Lance Ledoux ’77 and Marilyn Vice ’75
Marilyn and I both graduated from Winter Park High School and went away to college, she went to Wake Forest and I to Lafayette. We had gone together in high school and broken up our senior year.
Her dad’s health brought Marilyn back to Winter Park and she enrolled in what was then FTU now UCF. I quit school after a year of playing football and came back to Winter Park to and was working construction. Marilyn was in Delta Delta Delta and a little sister at one of the fraternities. I saw Marilyn late one night at a Dunkin Donuts on Aloma Avenue with a date.
The next Saturday morning was beautiful, so I took a chance and went to her house and started tapping on her bedroom window. She finally came to the window, pulled the curtains back and saw me. She opened the window and said, “What are you doing here banging on my window this early?” All I replied was, “Let’s go to the beach.” She came back with “Are you crazy, don’t you know I’m involved in a serious relationship now?” I came back with “So what, it’s a beautiful day let’s go to the beach.” She said “OK” the curtains closed. I went around the front and out the door she came in her bikini.
We had a great time at the beach. I quickly realized working construction as a laborer was not a good way forward so I visited the local Marine recruiter. The sergeant there screened me and asked why I was looking at enlisting when I had a year of college under my belt. He convinced me to visit the Officer Selection Officer who was currently visiting UCF at the student union. I went directly there and next thing you know Captain F G Wickersham III had me enrolled in the platoon Leaders Program and had taken me down to the registrar’s office and somehow got me signed up to attend the spring quarter. Marilyn and I began dating again and I worked hard to woo her from all the other boys she still was dating. I went off to officer candidate’s school that summer. Marilyn attended the summer quarter and faithfully wrote to me while I was at OCS. I had had an offer for a partial scholarship to play football at the University of Florida by one of the coaches who had taken me to dinner prior to going to OCS. I was excited about the thought of playing football again, but Marilyn’s pull on me became stronger and stronger.
By the end of my 6 weeks at OCS I was determined to stay in school at UCF and win over completely Marilyn’s heart. Once the fall quarter started we saw each other more and more around campus and on dates. She gradually ended her other dating and we became an exclusive couple. We were engaged but her father, who thankfully had recovered from his heart condition, would not allow us to marry until Marilyn had her degree. It was BS before Mrs.! She graduated walking the stage over at the Bob Carr auditorium that summer of 75 and we were married that September 6th. I still had a way to go until I graduated but did do in 1977 where we walked the stage set up inside the drained reflecting pool! Here we are in 2024 still going strong, after 33 years in the Marines, four babies, 11 grandchildren and just months away from our 50th anniversary! Thank you, UCF, for bringing us home and together.
