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Life changed for Bette Shea ’75 in the fall of 1972 when she met Terry Lomme ’74 in psychology class. She signed up for the course late after making a schedule change. “Happenstance can open the door to some wonderful outcomes, as it did in this case!” she recalled. “Terry was enrolled in the course, and it was the beginning of a wonderful romance.”
The two dated for the rest of their time at Eastern and married in June 1975 shortly after her graduation. The Lommes will celebrate their 49th anniversary in June. As Bette describes it, “We have been married for 49 wonderful years!”
Terry transferred to Eastern after being discharged from the Coast Guard in 1970 and attending a community college. He became a resident assistant at Winthrop Hall and later was a dorm director at Burr Hall. He also participated in intramural sports — softball, water polo and basketball — and coached a women’s intramural softball team. He majored in psychology and minored in sociology, studies that turned out to be very helpful to his career as an attorney and as an elected Old Saybrook probate judge serving nine shoreline towns.
Bette majored in education and worked as a resident assistant in Crandall Hall. She was “terribly homesick” as a freshman and credits her physical education teacher, Floretta “Pinky” Crabtree, with making her feel valued and nurtured. “She brought out the best in everyone,” Bette said. Bette went on to have a 35-year teaching career in East Haddam.
Terry also recalls strong mentoring from Dean Robert Meshanic and Dean Betty Tipton. Both Bette and Terry took advantage of the small student population and campus at Eastern to meet others and forge strong friendships.
The couple have lived in Essex for 30 years. They enjoy boating on the river, eagle watching and vacationing in Newport, Nantucket and Block Island. Terry is a car enthusiast and Bette loves to garden.
The Lommes returned to campus recently for an alumni reunion. “We were incredibly impressed by the enhancement and modernization of the campus,” Bette said. Their great nephew is now a first-year student at Eastern. “We hope that the current students will enjoy their time at Eastern and will be able to use their education as much as we did,” said Terry.