Marlene (Sesso) Hino, GSEHD BA ’60 & Ed Hino, GWSB BBA ’61
Ed and Marlene first met in the fall of 1958, during move-in day at Madison Hall.
Marlene recalls Ed, who was a football player, “scoping out the incoming freshmen.” Ed admits that he and his teammates were watching new students arrive, but that’s when he noticed Marlene in a car with a cheerleader he knew (and who turned out to be Marlene’s roommate). He asked his acquaintance who her friend was, and she introduced the two.
“As I walked away,” Ed laughs, “Marlene made a smart remark about me.”
Regardless of first impressions, the two began dating the following semester, and the rest is history: They celebrated their 50th anniversary on Aug. 26, 2011.
“We were married in St. Francis Xavier church in Washington, D.C.,” says Marlene, adding that “a couple from GW (Joanne and Dave Herriman, GWSB BBA ’61) was married the week before us and another couple from GW (Judy Van Ness Howlin, CCAS BA ’61 and Bill Howlin, GWSB BBA ’62) the week after us. All three couples are still married to each other 50 years later!”
After graduating, Marlene and Ed stayed in D.C. for a stint. Marlene taught at Phoebe Hearst Elementary school, and Ed coached and taught at St. Albans (where he had many noteworthy students on his team, including Al Gore).
Later Ed took a job with the FBI, and they had to move around a lot, which Ed concedes was difficult at times. But he says their strong relationship made the transitions easier: “Not knowing people, we had to depend more on one another. Even though we were married, we were also best friends – and we were able to laugh a lot.”
Today, the couple resides in Ambler, Penn. Ed is retired but still does some part-time work for the bureau, and occasionally Marlene will substitute teach. The couple, who has three children and nine grandchildren, plays bridge and golf in their spare time. “We are very fortunate,” Ed says. “Everyone is in good health.”
“My memories of GW are very special, as I joined a sorority (Chi Omega), lived in a dorm and became part of campus life,” says Marlene, who transferred to GW her junior year.
Although it’s been a while since Marlene has made the trip to Foggy Bottom, Ed visited in fall 2011, when his fraternity, Delta Tau Delta, dedicated a new house across the street from Tonic @ Quigleys (20th & G Streets). During his trip, he also attended a GW Athletic Reunion and reconnected with a former roommate.
