Penn State Love Stories: An Unexpected Meeting
With a campus of around 46,000 undergraduate students, you never know when you can meet the one. It could be sitting in a lecture, at a frat party, or even in Beaver Stadium. But for Mary Quayle and Tucker Korus, their first meeting didn’t occur at Penn State at all.
It was a cold January evening when Quayle was boarding a plane from Washington Dulles airport, headed for State College. As is common with unpredictable winters, the flight was cancelled due to weather conditions and a weight restriction. Half the plane was asked to unboard, Quayle being one of the unlucky passengers.
Slightly distraught she would miss a day of school due to the plane delay, she began to cry in the airport. Quayle was not one to miss classes, ever, and took school very seriously. In order to hide her water works she attempted to lean up against the wall as she talked to her dad on the phone, however she wasn’t as invisible as she thought.
It was at this point that Korus approached her, trying to assure her that it would be okay and there was some positives to be found in the situation. He shared he was also kicked off his plane for similar complications 24 hours prior and insisted the free hotel and free dinner provided by United Airlines could be fun.
Quayle was surprised by his optimism. He was stranded in the airport for significantly longer than him, yet she was the one breaking down in public. Although she thought his attempt to calm her was sweet, she wasn’t interested, but his persistence prevailed.
He sat next to her on the bus to the hotel, invited her to breakfast the next day where the two talked endlessly. He eventually wormed his way into getting her phone number and the rest is history. They have now been together over six years.
“Boy, do I love his passion, relentlessness and drive to help people no matter what. He proved that to me on day one even though I was far from my best,” Quayle said.
The two graduated from Penn State in 2012 and are looking forward to their next best step in life, their wedding. They plan to get married this coming August in Newport Beach, CA where Quayle is from.
Your ad blocker is on.
Please choose an option below.
Purchase a Subscription!