January 11, 2013
MEDICAL UNIVERSITY of SOUTH CAROLINA
Vol. 31, No. 20
‘America’s Greatest Love Story’
Pharmacy student wins New Year’s Eve trip to New York City with pilot husband By Ashley BArker Public Relations
L
ike many couples around the world, Allie and Seth Butler watched the ball drop in New York City and celebrated with a kiss when the calendar switched from 2012 to 2013. They felt far from other normal couples, though. The MUSC doctor of pharmacy candidate (Class of 2015) and her husband, an Air Force captain and C-17 pilot, were standing on a stage in the middle of Times Square at midnight with cameras rolling and the title “America’s Greatest Love Story” flashing on screens across the country. By the time the couple are reunited in two more years, the pair would have only spent five months under the same roof of their then six-year marriage. The Butlers got some extra time together when they won NIVEA’s Kiss of the Year competition after she submitted their story and Facebook fan votes were tallied to favor the military couple. A story of sacrifice and commitment to serve their country, all while maintaining their relationship, started off at the the Ohio State University’s Air Force ROTC program. A Pittsburgh native, Allie was studying meteorology and ended up joining the ROTC program a quarter before Seth, who was on the way to a mechanical
4
engineering degree. They met and worked together off and on for two years before any sparks began flying. “I came back from my training and he had sent me some random Facebook message,” Allie said. “I just thought he was sending a congratulatory message to all my classmen that had returned. I found out later, when we started dating, that it was just to me.” It took a ski trip with the Photo credit: NIVEA pair’s unit in January 2006 MUSC PharmD candidate Allie Butler and her husband of four years, Air Force Capt. for the two to officially Seth Butler, celebrated the beginning of 2013 with a kiss on stage in Times Square. become a couple. Seven months later, Seth left for is now honoring her four-year inactive southwest Asia during two-to-three-week a training exercise. The distance didn’t commitment while pursuing a PharmD trips as frequently as once a month, stop them from getting married in July degree at MUSC. leaving very little time at home. Once 2008. “Our career fields just didn’t mesh,” a year, Seth also has a four-month “We make a lot of phone calls, more she said. “I couldn’t go to the same base deployment away from Charleston. so texts,” Allie said. “If he’s stateside, as him unless there was some sort of “He’s not on the front line or it’s a lot easier for us to communicate. special assignment. We were always going anything, but it’s a dangerous job,” Allie When he deploys, it’s more like me to be struggling to line our career fields said. “He is flying over some not-so-great texting him random things that need up, so I started looking at what else I locations. Anything can happen. It’s a taking care of or stories that have rather large object in the sky and hard to could do.” happened.” Allie plans to work for the government miss.” As a C-17 pilot, supply trips, because she expects to be moving In Charleston, the Butlers don’t have training and deployments are almost frequently while following Seth. But quite as conflicting schedules as they “continuously happening.” When did when Allie also was in the Air Force. moving with him to his next base will based in Charleston, his unit typically After four years as a weather officer, See Kiss on page 8 transports supplies to Germany and she left the military as a captain and
Grant ProGram The Giving Back Program manages gifts presented to the hospital by patients and families.
6
EnvironmEntal Contaminants
2
Around Campus
Researchers lead revolution into how chemicals disrupt endocrine cycles.
4
S.C.–Israeli Collaboration
5
Meet Karen
READ THE CATALYST ONLINE — http://www.musc.edu/catalyst