Surviving Retirement

"My husband did that and of course found out that you and Ellen are married and that you and she were the founders of JoEllen. He sent all of the board members a report that assured them of the integrity of the donor. But everyone knows how tight Joe and Abby are and when she called me last week to tell me about you giving her an engagement ring, that created a minor conflict. Personally for us and for the rest of the faculty, no one cares about your personal lives. The concern is the students and the Board. For the students, any story you want to use is fine as long as it doesn't make the newspapers." She paused again as she thought about what to say next.

"The Board is a little different. There are a number of different religious and political influences on there that like things to be normal. They all know that Joe Magnon is married to Ellen Magnon and that they are the donors. They will not reveal this to anyone outside the Board but they know. What we suggest is that you do what you plan but officially, leave Abby listed on the official records under her professional name. Half of the faculty is listed that way and no one will have a problem with that. All of you will have some involvement with the Board at some time and that is when you need to be Mr. and Mrs. Magnon and their close friend Ms. Winters. What do you think?"

I looked at Abby and Ellen and they were both smiling again. I replied, "I think I understand and agree that this is a workable thing. You said that it wouldn't be a problem with the faculty. Are you sure since we will be working more closely with them?"

Samantha laughed and said, "Let's just say that there are a number of unconventional relationships on campus. We have two who have swapped wives. They live that way but for official events, they each go with their legal spouse. There are others too. Dr. Mercer is married to Dr. Wilson, Head of the Business School, and they have a young man living with them who takes care of both their house and them. There is another couple, and I am talking about me and Reggie, who rent a room out to a woman, Mandy, who is Reggies's secretary and receptionist. We have been together for ten years. The only reason that we haven't done what you are going to do is that Reggie has to undergo some pretty thorough scrutiny any time he changes jobs. Frankly, we would love to have another threesome like us to get together with privately. We would like to share experiences with a similar family. Does that satisfy you?"

"Yes, it does for that. I guess that I am a little concerned about the problem that the Board member had that brought this all up. What was that all about?"

"It wasn't about anything personal. A college back in Virginia wanted to build a football stadium on a piece of land next to the campus, but someone bought it out from under them and the rumor has it that the person is going to build a private art Institute on it. Our Board guy is concerned that your gift to us might have some underlying plan like that attached to it."

I said, "Ellen, would you like to explain that to her?" Samantha was the one with a surprised look on her face now.

"It wasn't like that at all..." Samantha stopped her.

"Let me get Reggie back in here for this. We settled the private part. This is now school business." She went to the door and both the President and his receptionist entered. Samantha continued, "If you haven't met her, this is Mandy. She has been Reggie's secretary for ten years and knows more about what goes on around campus than the security people do."

Mandy said, "Hi. I am so glad that we will be getting to know you better.

Samantha said, "Reggie, Ellen has a story to tell and I have the feeling that it is about that Virginia thing."

"Really! This I want to hear. Ellen?"

"It is pretty silly to me. I met some of the art students from the college last year when I was travelling around. They were showing their work at some arts and craft shows. I liked them and kind of took them under my wing. When I went to see their campus, I loved it and rented a house there to stay over the winter. I found out that they have a great art faculty, but that their facilities suck. The administration wasn't funding the Art Department worth a crap. Some of the faculty members were talking about leaving. When I heard about this land, I bought it. It is a beautiful ten acre tract between the campus and a lovely residential neighborhood where the school wanted to build a football stadium. I bought it and then another twenty two acres on the other side of the campus near the highway and donated it to the school for their damn football stadium. I heard that there was some squawking, but I didn't care. They didn't know me and I didn't know them. I brought in three temporary builds to use as temporary studios and told the faculty that I would build a studio and gallery for them if they would stay and continue the program. They felt that the administration wouldn't support them like they needed; so I said that we could set up an independent Art Institute instead and they could run it separately if they wanted to. I just wanted the students to have a decent place to learn and grow. That is what I did; I don't know about anything else."

I added, "I sent the same architect who is working on our facility to go there and look at the space and talk to the faculty about what they needed and then design the building they wanted. He may be there this week for all I know."

Reggie's face told us volumes as he continued the discussion. "Now this makes total sense. While I was researching you, Joe, I called the president of that school and talked to him. His problem is one of the Board members. He is a wealthy developer and builder who is only interested in programs that bring in revenue for the school. He isn't the only vote, but he carries a lot of clout in the area. The thing is that he wanted the stadium built next to that neighborhood to drive the prices there down. He wanted to buy the land cheap and build a shopping center and apartment complexes on the land. The other Board members were more than happy to get the other land for the stadium because it would solve a lot of traffic issues. "

I took the floor, "Why don't you sent him a copy of your report on us and tell him that the art building and gallery is going to be built there whether they like it or not. If they agree to support the Art Department, we will donate the land and facility to them. If they won't support it, it will become the Ellen Magnon Institute of Art which will be a private, non-profit organization with its own Board of Directors and funding. You might also tell him that you are getting the Carter-Magnon Family Performance Hall and Art Gallery from the same people. If that won't satisfy them, nothing will and they can become a football factory."

