers and took me to a nice dinner, which was out of character,” Ms.