StoryCorps' MobileBooth came to Kansas City to collect the stories and memories of residents. This is one in a series of stories KCUR has chosen to highlight.
Joseph and Elaine Chow first met as teenagers in the 1950s. In those days, it was rare for any young adult to have a car. So the fact that Joseph had one immediately stood out.
"I'd pick her up, but I couldn't drop her off in front of her house, I'd drop her off on the corner," Joseph remembered. "Her father had four girls, and he was real strict on them."
"He was the only guy I had dated," Elaine said with a laugh. "I had a part-time job working after school in the evenings, and sometimes he would take me to and from work. He was just a nice guy."
They dated for several years and had children before they went to college. They've now been married for more than 60 years.
When asked what advice they would give to young couples today, both agreed that having children before getting an education was hard.
"Education was stressed a lot in my family," Elaine said. "We moved from his mother's house over to my parents, and they said "We'll keep the kids while you go back to school.'"
"The best advice to give them is, if any way possible, be educated before you get married," Joseph said. "What happened to us, I was 21, she was 17, I had no idea what the future would hold."
Matthew Long-Middleton is a community producer for KCUR 89.3. Follow him on Twitter @MLMIndustries.
Cody Newill is an audience development specialist for KCUR 89.3. Follow him on Twitter @CodyNewill.
