FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 26, 2017

For More Information:
Glenville State College
Public Relations Department
(304) 462-4115

GLENVILLE, WV - When planning for a wedding, there are lot of details to consider - the venue, the cake, guest list, finding a photographer, and more. One of the most important decisions is who will actually perform the marriage ceremony. That was an easy decision for one pair of former Glenville State College students, all they had to do was call up their favorite professor.

Last February, GSC Professor of Psychology Dr. Fred Walborn received a phone call from two former GSC students, Joanna Lamp and Jackson Ranhart, who he had gotten to know through GSC's Cycling Club; Walborn was an advisor for the club. "I thought she was going to ask me to attend their wedding - turns out, she asked me to marry her and her fiancee. I hesitated at first but the next day, realizing it was an honor, I called them back and volunteered," Walborn said.

"Jackson and I reunited six years after our bike trip from Pittsburgh to D.C. with Dr. Walborn and the GSC Cycling Club. We missed biking with him like old times, so we called him up and started biking with him again. Our relationship turned into engagement, and as the wedding was approaching, we realized we had to find an officiant. We really didn't have to think too hard about it and decided to ask Dr. Walborn because he is one of the reasons we met and became friends in the first place. So we thought, why not ask him to seal the deal?" Ranhart said.

In order to serve as the officiant at the wedding, Walborn had to become ordained. It was then that he began worrying about the details of the ceremony. "I was nervous about whether I would start crying during the ceremony - that would not have been good," he said. "But, it all went well and after the ceremony two couples even asked me if I would marry them. And I've had a recent GSC graduate ask me to marry him and his fiancee next summer."

"Our wedding was absolutely perfect; the weather was gorgeous and Walborn was outstanding. I felt like I was in his class again but instead he was marrying us! We have always considered Fred as a close friend, but now he is more like family," Ranhart added.

Jackson graduated in December 2011 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resource Management and an Associate in Science degree in Forest Technology. He is currently working as a GIS Technician with EQT in Clarksburg. Joanna attended GSC in 2007-2008 as part of GSC's joint nursing program with the WVU Institute of Technology, where she graduated in May 2011. She also holds a Master of Science in Nursing (Family Nurse Practitioner) from WVU and is currently working as a family nurse practitioner at Community Care Walk-in clinic in Clarksburg.