Just lovely: The Mileses discovered their soul mates on campus
Where will Cupid's arrow find its mark?
For ages, that question has been asked, with the answers as varied as the people who ask it. If you are Tammy and Gene Miles, their response will be simple: Meridian Community College.
Tammy is the director of choral activities and music instructor at MCC, and Gene serves as the College's purchasing director.
It was the Fall Semester of 1983 when Cupid's arrow struck for the pair. "We met in the hallway of the Smith Building between classes. Completely smitten, I informed my closest friend, Jay Crane, she was mine. He realized just how out of my league she was and replied, 'Yeah, right,'” Gene said.
Tammy remembered, "he heard me singing during my voice lesson across the hall from his Music Appreciation class in the Ivy Building. After class, he asked me out on a date."
Becoming best friends and enjoying being with each other, the two took computer classes together and would go to Sonic Drive-In for lunch. Gene played on the baseball team, and Tammy performed with the musical group Variations and the College Chorus.
This Valentine's Day, the Miles will celebrate their 36th wedding anniversary. Gene explained it was Tammy who picked this holiday to marry. "I would have been good with the date even if it was Halloween. No matter the date, I win."
The nuptials were no ordinary affair. "We had a nighttime wedding with a lot of candles and red roses," Tammy said as she remembered the wedding ceremony. "There were even heart-shaped candelabras, and the bridesmaids held candles inside glass globes."
The two chose to begin their college studies at MCC for different reasons; Gene came to play baseball. Tammy, who grew up studying classical piano, was offered scholarships to other colleges. "But I was unsure about a music career. Computers were very new, and I had heard about great job opportunities in computer programming. I had always liked math, and computers really interested me. So, I came to MCC to major in computer science," she said.
Her MCC music instructors, Dr. Bob Hermetz and Barbara Fortenberry, encouraged and guided her to a career in music education. "I still quote the advice Dr. Hermetz gave me one day when I was torn about my college major. He said, 'If you can do anything else in life and feel content and satisfied, then go do it.'" Tammy shares that wisdom with her students today.
Tammy earned a degree in computer science and returned to MCC to take a few classes in music theory and music history needed to finish her undergraduate degree in music education and to continue to graduate school to get her master's degree. "One day, I received a phone call from MCC asking if I would be interested in teaching here. I think music was always what God planned for me to do. Teaching students and touching lives through music is my greatest joy and privilege," she said.
There's another MCC connection for the Miles. Their son Dylan and his wife Kelsey are also MCC alumni – graduating from the College in 2014. Rounding out the family are granddaughters Lydia, Hannah, and Sara. Gene adds there are "two grand-puppies and a grand-kitty."
Life has gone full circle, in a way. Tammy and Gene both feel deeply fortunate that they'd found each other in a place they both had such strong roots and could spend some of their careers in the same college campus environment. Tammy has worked at MCC for 20 years; the Miles have been at the College together for five years, working in separate divisions and areas. "We rarely see each other throughout the day," Gene said. "So, at the end of the day, our conversation about the day is fresh." Tammy added, "we know we are here for each other if we need anything, and that is such a great feeling."
She added, "I still get to walk the hallways with my best friend."