"As long as you don't mind, I will do just that. He seemed like a good guy and will be pleased to get this resolved. My concern now is when we announce our facility, The Magnon name will be all over town and you will be working here and Ellen will be a student. That might make things awkward for you."

"We'll just tell people that we are related, but from the poor side of the family."

"That's a good response. Now about the thing I sent you that e-mail about. The Board is thrilled with the work Ms. Winters has done and has made her a full-time faculty member. They also want you to be become permanent. Would you accept the position Assistant Department Head for Business Affairs for the Fine Arts Department? With this added responsibility, we could also provide you with work study students to help you with the routine things to take some of the load off."

"My response to the offer is yes. As for the work study students, the answer is yes especially when we have events like in the spring. But also consider this idea." I told him about the possibility for a practicum for Arts Management students as a joint effort between the Business and Fine Art Departments.

When I finished, he replied, "No wonder everyone is impressed with you. It will take some talks and work, but I think that this is a great opportunity, not just for now; this is something we can use to get more students to become involved here. I'll call a meeting of the proper people and you will be involved. This has been one of the most productive Saturday mornings I have had in years. Would the three of you like to join us for dinner tonight?"

"You will have to ask my social secretaries here. I am not allowed to make those decisions."

"You too, huh? Well, ladies?"

Ellen replied, for all of us. "I think that this would be great opportunity for all of us to get to know each other better. We accept."

Mandy stood up and said. "Come at five, dinner will be at six. And you; you be home by four. You don't need to be swapping lies with your buddies all afternoon. We have real guests tonight." She was pointing her finger at Reggie. Samantha grinned as we all got up and went in our own directions.

When the students began arriving on Sunday to unwind, the three of us were already totally relaxed. Our night with another threesome like us was very enlightening. We could see how Mandy pretty well directed their private lives while Reggie and Samantha spent their time taking care of college business affairs. Samantha was not officially part of the staff, but she was the daughter of one of the senior Board Members. The three of them had decided that this was where they wanted to stay long term. Samantha became the unofficial spirit of growth and development among the faculty and students while Reggie took care of the official duties. That showed us a pattern where Abby and I could build our programs and Ellen could take care of our personal lives.

We closed on the house the next week and had the deed made out to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Magnon. Since both women could document their status as that person, we felt that there would never be a problem regardless of what might happen.

On the 4^th of July, Abby asked Ellen to marry her and put a slender engagement ring next to her wedding set from me when Ellen said yes. In August we went to Abby's home where she and I were married. In September, we took the camper and went back to California where Abby and Ellen got married. They spent their wedding night in the big bed in the camper while I slept in the other bedroom. Then we came back to start school.

Ellen became a graduate student and was now expecting our first child in January. She hoped that it would be my birthday present. I enrolled in Abby's directing class without telling her what I was doing. The shock on her face when she came to class that first day was amazing. She spent the rest of the semester making me pay for that shock by making me work twice as hard as the other students. When the semester was over, she told me that she did that on purpose because she wanted to add more non-musical plays to our schedule and she wanted me to direct some of them. The other reason was that she had stopped taking her pills in October and she was now pregnant with our first child. I loved both ideas.

We spent the previous summer hammering out the details of the practicum class for which I would be the teacher of record. The first two years would be a trial period and if it proved to be successful, it would be added as a permanent part of the Business School. That fall, we had six people participating including three women and after a two day orientation from me, they began their first of three rotations.

Two years later, the Carter-Magnon Family Performance Hall and Gallery was opened with a series of concerts, recitals, student art exhibits, and a musical production jointly directed by Abby and I. One of the concerts was given by Megan and Cindi who were both successful as a duo and as individual performers. Bob and Megan had settled close to her parent's home and they went to her engagements in the original camper. Bob had come to accept Megan's parent's relationship and then she told them about us. He didn't bat an eye and accepted that easily. Cindi and her Lt. Cable had gotten married and were based in Chicago where she regularly performed in musicals and on local television. He had also begun singing regularly at events. Ellen brought our two girls to their concert and they both loved to see their two aunts singing together.

The only slight downer was that the Virginia campus decided to become a football power and lost their Art Department when the Ellen Magnon Institute of Art was opened with a wonderful new building and a nice endowment from our stock portfolio to get started with. It was immediately successful and was growing nicely. The college tried to start up a new Art Department, but failed because they couldn't hire good quality faculty and attract stop students. Those ended up next door with us. The college ended up building a fence between the two schools and settling for a commercial art section in their advertising department. The three of us and our babies travelled cross country three times a year for Board meetings which included Ellen. We had also attended the grand opening where Cindi and Megan once again entertained the large crowd of well wishers.

That summer was a particularly noteworthy one for us. Ellen graduated with her Master's Degree in Art History and her first book on the evolution of Mediterranean Architecture of the 15^th and 16^th Century was published. She had discovered her love of the design elements in architecture which reminded her of clothing designs as they evolved from purely functional, to functional but well designed, to lavish displays of wealth and position. She was also hired by the college to teach primary Art History as well as her specialty. Both Ellen and Abby announced their second pregnancy in our own private ceremony.

Our friendship with Reggie, Samantha, and Mandy continued to grow and we visited at each other's homes frequently and took several vacations together.

Life and retirement were good and better than we deserved; but I felt that we had definitely earned them.