After returning from my mission, I wanted to find the person I would spend eternity with. I went to a Young Adult activity in the mountains. There, I met Kathy Nunnally, a recent BYU graduate. I liked her but didn’t know her well enough yet to be smitten by her. A few days later, I saw her at a children’s meeting at Church. It was as if a light from heaven was shining on her, telling me to ask her out. After the meetings, I found her as quickly as I could. We spoke briefly, and I asked her if she would see “Fidler on the Roof” with me. She said yes. That Friday, when she took my hand during the movie, I knew I wanted it there forever. A few days later, another young adult activity was held at Recreation Park in Long Beach. I didn’t know the name "Recreation Park", so I asked Kathy to ride with me and show me where it was. (Kathy has a different version of this story. She claims this was my plot to get her to ride with me – but I really didn’t know where Recreation Park was. And if her version puts her with me in the car, so be it.) We never ended up at the activity; instead, we talked in my car at the beach. I knew I wanted her eternally at my side. After a few more dates, I proposed to her. She thought it through for a week, then said, "Yes." My question shook her a bit. She wasn't thinking marriage this early in our relationship. Also, she had been dating another guy who was away for his employment. I feel sorry for him. He came home from his training assignment to find his steady girl about to be engaged to someone else. (You must act quickly when you know it’s right.) Kathy says that he was never in the running as her future husband, though.
Kathy has always wanted to teach and was exceptional from the start. After graduating from BYU with a major in elementary education and a minor in music, teaching jobs were hard to find. She took a teaching position in central Los Angeles (Watts). On her first day at 122nd Street School, she was writing on the chalkboard when a large rock hit the chalkboard above her head. She turned around and said, "Someone is a lousy shot." She took the class outside to practice throwing for PE that day. They respected her, and they had a great year together. Yes, she was scared, but she didn't let them know. She was teaching a combination fifth-sixth grade class, but testing showed her class average reading level was just above first grade. She had only one student at grade level. She tailored her teaching to meet each student's needs. By the end of the year, they averaged just above the second-grade reading level, which disappointed Kathy. Then, the vice principal noted they had advanced a year academically for the first time. This experience sparked her lifelong passion for helping impoverished students, guiding those at the bottom on how to succeed.
Vincent, a class member who showed leadership potential, was chosen by Kathy as class president. And he did have leadership potential. He turned out to be a rising leader in the local gang. He used his influence to protect her. While classroom break-ins were common, Kathy's room was only targeted once. The intruders entered her classroom and went through the door to the adjoining room next door. They trashed that room. They then went to the room on the other side and trashed it. Before they left, they wrote, "Good morning, Ms. Nunnally," in chalk on her blackboard. The demands of teaching this class were challenging for Kathy. She was exhausted when she went home each night. She often fell asleep when we were together. Finally, one day, I said to Kathy, "I'll have to marry you just to find out what color your eyes are."
Kathy and I were committed to our faith, and we knew the only place to be married was in the temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There is no "until death do you part" there. We wanted this for us, and we knew this was what the Lord wanted for us. A temple marriage requires a commitment to live the highest standards of our faith, including the law of chastity, meaning no physical intimacy until after marriage. Kathy was in her first year of teaching in inner-city Los Angeles at a challenging school. She couldn't possibly add adjusting to a new marriage, so we decided to wait until the school year ended eight months later. The covenants made in the temple have helped carry us through the difficult times that were to come. We were married on my dad's birthday, July 14, 1973.