In October 1985, a young man made a long distance call to a father in Kansas.
"Hi, um, I'd like to marry your daughter."
The man had no idea that his daughter was dating anyone so seriously, and he asked for clarification. "Who is this? How long have you been dating?"
It began a year earlier in Math 371, the abstract algebra class at BYU.
He was recently home from his mission, ready to dive back into math and engineering classes. She was in her second year at BYU, flying through the credits so quickly that she was already essentially a junior though only 18 years old.
They never really talked to each other. But that isn't to say they didn't notice each other.
She learned his name quickly -- Todd Moon -- and looked him up on the microfiche. This predecessor to the BYU directory was the true "stalkernet" -- you could find name, number, address, and even class schedule of anyone at the school. She saw that there was another female BYU student living at his same residence (it was his mom, but she didn't know that), and that combined with the occasional mention of a "baby McKay" led her to believe that he was already married and just didn't wear a ring for whatever reason.
He didn't learn her name quite as quickly, but he would position himself to be on the same row as her so when homework was passed back, he could see the possibilities for her name. Eventually he narrowed it down to "Barbara," though he never figured out the last name. Even asking out her friend in the same class didn't get him as close as he would have liked to her. (Incidentally, Barbara realized fairly quickly that he wasn't actually married.) At the end of the semester, she was steadily dating someone else, he was dating other girls, and so they went their separate ways.
Months later, in the summer of 1985, Todd was in a quartet with some of his friends, and they decided to serenade BYU with their parody of "For the Longest Time" called "In the Longest Line."1
Nowadays, a song like that could have gone viral on YouTube within hours. But as it was, it did get its small share of fame from the Daily Universe. Barbara saw the article, took heart at the fact that the article specifically mentioned he was single, and hoped to maybe run into him again.
A few weeks later, she got that chance. Todd had been dating another girl, but they both decided it wasn't right, so they were going to have one last dinner together at his parents' house and then call it good. That afternoon, Todd went to talk to the girl at the copy center where she worked to finalize the details for the evening. And, as fate would have it, in walked Barbara, who was all too content to linger and chat with Todd. There was really no good way to get out of the situation, so he ended up finalizing the details in front of Barbara and then ending that relationship that evening.
However, armed with the assurance that he had correctly deduced her first name, he later went back to his algebra teacher to find out her last name. Dr. Walter pulled out the class roll from the year before to confirm that her last name was Rytting. He was still under the impression that she was seriously dating someone, but Todd didn't even worry about that possibility. He just went right up the microfiche and punched in everything he knew. Finally, he had her phone number!
That evening, he called her up and asked if she was free on Friday. She said no, she was busy.
Here, the accounts differ. Todd says that he pulled out all his courage to ask, "What about Saturday?" Barbara says that she was the one who mentioned she was available on Saturday.
Either way, they went out on Saturday. He picked her up from her grandma's home in the tree streets, swung by his parents' house in Orem, and then went off to the canyon for a group date with his roommates.
And then it just kept going. They were only able to go out every other day since Barbara had prior commitments with other young men the other days, but on each of those days they fell deeper and deeper in love. They bonded over music, Ivan Denisovich, grandmas and backyards, and homework. Todd went home lovesick every night.
So he decided to do something about it. 18 days after their first date, they spent the evening doing homework together. As they walked back to his car in the ASB parking lot, he realized now was as good time as ever.
"Will you marry me?"
She enthusiastically said yes, and that was that! They were engaged!
Whoah-oh-oh
In the longest line
If I got my add-drop card tonight
There would still be other crowds to fight.
What else could I do?
I’m going to BYU.
It’s got me standing in the longest line.
Once I thought my ID card was lost
Got no cash for the replacement cost.
Got no enjoyment,
Now I’ve got to find employment
and I’ll keep standing in the longest line.
Whoa oh oh oh oh
In the longest line.
Whoa oh oh oh
In the longest line.
I’m the voice that’s screaming in the hall,
And the greatest miracle of all
Is that I’m seated
In the very class I needed
That’s after standing in the longest line.
Maybe this won’t last very long
I’m just a freshman – I’m probably wrong.
Maybe I’m just hoping too hard
Cuz I left my card
Back home on the table.
Who knows how much further I’ll go on
When I’m there the tickets may be gone.
I’ll take my chances
as the ticket line advances
And I’ll keep standing the longest line.
I had second thoughts at the first
I said to myself my bladder will burst
If I’d know the line would be so bad
I wouldn’t have had
that last glass of water.
I’m a royal Cougar true and true
I’ve been in true Cougar line since two.
My date is missing.
Oh wait, who’s that she’s kissing?
And I’m left standing in the longest line
Whoa-oh-oh-oh
In the longest line.
"Hi, um, I'd like to marry your daughter."
The man had no idea that his daughter was dating anyone so seriously, and he asked for clarification. "Who is this? How long have you been dating?"
§
It began a year earlier in Math 371, the abstract algebra class at BYU.
He was recently home from his mission, ready to dive back into math and engineering classes. She was in her second year at BYU, flying through the credits so quickly that she was already essentially a junior though only 18 years old.
