Alumni Valentines: Denise Meringolo & Kevin Tucker

In the fall of 1987, Denise Meringolo, CCAS BA ’90, PhD ’05, and Kevin Tucker, CCAS BA ’90, MA ’96, happened to meet in GW’s Hatchet office—Kevin was an assistant news editor and Denise was volunteering as a writer.

What began as a work relationship became a friendship when Denise and Kevin realized how many on-campus activities they both enjoyed.

Denise liked seeing the bands Frontier Theory and Radiance play at GW, and some of Kevin’s GW friends were in bands, including the Hell Hounds and The Purple Kind.

During their senior year, Denise and Kevin both lived in what is now JBKO Hall, and Kevin’s room was directly underneath Denise’s!

As they got to know one another, Denise and Kevin grew closer and finally became a couple.

“We had our first kiss at the old Rathskeller on the 5th floor of the Marvin Center!” says Denise.

Throughout the year they lived in JBKO, Denise and Kevin left love notes on one another’s doors and sometimes communicated by tapping on their shared ceiling/floor.

After graduating from GW, the couple stayed in DC and moved in together in 1991. They got engaged on New Year’s Eve, 1994 and were married on March 16, 1996.

The couple’s common interests and love of the DC area has kept them together and living nearby GW for more than 20 years.

Their connection to GW has also remained strong—in addition to their undergraduate degrees, they both earned graduate degrees from the university!

“Our years at GW were both personally fulfilling and valuable for helping us to launch successful careers,” says Denise.

Today, Kevin is an executive with a government contracting firm. Denise is a tenured associate professor of American History and the director of Public History at The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). They have a ten year old son and a three year old Beagle mix.

“As students at GW,” Denise and Kevin say, “it seemed impossible to imagine what it meant to be a couple for 20+ years. But now, we see how our relationship and our lives have evolved over time. In short: life is good.”

Though they couldn’t have imagined how their lives would change by choosing GW, Denise and Kevin are glad they did.  Now, they look forward to seeing their son go to college one day, traveling, or any adventure together.  “Whatever life brings,” they say, “we are prepared!”

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