Tom and Paula's Story
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Tom and Paula in 1967. Tom was 16 and Paula was 15. This was the beginning. |
S H O R T H I S T O R Y
It was the summer of 1959. Tom’s family had moved to Scottsville, New York from an apartment in Rochester that March. The Ralston family consisted of Gil the father, Doris the mother, Tom (age 8), his sister Nancy and his brother Tim. Paula's Family had moved to Scottsville the previous year. The Ritz family at that time consisted of Bob the father, Ina the mother, Paula (age 6), her sister Teena and her brother Steve. The Village of Scottsville, Town of Wheatland, Monroe County, New York, was a small sleeper community of about 1200 people. It is located approximately 20 miles from the city of Rochester.
The reason that the year of 1959 is
significant is July of that year was the first time that Tom and Paula laid
eyes on each other. Tom had ridden his bike into the parking area of the
Brown’s Avenue playground. As he looked up Paula was leaving with some
friends. Their eyes met for the first time.
The year was 1966. Tom (age 15) was a sophomore and Paula (age 14) was a freshman at Wheatland Chili Central School. Both had signed up for the same art class. Flirting began between the two with light conversations about buttes and mesas, later to prove significant. Tom’s band was playing at the school dance on October 7th. During a break Tom walked over and talked to Paula. The band started playing without Tom so that he and Paula could have their first dance together.
Two weeks later Tom and some of his
friends were planning on going to the movies on Saturday night. It was
decided between the four of them that they would get dates. Tom got up the
nerve to call Paula and ask her. She accepted. The plan was to go and see
“Fantastic Voyage”. Unfortunately none of the others had gotten dates. It
ended up being Paula and four guys going to the movies. But, it was a great
time.
Tom and Paula became boyfriend and girlfriend from that time forward until Tom left for college at the University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, in August of 1969. Paula left the next year for Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA. They were apart until the summer of 1971. At that time Tom was working at Eastman Kodak Company as a summer job. He developed a cyst that required surgery. During his recovery Paula came to visit him in the hospital. Soon after that they were together again.
During the summer of 1972 Tom and Paula
were shopping at a mall. While they were walking through
Sears Tom turned to
Paula and said “If I were to buy you a ring, would you marry me?” Though it
was all a blur, Paula said yes. That afternoon they shopped for and
purchased a diamond engagement ring. They informed their parents
that they planned on getting married in October of 1973.
Tom started his engineering career at Pratt and Whitney Aircraft in East Hartford, CT in July. Tom and Paula were married at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Scottsville on October 6th 1973 and moved into 13D Vernon Garden Apartments in Rockville, CT. Paula procured a job on the Hartford Times newspaper as an assistant columnist. A year later she took over ‘The Onlooker’s Column’ as her own.
In June of 1975 Paula and Tom discovered that they would soon be parents. They moved into a larger town home apartment at 19K Vernon Garden Apartments and on March 5, 1976 Andrew Gaylen Ralston was born in Hartford, CT. Now they were three.
February of 1977, Tom accepted a position at Williams Research Corporation in Walled Lake, MI. Tom, Paula and Andy all packed up and moved to the Round Hill Apartments in Waterford, MI. One year later they purchased their first home at 1108 Erskine Way Waterford, MI.
In June of 1978 Tom and Paula learned that they would be parents for the second time. On February 27, 1979 Peter Ritz Ralston was born in Pontiac, MI making the family complete.
In March of 1981 Tom received a job offer from AMI Industries in Colorado Springs, CO. Tom moved to Colorado Springs in March. He contracted for a home to be constructed while Paula and the boys waited to sell the house in Michigan. The family joined Tom in Colorado on August 15th and they moved into their new home on September 23rd. In 1982 Tom left AMI industries to go out on his own as an Engineering Consultant. Colorado has many buttes and mesas.
At this date Tom and Paula find themselves traveling between their home in Colorado Springs and their apartment in Fort Worth, TX. Peter was married on January 29, 2005 and Andy was married on October 14, 2006.
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Tom and Paula today, older but still young and in love.
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