Bridgette Gong

Features

WC: 312

Love can come at unexpected times, as can be seen in the case of English teacher Marc Igler, who met his wife while attending college at University of Southern California (USC).

During the winter of 1984, Igler, a college senior and editor for the Daily Trojan, the student newspaper, had his typical day in the newspaper office disrupted with a knock on the door. At the time, he was unaware that the person on the other side of the door would change his life forever. “There was this beautiful young woman who said she wanted to be reporter for the Daily Trojan,” Igler said.

As per the paper’s recruiting protocol,  Igler gave her a fact sheet—essentially “the test” for a reporter’s skills and potential—and realized he recognized her family name. “When I heard her name at the time, I did a double take because at the time her father was a big professor of journalism at USC who was really well known,” Igler said.  “He had a frightening reputation for being intimidating, but he was very well liked.”

This introduction created a lasting bond, as their relationship developed far beyond just the college campus. Six years after the fated meeting in the winter of 1884, Igler and his wife Jennifer Cray were married— a memory that Igler is happy to revisit even after almost thirty years. “I still remember what she looked like in a wedding dress,” Igler said. Now, the happy couple have been married for 28 years and have a family of two daughters.

Aside from her striking appearance, there are several more qualities that make Cray the right one for Igler. “She has a great sense of humor, is really smart— smarter than me— is really beautiful and is really good mom,” Igler said. “I kind of married up in that sense,” he joked.