James and Elsie Rodgers, of Cranberry Township, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on July 4. Over the years, James said that he has mentioned to his wife how nice it is that so many people celebrate their anniversary with parades, fireworks and picnics. The couple has three children, Gary, (wife Mary Lou), Karen, (husband, Christopher), and David, (wife, Lori), and eight grandchildren, Keegan, Jillian, Mackenzie, William, Eva, Abbey, Claudia and Benjamin.

Q: How did you meet?

James: We met at Lyceum Ballroom in London on December 23, 1956.

Q: Who introduced you?

James: There was no introduction. I saw Elsie and went over and asked her to dance. She asked me if I knew how and, of course, I said, "Yes." After a few one, two, three feet together, Elsie said, "Ouch!"??and told me that I better get some dancing lessons, which I did.

Q: Where did you each grow up?

James: Elsie grew up in Liverpool and during the war, her dad took the family down to London because he was in the Army. I grew up on the South Side, went to Holy Family Institute in Emsworth, then traveled to Japan and then served in the Navy for 12 years. After that, I joined Elsie and our three children in Hemel Homestead, Hertfordshire, England where we lived and worked for 14 years.??

Q: Who proposed? How?

James: I proposed the day before Valentine's Day in 1957. (I couldn't wait one more day!). I met Elsie during her lunch hour and went to a nice restaurant. She spilled her cup of tea as I put the proposal to her and she didn't know whether to clean up the tea or say yes. She chose the latter!

Q: Where were you married? Why did you choose that site?

James: We were married at St. Gabriel's Church on Warwick Square in Victoria, London. The church was only 2 blocks from where Elsie lived.

Q: Where was the reception and honeymoon? Why did you choose those sites?

James: The reception was at St. Gabriel's Hall which was not far from the church. We honeymooned on the island of Jersey which is located off the southern coast of England and just north of France. The reason we chose this spot was simply that it was away from the hustle and bustle of the big city.

Q: What is your favorite wedding memory?

James: The best part was getting thirty days leave from the Navy and having time to relax after all the excitement of the wedding and honeymoon. The worst was having to say, "Cheerio" and returning to New York to finish my duty there. The funniest memory from our wedding day happened after the reception when Homer, my friend from the Navy, was taking Elsie and me to the station when a policeman stopped the car for speeding. The bobby said, "What's the hurry?" and Homer explained the situation and pointed to the confetti in the car and the reply was, "Slow down and be careful." We made it okay.

Q: Do you still own any of your wedding gifts? If so, what?

James: The most creative present, I think, was the Queen Anne fine bone china six-place setting that we received from Elsie's colleagues at work. It still has a place of honor in her glass cabinet!

Q: What activity do you enjoy doing most as a couple?

James: Elsie is currently suffering with Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD-Pick's Disease). Because I love her as much as I do, I enjoy my 36-hour days looking after her. We enjoy our out-of-tune singing of the older classics as the therapy does us both a tremendous amount of good. Her English accent is missed very much, but her singing voice is a blessing as we do try duets quite often. (The golden oldies are our favorites.)??

Q: What is the secret to your successful marriage?

James: When Reverend Lovell asked "Do you take Elsie in sickness and health?" I said, "I do!"