ALEXANDRA HALL. Alexandra and Emily were matched as roommates for their freshman year at Kenyon, and they soon became fast friends, bonding over C. S. Lewis, Gossip Girl, mid-2000s greatest hits, and their mutual (yet controversial) love of olive pizza. They went on to be roommates for the rest of their time at college and, though no longer living together, have stayed close ever since. Throughout these years, Emily has admired Alexandra for her cool head, warm heart, staunch determination, and steadfast loyalty to her loved ones. She is privileged to call Alexandra her maid of honor.

BRIAN PRAGACZ. Brian and Derek were not matched as roommates for their freshman year at Kenyon. That said, Derek’s single was almost directly below Brian’s room, and they too soon became fast friends, bonding over many late nights of physics homework and chocolate-covered espresso beans. Despite these beginnings, Derek does consider himself to have benefitted greatly from having Brian by his side. Throughout these years, Derek has continued to be amazed by Brian’s (distinctive) dependability, decency, and devotion to his community. He is privileged to call Brian his best man.

EMILY HAYES-RICH. Emily Squared (as their teachers sometimes called them) met on the first day of eighth grade, and they soon cemented their friendship by dressing as Thing 1 and Thing 2 that Halloween. They often remark that, despite their identical first names, they are opposites: Emily HR is the extrovert to Emily D's introvert, the adventurer to her homebody, the daring to her caution. Yet they agree that these differences, by making each Emily a source of surprise, motivation, and inspiration for the other, form the core of a bond that has lasted for fifteen years and counting.

BRIDGET WU ISENBERG. Upon meeting Bridget at the 2018 Hudson Institute Political Studies Program, Emily was struck by her love of Plato, her incisive analytical skills, and her elite fountain pens. Sadly, Emily never rose to Bridget's level, as she used only ballpoints for her share of the handwritten letters they exchanged over the next three years. They were glad to pause the correspondence when Bridget joined Emily at UT Austin—but they've revived it now that Emily has left for LSU, as theirs is a conversation they hope to continue indefinitely.

OSCAR DARWIN. From that fated moment in Oneonta, NY, when each first caught the eye of the other, Derek recognized that he had met his superior in various regards (including in music, in math or “maths,” and in pedigree). Yet he has never felt anything but love for this British boy. The simple joy they find in each other’s company has led them both, time and time again, to find one another whenever one crosses the pond. They have laughed together up and down our eastern seaboard and throughout the streets of both Oxford and London. Derek will never cease to be amazed at how Oscar makes everything he touches appear beautiful.

LUIS GOMEZ. Brothers Gomez and Foret forged their brotherly bond living together, along with Brother Fenhagen, in the east wing bullseye of Old Kenyon. Much about that bond is unspeakable. But Derek has always admired Luis’s craftsmanship, noble devotion to the common good, and love of beautiful things. Their friendship is marked by a fraternal willingness to go, both in speech and in deed, wherever the other leads. Their brotherhood has led them from Gambier to Cincinnati, New York, Chicago, and Austin, and even, once, to Springfield, IL. Luis and Jess will always be Derek’s President and First Lady.

Elfen Boys. When Derek began to room with these three in what Emily called “the Chris house,” he was soon, without question, in the best shape of his life. At least some of the boys went on a run together seemingly every day—usually not Sam’s first. At times, they’d power through a second communal run by listening to the music preferred by the low tastes of Chris and Max. How they made it through those legendary third runs of lore is radically mysterious to merely human reasoning. Emily and Derek know no peer as courageous as Sam, as moderate as Max, or as just as Chris. They will always consider them—and Mary, Alex, the current children, and whoever else comes along—a part of their family.

JACK ISENBERG. Emily and Derek met Jack through Bridget. Over the past few years, Jack’s kindness and wit both have played a crucial role in strengthening the couples’ friendship. Emily was honored to serve as a bridesmaid in—as Derek was honored to do his part by picking up the suits for—the Isenbergs’ wedding in May 2022. A fellow lover of liberal education, Jack will deliver the only non-traditional reading from a great book (one other than the book).

MARY CARMEN MEAD. Emily and Mary met at the start of their first year as students at UT Austin (graduate and undergraduate, respectively). They soon bonded over their discussions of the great books and of their new boyfriends, now (or soon to be) husbands. Derek and Mary soon bonded over their theological quarrels, in which Mary's love of God and good tequila shone forth. Emily and Derek were delighted to attend Mary and Sam’s wedding in May 2023.

GRAEME TAYLOR. Graeme and Derek grew close during halcyon Kenyon summers due to their shared interests in politics, chemistry, Romanticism, and Max Scherzer. They were lucky to reunite in Texas, and Derek was honored to attend Graeme’s baptism in June 2022. Graeme was the first of Derek's Austin friends to learn of his relationship with Emily, whom Graeme remembered as the smart girl in Classical Mythology. Emily now knows Graeme as an uncommonly caring man and her good friend.

Alfred with pals (from back row, l-r): Rowena, Jonx, Adelaide; Wilbur; Obie, Douglas; Zeebie, Percy, and PD.