Rodney Page didn’t make a great first impression on Jennifer Welch. Four years later, his standing improved. Decades later, it improved more.
The first time Jennifer Anne Carpenter Welch met Rodney William Page, she recalled threatening to “rearrange his face.”
It was April 1979, and the two eighth graders were waiting at the bus stop in Clearwater, Fla. Mr. Page and a friend were plotting to prank Ms. Welch’s younger brother; the friend got on his hands and knees behind the boy as Mr. Page was ready to push him. That’s when the protective big sister stepped in — forcefully.
“I made a mental note to stay away from her for fear of my physical well-being,” Mr. Page said.
When they saw each other around school over the next four years, there was no communication. Ms. Welch told people she didn’t like Mr. Page, but after a friend who dated him said he was an “OK guy,” Ms. Welch developed a curiosity. “I thought he was cute, and asked another friend to invite him to a late-night party,” she said.
In September 1983, Mr. Page came to the party after attending a Men at Work concert. He said he was impressed at how she “had grown up and looked good.”
Ms. Welch felt bold and approached him. “I was excited to learn Rodney had a great sense of humor,” she said.
“I was shocked that Jennifer liked me at all,” Mr. Page said.
They headed for the driveway and kissed before he walked her home. The following weekend, they went to “The Big Chill,” ate popcorn and laughed. “We made out after we came home,” Ms. Welch said.
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