An Antioch Love Story
By Dorothy Whitney Yamashita ’50 &
Stan Yamashita ’50
[Editor's note: Over Valentine's
Day the alumni office sent out a call for the love stories
of Antiochian couples. The responses we received have
had us swooning all over campus. Look for more love stories
in the next issue of the Antiochian.]
Romance???? Well, her heart always
beat a little faster when that wiry, vivacious tennis player
from California threw pebbles on the window of her room
in North Hall to get her attention—and she would
eagerly run down the fire escape to join him for a
meal at the Caf or
just to walk to class
together….
Dorothy Whitney
'50 and Stan
Yamashita '50 first
met in ethics class— this WWII veteran
who had been evicted
from his California
home with the whole
fishing village of
Terminal Island
in February of his
senior year in high
school (1942), and
the country girl from
Vermont who had
so much wanted to attend Antioch College that she
had worked in a machine shop for a year after high
school to save enough money for tuition. When that
money ran out after two years at Antioch, she taught
school in
Vermont for
a year—so
when she
returned
to Antioch
she was
the same
age as the
incoming
veterans.
Disparate
backgrounds,
to be sure,
but they found themselves spending more and more
time together—long, silent walks in the
Glen, early morning bike rides, or best
of all, picnics in the Glen. (In those days
one could build a fire and roast a hot dog!)
After all these years, they can confess to a
few meals cooked in Stan’s room (where
neither girls nor hot plates were allowed!),
but Stan served hot dogs cooked with
soy sauce (the poor man's suki-yaki) and
rice—what a gourmet!
By Christmas of '49, Dorothy invited
Stan to visit her home in Rutland, VT,
stopping in Cleveland where Stan was on
a co-op job, and Christmas caroling with
a group of his Japanese American friends.
Neither remembers when marriage was
discussed, but during that winter, while
Stan was at graduate school (Purdue) and Dorothy
finishing at Antioch, a wedding date was set for
April 8 in Rockford Chapel.
Dorothy's much admired education professor,
Hilda Hughes, told her she didn't much think "God
intended for the races to mix” but with the support
of Rev. Keeton, who helped them write their
own ceremony and opened his home for their wedding
reception, the event took place as planned.
Many friends assisted in making all the arrangements
including Betty Collins, Bev Pierce, Ken
Hurley '51, Coretta Scott '51 , Ellen '51 and
Joe Maloney '50, Bob Cooney '51, and
attendants, John
'51 and Mary Russo, who recently told us "it
was a big step for a Catholic couple to take at that
time."
Dorothy had been active in the American
Friends Service group, so Rev. Keeton asked her
how she would feel if her husband was recalled to
active duty. This was no more a deterrent than the
knowledge that their interracial marriage would be
illegal in California.
Little did they realize that within a year Stan
would be recalled to active duty due to the Korean
conflict, so in December they visited Stan's parents
in Los Angeles to introduce Dorothy and for Stan to
say, "I'm back in the army!"
This turned out to be a 30-year career for Stan.
Dorothy found that life as an officer's wife was
filled with unexpected and frequent changes of location
and she enjoyed them all: France, Germany,
and Japan. Their three daughters thrived on their
exposure to many cultures and languages! When
their second daughter, Mari (deMoya) '75, went to
Antioch she was surprised to meet students whose
parents knew her parents at Antioch!
Though we have drifted apart over the years, the
friends we made at Antioch pop up in unexpected
places providing welcome renewal of memories of
shared experiences so long ago. We treasure the
messages received on our Golden Wedding anniversary
in 2000 and now that we have an email address
(ksyamashita@earthlink.net) look forward to hearing
from more old friends. 
Read other Antioch Love Stories
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