Terry Cooney ’82

Terry Cooney ’82 enjoyed a chance reunion in England while visiting Royal Air Force (RAF) Base Menwith Hill near the historic town of Harrogate, England on a business trip in June. While walking down a hallway in the building where he was meeting colleagues he saw another American whom he’d never met. This person was sporting a shirt with the infamous name, “ITHACA.”  Terry stopped the person and introduced himself as a graduate of Central College and pointed out that Central and Ithaca still had a few scores to settle on the gridiron. Jarl Luscomb explained to Terry that he had no association with Ithaca or Central College; he had purchased the shirt some time ago and it was just by chance he happened to wear it that day. For this chance reason Terry and Jarl met and it was then that Jarl informed Terry that he was married to Colette Graber Luscomb ’86, who it turns out is the daughter of Terry’s former professor Dr. Leland Graber. Colette also works at the same location at RAF Menwith Hill. Terry and Jarl’s astonishment at this chance meeting grew as they slowly connected the dots of their Central College connection.

Colette and Terry’s work schedules did not allow them to meet face-to-face in the short time Terry was in England. However they shared a good conversation over the phone about the chances of meeting in England in the future and the fact that Terry got an ‘A’ in Dr. Graber’s calculous class. When Terry returns to England for similar business reasons they plan to enjoy memories of Central, pub food and good laughs about how Terry and Jarl met because of Ithaca College.

Although this story may seem far-fetched to some, Terry can attest given world-wide travel and living in four different countries between Europe and Asia, that it not only can, but will happen…once a person graduates from Central and starts to explore the world with a good education, positive attitude and a meaningful purpose, Terry predicts they will be astonished many times over at the familiar faces they may come upon in the most remote parts of the world.