1940s Love Story Joins Generations of Union Members
Helen and Paul LaRue celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary in July 2016.
Dozens of traditions are passed down across generations of Badgers at the Wisconsin Union. From favorite ice cream flavors to a Terrace sunset, for more than 100 years the Union has joined thousands of students and alumni alike. For one family, the Union is not only the “heart and soul” of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but also the bridge between a 1940s love story and today.
Donned in Cardinal Red and white, Badger alumni Helen and Paul LaRue celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary outside Chicago this summer, but their story started right on campus. Born in 1924 in Wauwatosa, Wis., Helen Finnegan started classes as a speech major at UW-Madison in the early 1940s. She served as vice president of the Alpha Phi Sorority, won Badger Beauty her sophomore year and worked at the campus radio station.
Paul and Helen cut the cake they made using friends’ sugar ration coupons.
Across the country, Paul LaRue, born in 1922, left his Boston suburb hometown and hopped on a train to Madison. On campus, he joined the fraternity Theta Delta Chi and played intramural hockey with famous football player Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch.
The two students crossed paths at Bascom Hall. The couple went on dates around town, including nighttime rowboat cruises through the locks of Lakes Mendota and Monona and dances at Memorial Union.
“It’s about give and take,” Paul and Helen said in a phone interview. “Yes, Paul gives, and I take!” Helen added.
However, their Union love story hit an intermission when Paul enlisted in the military and fought during World War II. Helen stayed on campus and finished her undergraduate degree. No matter the distance between them, their connection remained strong.
They even exchanged love letters while Paul served overseas and while he recovered from injuries in North Carolina. After years apart, the two reunited at UW-Madison and married July 20, 1946, at St. Paul’s University Chapel on State Street in the town where they first fell in love.
The couple eventually settled in the suburbs of Chicago and raised three children. All the while, they remained connected to UW-Madison by becoming lifetime Union members. The couple shared advice for current Badger couples seeking their own Union love stories:
“It’s about give and take,” Paul and Helen said in a phone interview. “Yes, Paul gives, and I take!” Helen added.
Helen and Paul’s connections to Madison grew even more when their granddaughter Kate Hogan Berger started at UW-Madison in fall 2001 as a School of Journalism and Mass Communication student. She quickly jumped into campus life, joining the same sorority as her grandma and the Badger Herald student newspaper team.
Kate and Josh married the same weekend in the same church as Kate’s grandparents, decades later. Photo courtesy of East Elm Photography.
Not long into her student career, Kate found her own Union loves story. She met her husband Josh Berger, a marketing and finance major, on campus. Kate and Josh’s story included spending time at Memorial Union. Kate’s especially enjoyed studying at der Rathskeller, where Josh would perform on open mic nights.
“Every Monday night, [I] met my friends at the Terrace for cards, movies and Spotted Cow,” Kate said. “I also took sailing and windsurfing lessons through Hoofers. Some of my favorite memories from college were made there.”
The two married in July 2014 in the same church on the same weekend as her grandparents. Both couples are now lifetime Union members. Today, they enjoy reliving their favorite Union memories and creating new ones at Memorial Union and Union South.
Kate and Josh’s wedding party pose on the Terrace. Photo Courtesy of East Elm Photography.
“I wanted to keep that connection to campus going,” Kate said. “And being able to buy pitchers of Spotted Cow when we’re back is a plus, too.”
Thousands of Terrace sunsets have been enjoyed since Helen and Paul met more than 70 years ago. As these love stories are passed down from generation to generation, the Union will always be home to create new memories and stories to share.
Their story and the story of their granddaughter and her husband, these are the stories of the Wisconsin Union. The Union’s story is one of connections for a lifetime, whether they are connections of love, friendship or simply understanding, we are proud and honored to help make connections like Helen and Paul’s and Kate and Josh’s possible.
