Judy Hart was 15 when she and John Forester, then 17, went on their first date.
It was 1979 and they both felt that, after the date, they were never genuinely interested in anybody else.
“She was different from all the other girls for her age; she was so much taller,” John said.
“The first time I saw her she was probably on a pair of skates, and so she even looked taller. It was just like, ‘Oh my gosh, she is gorgeous.’”
Judy said that John stood out to her when they were younger.
Courtesy John and Judy Forester
John and Judy Forester
“The first time I remember knowing John existed was when he was teasing my best friend during a church camp trip,” Judy said.
“We went to church together, but did not go to the same school, and since he was older, while I was unaware of him, apparently he had been noticing me. That summer, 1979, he asked me out.”
Judy and John felt completely at ease with each other from the get-go and continued dating while he attended Ole Miss and she finished high school.
“It just seemed like it clicked; it was the right thing,” Judy said. “He always made me feel very special and always put me first and doted on me a bit.”
In 1980, Judy’s family moved to Batesville, and they continued dating long distance.
“I laugh at that now, but back then, people just didn’t travel like we do now,” Judy said.
“We actually wrote letters to each other, and each of us kept them.”
During this time, John and Judy saw each other about twice a month and had limited phone conversations.
“We were only allowed 5-10 minutes on the phone each week, and it had to be after 11 p.m. on Fridays because the phone rates were cheaper,” Judy said.
Because they were so young, John and Judy’s parents pressured the two to date others.
John’s parents in particular did not want the two to tie each other down, especially since he was entering his first year of college.
“I was always wanting to come home to see her,” John said.
“We gave it a test, and we just didn’t want to be apart.”
The couple dated for four and a half years before they were married.
John proposed on July 22, 1983, which was also Judy’s parents’ 27th wedding anniversary, and they were married on June 2, 1984.
Judy was 23 and John was 26 when they had their first child, Will, and one year later they had their daughter Ashley, who is currently a graduate student at Ole Miss.
Judy worked at Marshall Academy in Holly Springs, where her children attended school for 14 years.
In 2008, with both of their children in college, she decided it was time to return to school to finish her degree.
After living in Holly Springs for 22 years, they moved to Oxford this past fall. They believe Oxford and the university has been a large part of their lives.
“We have always gone to football, baseball and basketball games and we have come down here for other events,” John said. “I just love Oxford and I love the university.”
Now, John and Judy both work on campus.
John works in the registrar’s office, while Judy works as operations supervisor in campus recreation.
Judy will also graduate in May 2013 with her BBA in management.
They have celebrated Valentine’s Day together for 33 years and recall how they celebrated their first Valentine’s Day in 1980.
“John gave me a stuffed red and white bear,” Judy said.
“We probably went to The Hut, which was a little food drive-in place in Holly Springs. Now, we just go out to eat somewhere. John has always been sweet to do flowers or candy or gift cards for massages.”
John believes that Valentine’s Day is a special day and likes to always have a surprise planned for Judy, so he would not reveal his plans for this year.
“It is just a time for the two of us to go out to dinner or a movie,” John said.
“But it was just a time for the two of us.”
Judy said time for just her and John has been beneficial for their marriage.
“We always made that really important, to have date nights, because you can get crazy with kids and work, and other obligations,” she said.
Courtesy John and Judy Forester
John and Judy Forester
