Lisa Lykins is breaking family tradition. The 23rd member of her family to attend Ohio University, her maternal grandparents, parents, brother and sister all met their spouses on campus. But next year, Lisa plans to marry Dominic Citino, a graduate of Miami University.
 
 

In 1920, Olan Euzeda Fri  became the first in his family to graduate from Ohio University.

"Dominic gets teased unmercifully," laughs Lisa, BSED '98. "We're always joking about him not graduating from a real college. I tell him he's just lucky my mom likes him."

Lisa's mom, Ruth Wilson Lykins, is particularly proud of her family's long association with Ohio University. Her great-grandparents were among the first settlers to put down roots in Athens. And since 1916, the university has played an integral role in the lives of four generations of family members. They have strolled across the College Green, studied for exams, attended football games and lived in the residence halls - and many have fallen in love.

"I guess I always thought I'd meet my husband at college," says Kristi Lykins Mielke, BSED '93, Lisa's older sister. "My brother met his wife at Ohio University, my parents met here and my grandparents. Kyle and I met in my very first class freshman year, INCO 103." They were married June 4, 1994.
 
 

Olan's granddaughter Ruth Lykins, who carried on his tradition, and great-grandson Kurt Lykins.

It was Kristi who first decided to research her family's long affiliation with the university. She grew up wearing Ohio University sweatshirts, visiting her grandparents who lived in Athens and listening to stories about her parents' student days. During her senior year, she started sifting through alumni records and library archives to find out more.

The first family member to graduate was Olan Euzeda Fri, Kristi's maternal great-grandfather, who earned a bachelor's degree in education in 1920. His wife, Irene Warthman Fri, took classes on campus but never graduated.

As the next generation came of age, Olan's three children followed in their father's footsteps: James E. Fri earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering in 1939; Lois P. Fri received a bachelor's degree in education in 1941; and the youngest, Elizabeth Fri, enrolled at the university but didn't complete her degree work.

Elizabeth met her husband, Paul Wilson, when he was an undergraduate renting a room in her parents' house on Van Vorhes Street in Athens. The couple married, but Paul's student days were interrupted by the outbreak of World War II. He enlisted in the Navy. When the war ended, Paul resumed his studies and completed a degree in electrical engineering in 1949.

Elizabeth and Paul stayed in Athens, and their only daughter, Ruth, quickly became aware of the role the university played in the community. Ruth's mother and her Aunt Lois also worked on campus for many years.
 
 

Lyntha Eiler Kristi and Kyle Mielke, daughter and son-in-law of Ruth and Ron Lykins.

"There was no discussion as to whether or not I was going to college or where I was going to go," Ruth recalls. "It was always Ohio University."

Ruth started her freshman year in 1964. Although her parents lived in Athens, she moved into Bryan Hall, then a women's residence hall.

Ruth met her future husband, Ron Lykins, MBA '67 and PHD '71, in 1965 while she was working at the information desk in Baker Center. They married in 1967, and Ruth received a bachelor's in hearing and speech sciences the next year. The couple stayed in Athens until 1971, when Ron started working for the Ohio Board of Regents in Columbus. Today, he runs his own financial advising company, which has offices in Columbus and Athens, and serves as an adjunct instructor in the universityís Executive MBA program.

"We have wonderful shared memories of our time on campus," says Ruth, who works as a speech pathologist for the New Albany school district. "College days are probably the time of your life when you are most carefree, happy and have no responsibilities. I wouldn't buy a sweatshirt that didn't say 'Ohio University.' I loved my time there."

All the family members agree it would have been unusual if the next generation - Kurt, Kristi and Lisa - had decided not to go to Ohio University. Ron remembers 6-year-old Kurt handing a bank clerk 50 cents and explaining the deposit was for his Bobcat college fund. While she was still in high school, Lisa would ask her father to pick up Ohio University notebooks and binders.

"In my heart I always felt so comfortable about the idea of going to Ohio University," Kristi says. "Everyone on the campus always was so nice and we were so familiar with Athens. The university just felt like a part of our family."
 
 

Lyntha Eiler Daughter Lisa and her fiance, Dominic Citino, a Miami University graduate.

Lisa, who earned her undergraduate degree in June 1998, is continuing her Ohio University education. A teacher in the Alexander school district, she now is enrolled part time in the masterís program offered by the College of Education.

"I really think itís neat that so many of my family members came here," she says. "There also were advantages to being the youngest. If I didn't know what course to take or needed to find out how to get a parking pass for an hour, I'd just ask my brother or sister or call my dad. I'd have regretted it if I had gone to college anywhere else."

And while Lisa's fiance, Dominic, is not a Bobcat, both his parents graduated from Ohio University. "I'm trying to persuade his younger sister to come to Ohio University," Lisa confides.

A fifth generation also is being prepared for college. Kristi and Kyle's two children - Alexandra, 3, and Nathan, 1 - already have Bobcat sweatshirts in their closets.

"Everyone knows our family is from Ohio University," Ron says. "We drink out of Ohio University coffee mugs and my wife has a Bobcat license plate on her car. At Christmastime, we give each other presents related to Ohio University like sweatshirts, T-shirts and baseball caps. I've already started a Bobcat college fund for Kristi's two kids."

And then, as if summing up the sentiments of every one of these Ohio University families, he adds, "It's a family tradition."