{"id":9747,"date":"2011-12-09T15:18:16","date_gmt":"2011-12-09T19:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/?p=9747"},"modified":"2012-01-03T17:27:06","modified_gmt":"2012-01-03T21:27:06","slug":"a-very-raider-wedding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2011\/12\/09\/a-very-raider-wedding\/","title":{"rendered":"A very Raider wedding"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a><\/em>

Longtime Wright State employees Mary Healea and Ran Raider wed in the Dunbar Library.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Raider.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Two longtime Wright State University Libraries employees recently tied the knot\u2014where else?\u2014in the Wright State University library.<\/p>\n

A wedding on campus was a perfect fit for this couple; not only did they meet and fall in love at Wright State, they also share their last name with the university\u2019s mascot.<\/p>\n

Senior library associate Mary Healea (now Raider) and government and legal coordinator Ran Raider have worked for the library for a combined total of more than 43 years. Yet it wasn\u2019t until a couple of years ago that their love story began.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was interested in Ran,\u201d said Mary. \u201cSo I asked one of his co-workers in his department to feel him out, to see if he might be interested in me.\u201d<\/p>\n

That co-worker was reference specialist Beth Anderson. She took her job of keeping the courtship a secret very seriously, going so far as to give the couple code names.<\/p>\n

\u201cRan was \u2018Red Eagle\u2019 and I was \u2018Pink Flamingo,\u2019\u201d laughed Mary.<\/p>\n

The couple dated for almost a year before letting the rest of their co-workers know.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we started dating, it just felt right,\u201d said Ran. \u201cWe were absolutely comfortable with each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlus, she picks better fantasy football teams than I do,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n

Two years later, Ran knew the time had come to ask Mary a very important question. One morning he asked her \u201cDo you know what time it is?\u201d When Mary said she didn\u2019t, he said simply, \u201cIt\u2019s time for me to ask you to marry me\u201d and presented her with a ring.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt totally caught me off guard,\u201d said Mary. \u201cI just kept saying \u2018Are you serious?\u2019 over and over.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>

The couple said their vows beneath a replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer.<\/p><\/div>\n

The two didn\u2019t plan to have an elaborate wedding, preferring to spend their money on a honeymoon cruise to the western Caribbean.<\/p>\n

When Mary put in her request for vacation time for the honeymoon, her supervisor Susan Wehmeyer inquired about the wedding plans. Mary told her that they hadn\u2019t given it much thought. They would probably just have a low-key ceremony a few days before their honeymoon.<\/p>\n

Later that day, Wehmeyer happened to be in a meeting with Ran\u2019s supervisor, Sue Polanka. Together, they hatched a plan to throw a beautiful wedding for their beloved employees.<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Though Mary and Ran are the fourth couple of library employees to marry, this was the first wedding ceremony to be held in the library itself.<\/p>\n

Both the ceremony and the reception were held in the Dunbar Library\u2019s second floor atrium, under the replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer. The room had been transformed into a romantic space for over 100 guests.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe library looked gorgeous,\u201d said Mary.<\/p>\n

Tables were adorned with black and white cloth and small vases of red roses. A long white aisle runner led to an archway of small trees. Even the library\u2019s potted plants were festive, glittering with strands of Christmas lights.<\/p>\n

A string quartet of music students played as the bride made her way down the aisle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember seeing her when she got off the elevator and I just said, \u2018Wow!\u2019\u201d said Ran.<\/p>\n

The ceremony was short, simple and heartfelt. Naturally, there were a few quiet giggles about the groom\u2019s last name.<\/p>\n

Mary and Ran felt that it was the perfect event for them and that everything went off without a hitch. Now they look forward to spending their lives together.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s the love of my life,\u201d said Mary. \u201cI really do believe that he\u2019s my soulmate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t\t