What’s That?

Two wedding rings on a leaf
Name
Barbara C Marsden
Affiliation
UC Davis Alumni
Memory

One evening around Picnic Day April 1974, my boyfriend Steve Marsden, RNR’73, and I were walking in the Arboretum. We hung out at the Arboretum a lot not only because it was so beautiful, but our majors Renewal Natural Resources and Environmental Planning & Management took us out there nearly every day.

As we walked along the beautiful tree-lined path that evening, we followed a pair of meandering ducks swimming in the creek beside us. It was lovely there at dusk and no one else was around. When the ducks turned around to go back, we did as well. Suddenly, Steve stopped walking and said, “What’s that?!" pointing toward a picnic table.

I read aloud, in a questioning voice, the initials carved in the table...they were not ours. “Not those” he said, “That!” I looked again at the table and to my surprise saw a diamond engagement ring, which he’d placed there as we walked by the first time. He picked up the ring and asked me to marry him. I said “Yes!”, of course. We were married in August 1974 and had our reception appropriately at the Arboretum Gazebo.

The UC Davis Arboretum always held special memories for us, especially of that lovely evening walk that led to forty-five happy years of marriage and two wonderful children.

Date
April 1974