Many couples who began their lives together at UMBC returned to campus February 10
to celebrate collectively at the Alumni Association's first Sweetheart Swing, an event
for alumni couples who met at UMBC. Two pairs who met in the mid-80s, however, share a
different significant date--April Fool's Day.
The LeContes met on April 1, 1985. Patti (Hicks) LeConte, political science '90,
was working for the Student Events Board, handing out balloons around campus to promote
an April Fool's Day party when she first saw her future husband, Brian LeConte,
engineering '89. She tracked him down and, in spite of an unfortunate pick-up line,
the two dated for seven years before marrying in 1992.
Brian and Patti were both active in Greek life. She was a member of Delta Phi Epsilon
and he was the founding president of Phi Kappa Psi, Maryland Beta Chapter.
Patti has fond memories of college. "UMBC was the place where I met my husband, made
the greatest friends of my life and learned the most about myself," she says. "Belonging
to a group that allowed me to experiment with leadership skills, organization, public
speaking and social interaction was a definite plus."
Patti works as an associate at Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown Investment Services Division
and Brian is a project manager at Leach Wallace Associates. They have three children,
B.J., 7; Bailey, 4; and Peyton, 3.
Dwayne Price, information systems '87, and
Lisa (Dates) Price, information systems '87,
didn't meet on April Fool's Day, but they married on that date in 1989. It was the only
date available at their reception site and they still have a good sense of humor about
it. "We considered it an easy-to-remember anniversary date," says Lisa. "Dwayne always
remembers."
Dwayne and Lisa say that sharing the same major allowed them to learn and challenge
each other in a field that was then just beginning to flourish. After her first
experience in cooperative education, for example, Lisa encouraged Dwayne to register
for the program, too.
They remained a close team after graduation. Both earned master's degrees and have
worked for such employers as Booz-Allen & Hamilton, Northrop Grumman, COMSTAT, Fannie
Mae, MICROS and BET. Lisa is now database director at the Council for Advancement and
Support of Education (CASE) and Dwayne is senior database administrator at AARP.
The two are passionate about and fiercely loyal to UMBC. "We feel strongly that
the education and co-op experiences we gained at UMBC put us on an excellent course
in what is now the ever-expanding field of information technology," says Lisa. "We
believe UMBC will continue to have success stories such as ours due to the proactive
and visionary plans it has for new freshmen." The Prices' continued involvement with
UMBC includes meeting current and prospective students through such programs as
"Backpack to Briefcase," IFSM Career Day and student recruitment. Lisa is in her
first term as a UMBC Alumni Association board member.
Lisa and Dwayne have two children, Devin, 8, and Layne, 6.
Bonnie Moller is a freelance writer living in Linthicum, Md.
