Hoops, Hearts and a 50-Year Titan reunion

Kathleen (Marohn) Westover '71,'75 MS, left, and Julian Isham '72, were among the many UW-Oshkosh alumni who took part in a fun Hoops & Heart evening of basketball, treats and shared memories of their time on campus.

Titans gathered Feb. 11 for the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh's first Hoops & Hearts event-an evening of basketball, date-night treats and shared memories. The Titan men's team capped the celebration with an 84-75 win over UW-Eau Claire.

Some alumni came with spouses. Others with lifelong friends they first met on campus. Together, they celebrated the connections that began in Titan Town.

For sweethearts Julian Isham '72 and Kathleen (Marohn) Westover, '71 '75 MS, the night marked something even more personal-a love story that quietly restarted decades after graduation.

A 50-Year Journey Home

The two went to kindergarten together in Oshkosh. They attended the same high school. Graduated a year apart from UW-Oshkosh. Built careers. Married other people. Lived in different states. Lived entire lives.

Fifty years after Julian Isham graduated in 1972, he returned to campus for the Golden Titans celebration in 2022. Kathleen (Marohn) Westover, who earned her bachelor's in 1971 and master's in 1975 (both in psychology) was there too.

When Julian saw her again, something shifted.

"I just looked into her eyes," he said. "And that was it. We fell in love."

After that reunion, he went back to California and Kathleen in Milwaukee.

"We started emailing. Texting. Calling," Julian said. "Sometimes I would see something online and think she needed it, so I'd send it to her."

Kathleen laughed. "He would randomly send me things from Amazon. Tools. Knives. Wrenches. Once he sent me really nice pliers because he thought I didn't have the right kind for a project."

"If she mentioned she was fixing something," Julian said, "I'd think, 'She probably needs this,' and I'd send it."

Eventually Julian told her he was thinking about buying a house back in Oshkosh and asked her to come look at it with him. She did. Soon they were working side by side, putting in floors, replacing windows, and painting walls. The kind of everyday projects that quietly build something lasting.

They are not married. Not for lack of trying on Julian's part.

"I first proposed to Kathleen during a walk on a star-lit, moon lit night in her neighborhood in Milwaukee," he said, pointing to her left hand, where both sparkled on her ring finger. "I gave her the wedding band in the summer of 2022 and the solitaire for Valentine's Day. I keep asking."

Kathleen laughed as she showed off her rings. "I keep telling him, 'Let's wait a while."

In the golden years of their lives, what started as a 50-year reunion at UW-Oshkosh became something simple and steady, proof that it's never too late to build something new.

See more photos from the Hoops & Hearts event here

Visit: UW-Oshkosh Alumni