'Man, that's a good looking girl!'

The couple was photographed shortly after their 1952 wedding.

By Courtney Luke

When the new girl walked into Mr. Shelvage's science class, Dwayne Lunbeck was immediately smitten.

"I thought, 'Man, that's a good looking girl!'," Dwayne recalled.

That new girl, Glenda Lunbeck, was, at the time, a little reserved. Her friends had accused her of being a wall flower. In retaliation of those accusations, Glenda had told them that she would agree to go out with the very next young man who asked.

Luckily for Dwayne, he was that man.

"I wasn't going to date anyone," Glenda explained. "I was going to be a nurse."

Do to some extreme circumstances, Dwayne had to be late for that date. However, he did manage to let Glenda know.

She was working in the field when he dropped by to tell her. Glenda was wearing her bonnet and was embarrassed that Dwayne saw her in that state.

Apparently though, he did not mind.

For the next two years, the young couple roasted marshmallows, enjoyed hot dogs and sodas and explored a place called Devil's Cave. They skated and went to the drive-in theater.

Dwayne recalls that it cost 30 cents per person to attend the movies at Gideon. They did this almost every weekend.

Dwayne and Glenda liked to laugh and joke.

Glenda even remembers the first joke he told her. When a bug hit the car windshield, Dwayne joked that it sure did take a lot of guts for him to do that.

"It's been 62 years and I still remember it," she laughed.

Dwayne kidded around so often that Glenda did not realize he was serious when he asked her to marry him. She said "No" twice.

He had a ring for her and the third time, she realized he was serious and agreed to the proposal.

But, before the engagement, the couple did have a break up. Dwayne was the son of the mayor of Gideon and because of such, he felt everyone was always trying to tell on him. He decided that since he was constantly being tattled on, he might as well do what he wanted to do. So, he drove fast. He drove so fast that it scared Glenda and she broke up with him.

On March 29, 1952, the couple married in Osceola, Arkansas.

For two months, her dad did not know they had gotten married. She eventually convinced her sister to tell him that she was married.

His reply was, "What a stunt to pull," and then he said no more. Her worries about her dad's response were unfounded.

The newly weds moved to Memphis, but they did not want to raise their kids in the city and they moved back to Gideon.

"We are still here," joked Dwayne.

Within the next five years, they had four children, Patricia Kay, Pamela, Dwayne, Jr., and Martin.

Though Glenda had grown up Baptist and Dwayne had grown up Mormon, he did not make it a habit of attending church after they were married.

One day, his oldest daughter asked him, "Daddy, why don't you go to church with us?" That question changed his direction.

Those four kids kept the couple busy with scouts, sports, band, church activities and scholastics.

"We taught the kids, 'You're just as good as everyone else-not better, but just as good'," Glenda explained of their child rearing goal.

Though Glenda was able to stay home until the youngest child entered school, she soon went back to work spending 18 years at Gossard and Mr. Bath.

Dwayne was, for many years, a hard wood lumber inspector and shipping manager at Gideon-Anderson until the company closed their doors. He then worked at Ralph-Anderson Lumber in New Madrid until his retirement in 1998.

For the last 27 years, Glenda has managed rental property in Gideon. She has been a hands-on landlord carpeting and patching roofs herself. She has, through the years, taught Sunday School, worked in Vacation Bible School, and hosted parties for children from church. She's been part of a bowling team and a card group. Currently, she enjoys quilting and is part of a group that make quilts that are used for charity donations and fundraisers.

Dwayne has been on the volunteer fire department, the Sunday School Superintendent, Deacon Chairman, and stays busy with reading the Bible, mystery stories, and westerns and finishing cross word puzzles.

Dwayne and Glenda believe there are several reasons they are still married after 62 years, one of which is that they are both just too stubborn to give up.

"My granddaughter thinks he [Dwayne] is the finest thing to ever walk the earth," explained Glenda. "I said, 'You gotta live with him, he's not perfect'."

She further explained that he is a good man and they've learned to give and take. When they argue, they don't walk out on each other, they stay there until the fight is over.

"We got upset together and we get glad together," she said.

They respect one another, but also important are the words Dwayne spoke: "I am still in love with her".