Centre love stories span the decades

A Disney World Beginning

Ruth Burkey ’83 and Paul Burkey ’81's love story began in front of the old Beta house when a mutual friend made the introduction. Ruth admits she borrowed Paul’s notes from their government class as an excuse to see him again, and he saw right through it. Their first major milestone came at the end of Ruth's first year during Flyaway Weekend, when Paul won a raffle trip to Disney World. His roommate wasn't present to claim the prize as his guest, so Paul took Ruth instead, making it her first trip to Disney World and his first time meeting her parents.

The Burkey’s Centre legacy runs deep: all five of their children — Daniel ‘09, Hunter ‘11, Martha Grace ‘14, Thomas ‘20 and Nancy Katherine ‘21 — graduated from Centre, with Thomas and Nancy Katherine joining the College in staff positions as well. Three of their children married Centre sweethearts, and their family now spans from Florida to Kentucky to Pennsylvania, with careers ranging from the Navy to midwifery to art education. From that chance meeting on the old quad to a family tree blooming with Centre connections, the Burkey’s Centre stories run deep.

From Study Partners to Life Partners

Brittany and Jeff Floyd ’98 were both athletes and science majors when they met during first-year preseason camp in 1994. They quickly became good friends and study partners.

Early in their senior year, their friendship blossomed into romance, and just before graduation, Jeff proposed. They married the following year and now have four children, three of whom are also Centre students, with one more still in high school.

Their Centre experience was filled with memorable moments — long road trips with teammates, Brittany's transformative semester abroad in Strasbourg and countless spontaneous gatherings with classmates who became lifelong friends. From those first days as lab partners to building a family deeply rooted in the Centre community, their love story continues to grow.

A Foundation Built on Shared Values

Liz Alford ’14 and Olivia Alford ’17 were both drawn to Centre by their love of learning, athletics and pursuit of higher achievement. The shared values and beliefs that made Centre feel like home to each of them also laid the groundwork for something deeper — first a strong friendship, then a relationship and eventually a marriage built to last.

The years they spent at Centre created a unique bond between them, one rooted in a mutual understanding of what those formative experiences meant. That shared foundation has been the key to their successful partnership, proving that the connections formed at Centre can truly last a lifetime. For Liz and Olivia, Centre wasn't just where they found their education, it's where they found each other.

From Transfer Students to Forever

Kate and Landon Binion ’25 first met at Kentucky Wesleyan College as track teammates, but when their program closed after a year of dating, they decided to transfer to Centre together to continue running. That first semester proved to be a difficult adjustment, but weathering those challenges together showed them they were ready for a lifetime commitment.

They got engaged the summer before senior year and spent their final year at Centre wedding planning, taking German classes, and studying abroad in Germany, an experience they still count among their best memories.

Just 13 days after graduation, they said "I do." The ups and downs of transferring schools and building a new life at Centre revealed their readiness for marriage and their shared commitment to each other and their faith. Without Centre, they reflect, they never would have had the opportunity to study abroad together or forge the bond that carried them from track teammates to life partners.