They never really talked to each other. But that isn't to say they didn't notice each other.
She learned his name quickly -- Todd Moon -- and looked him up on the microfiche. This predecessor to the BYU directory was the true "stalkernet" -- you could find name, number, address, and even class schedule of anyone at the school. She saw that there was another female BYU student living at his same residence (it was his mom, but she didn't know that), and that combined with the occasional mention of a "baby McKay" led her to believe that he was already married and just didn't wear a ring for whatever reason.
He didn't learn her name quite as quickly, but he would position himself to be on the same row as her so when homework was passed back, he could see the possibilities for her name. Eventually he narrowed it down to "Barbara," though he never figured out the last name. Even asking out her friend in the same class didn't get him as close as he would have liked to her. (Incidentally, Barbara realized fairly quickly that he wasn't actually married.) At the end of the semester, she was steadily dating someone else, he was dating other girls, and so they went their separate ways.
§
Months later, in the summer of 1985, Todd was in a quartet with some of his friends, and they decided to serenade BYU with their parody of "For the Longest Time" called "In the Longest Line."1
Nowadays, a song like that could have gone viral on YouTube within hours. But as it was, it did get its small share of fame from the Daily Universe. Barbara saw the article, took heart at the fact that the article specifically mentioned he was single, and hoped to maybe run into him again.
A few weeks later, she got that chance. Todd had been dating another girl, but they both decided it wasn't right, so they were going to have one last dinner together at his parents' house and then call it good. That afternoon, Todd went to talk to the girl at the copy center where she worked to finalize the details for the evening. And, as fate would have it, in walked Barbara, who was all too content to linger and chat with Todd. There was really no good way to get out of the situation, so he ended up finalizing the details in front of Barbara and then ending that relationship that evening.
However, armed with the assurance that he had correctly deduced her first name, he later went back to his algebra teacher to find out her last name. Dr. Walter pulled out the class roll from the year before to confirm that her last name was Rytting. He was still under the impression that she was seriously dating someone, but Todd didn't even worry about that possibility. He just went right up the microfiche and punched in everything he knew. Finally, he had her phone number!
That evening, he called her up and asked if she was free on Friday. She said no, she was busy.
Here, the accounts differ. Todd says that he pulled out all his courage to ask, "What about Saturday?" Barbara says that she was the one who mentioned she was available on Saturday.
Either way, they went out on Saturday. He picked her up from her grandma's home in the tree streets, swung by his parents' house in Orem, and then went off to the canyon for a group date with his roommates.
§
And then it just kept going. They were only able to go out every other day since Barbara had prior commitments with other young men the other days, but on each of those days they fell deeper and deeper in love. They bonded over music, Ivan Denisovich, grandmas and backyards, and homework. Todd went home lovesick every night.
So he decided to do something about it. 18 days after their first date, they spent the evening doing homework together. As they walked back to his car in the ASB parking lot, he realized now was as good time as ever.
"Will you marry me?"
She enthusiastically said yes, and that was that! They were engaged!
§
"Who is this?" my grandpa asked my dad as he asked for my mom's hand in marriage the next day. My grandma was standing next to him, coaxing him to say yes, this was okay. She had heard about the whirlwind romance from both my mom and her mom (at whose home my mom lived), and there was a unanimous stamp of approval. Finally, my grandpa gave his blessing, to the great relief of my dad.
And then, six months later, on April 24th, 1986, they got married!
And I'm sure glad they did.
1. Here are the lyrics, in case you were wondering.
Whoa-oah-oah
In the longest line.Whoah-oh-oh
In the longest line
If I got my add-drop card tonight
There would still be other crowds to fight.
What else could I do?
I’m going to BYU.
It’s got me standing in the longest line.
Once I thought my ID card was lost
Got no cash for the replacement cost.
Got no enjoyment,
Now I’ve got to find employment
and I’ll keep standing in the longest line.
Whoa oh oh oh oh
In the longest line.
Whoa oh oh oh
In the longest line.
I’m the voice that’s screaming in the hall,
And the greatest miracle of all
Is that I’m seated
In the very class I needed
That’s after standing in the longest line.
Maybe this won’t last very long
I’m just a freshman – I’m probably wrong.
Maybe I’m just hoping too hard
Cuz I left my card
Back home on the table.
Who knows how much further I’ll go on
When I’m there the tickets may be gone.
I’ll take my chances
as the ticket line advances
And I’ll keep standing the longest line.
I had second thoughts at the first
I said to myself my bladder will burst
If I’d know the line would be so bad
I wouldn’t have had
that last glass of water.
I’m a royal Cougar true and true
I’ve been in true Cougar line since two.
My date is missing.
Oh wait, who’s that she’s kissing?
And I’m left standing in the longest line
Whoa-oh-oh-oh
In the longest line.
Thanks, Kyra, for such fun and wonderful memories. Grandpa Rytting had lots of experiences answering that particular question over the years. We have super sons and daughters in law and grandsons in law. We are very blessed.
ReplyDeleteCute! Love those lyrics!
ReplyDeleteI had never heard this story! That was great.
ReplyDelete