Ohio Northern University is a place where lifelong friendships are forged. In this season of gratitude, we’re featuring a few alumni friendship groups that have stood the test of time.
“Graham,” “Pekar,” “Parrot,” “Beck,” and “Sam” are five women who became fast friends at Ohio Northern University more than 50 years ago and who still burst into laughter when recounting their silly college antics.
The group, Deb Pekar-Hench, BSPh ’76, Arlo (Sam) Sirachman, BA ’75, Becky (Osburn) Berheide, BA ’76, Amy Graham, and Saundra Parrott, forged their bond while living on the same floor in Lima Hall their first year on campus. Their sixth member, Chris (Pushee) Douglass, BA ’75, passed away in 2005.
Their memories are golden: hauling a discarded full-sized sofa across town to their dorm with the help of a child’s bicycle, pulling an all-nighter in the co-ed lounge, sneaking M&Ms and pencils into Amy’s poofy blonde hair to see how long it would take her to notice.
“We each had our own peculiar goofiness and personality,” said Sam. Yet somehow, they all clicked.
Their shared sense of humor, kind hearts, and mutual affection laid the foundation for a lasting friendship. After graduating, life took them in different directions, but they gathered when they could. After Chris died, the friends made a renewed commitment to stay in touch.
For the past five years, they’ve held a reunion every summer. This year, they returned to campus for a tour, marveling at the new buildings and towering trees that now line familiar paths.
What hadn’t changed? Their laughter, which still rang out as easily as it had in Lima Hall five decades ago.
“It’s great having friends share your journey for 54 years,” said Amy. “I never could have imagined what a gift it would become.”
“Friends always enrich our lives,” added Deb. “How lucky we are to still have each other after all these years!”
