Connect How did your love story begin?

It all started with a blind date — the kind of chance meeting that sounds like a scene from an old romantic film. A mutual friend had told me about Cathy and insisted we should meet. I was 25 at the time, traveling frequently for work, not exactly expecting to fall head over heels. But sometimes, love shows up when you least expect it — and it changes everything. I still remember the first time I called her. There was something warm in her voice, something that made me feel like I already knew

What is your favorite memory you've shared as a couple?

Of all the memories Cathy and I have shared over our 45 years together, the births of our two children — Morgan and John III — are among the most powerful and cherished. Those moments changed everything. Nothing prepares you for how deeply you can love a tiny, swaddled newborn, or how instantly you feel the weight and joy of becoming a parent. It was as if life shifted into sharper focus. Parenting, we quickly learned, was both a joy and a journey. In those early years, we did all the things yo

What would you do with $20,000?

If awarded, we would use the $20,000 to help fund desperately needed research for rare, progressive diseases like ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) and Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM). These are devastating neuromuscular disorders that slowly rob people of their ability to move, speak, eat, and eventually breathe — and yet they receive only a fraction of the research funding compared to more well-known conditions. See www.GettingUp.org for the work we've done so far