Feature by Jessica Sheley Because I was low on gas in my car and low on money, I accepted his invitation.

Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Features | Send mail to The Voice Couple marries after carpooling five weeks Don and Karleen Orlander have been married for 36 years. -Karleen Orlander, photo Don and Karleen Orlander met at Multnomah Bible College in 1964 while attending evening classes. They married within two months of meeting. As a couple, they have led Bible studies for the past 36 years, both in their home and in the Oregon State Correctional Institute in Salem, Ore. The Voice: How did you meet your husband, Don? Karleen Orlander: We both signed up for the 1964 January term at Multnomah. One class we had together was Bible Intro. with Ed Goodrich. Don and I sat on opposite sides of the room, so no real friendship developed. I was there to go to college, not to meet guys. Before class on the last Wednesday of April, I received a phone call at my apartment. A man invited me to share a ride with him to school. He told me his name, Don, but it didn't ring a bell. His description of himself didn't jog my memory. But because I was low on gas in my car and low on money, I accepted his invitation. I asked him how he got my phone number. He said he was a city fireman and noted my license plate number as he followed me down the freeway after class. He went through police channels and got my phone number. The Voice: Why couldn't he have asked you in class? Was he too shy? Karleen Orlander: No. Don is not shy at all. He had been driving back on Interstate-84 after class, and I passed him. He recognized me. He couldn't believe I was going faster than his Thunderbird. So he tried to catch up with me. He saw me turn off and realized we lived in the same area. He decided to be neighborly and offer me a ride. The Voice: You had a fairly short dating experience, didn't you? Karleen Orlander: Yes. He kept inviting me to ride to school with him. We chatted on our way [to class] and back. By May 10, about two weeks after we met, we were talking about the possibility of marriage. I was 27; he was 36. We weren't babes. We weren't fresh out of high school. Don said, "Well, when do you think we should get married?" We discussed some pros and cons and then I said, "Well, my rent is up at the end of the month." We got married on May 31, 1964. The Voice: Why did you decide to get married so quickly? Karleen Orlander: It's kind of hard to explain. The Lord seemed to have had a hand in bringing us together, and marriage appeared to be what God had in mind for us. Our reason for marriage wasn't hot and heavy passion. It was based on more practical reasons: My rent was up at the end of the month. The Voice: What were some of the responses you received when people heard you were getting married? Karleen Orlander: My pastor and his wife from my home church in Washington, made a special trip to Portland to meet Don to make sure I hadn't jumped off the deep end. They knew I hadn't gone [to Multnomah] to get married. They knew I went there to get Bible training. Mary and Dick Temple said they felt absolutely confident after talking with us that we were not doing something crazy. The Lord seemed to be in it. When Don announced in the Bible Intro. class that we were engaged and were going to get married on the 31st, Professor Goodrich's eyes popped open, his mouth dropped and he said, "You're what? You're kidding. How did this happen? You sit over there, and she sits over there, and you've never let on that you're even interested in each other. This has never happened in any of my classes." The Voice: Were there any adjustments you had to make in your early years of marriage? Karleen Orlander: Oh, yes. But I think it was a miracle how compatible we were. I had made up my mind long before being married to not be a domineering wife. My mother had been domineering, and I saw what that did to my father. It was a good thing I had decided this because my husband was determined that no woman was going to dominate him. Early in our marriage, my husband told me if we had serious disagreements, we would go by his decision. That was one of the hardest adjustments, but I learned to be submissive without being a doormat. We had few serious disagreements. The Voice: What kind of advice would you give a couple contemplating a hasty marriage? Karleen Orlander: I would heartily not recommend it because it just doesn't make for common sense. The Voice: What attracted you to Don? Karleen Orlander: He was a positive, confident, assured kind of person. [I respected his] insights, perspectives, commitments. He seemed to have integrity. You grow up hearing that when you meet the right one, you'll know. I did. The Voice: Have you ever had any doubts because you made a hasty decision? Karleen Orlander: When we had issues regarding having children, I got kind of sharp and cantankerous. For a second I might have thought I had married the wrong guy. But our mar-riage couldn't have been a foolish mistake because God has blessed us so much. Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Features | Top Of Page Send mail to The Voice| Journalism department website © 2001 The Voice. No part of this publication may be reproduced in written or electronic form without prior written consent from the journalism adviser of Multnomah Bible College. All rights reserved.