A lot happens at the Homecoming Game each year. People meet and memories are made, but for university alumni Hayes Walker and Megan Bonck, it was the beginning of the rest of their lives.
At the 2015 Homecoming tailgate, Walker proposed to his then girlfriend Bonck, with a ring he designed himself. According to Walker, he planned the whole thing to every detail, from ensuring that she invited the families to avoid suspicion, to contacting “The Lions Roar” to cover the event.
Since then, they have been planning their Dec. 17 wedding, which will be held in the Union Ballroom in continuation of the university’s involvement. The university is something that means a lot to them, so they wanted it to be there from the beginning to the end.
“Southeastern is where we met,” said Walker. “We met in a history class, then I asked her out here, then I proposed here, so it’s only fitting to keep Southeastern involved all the way through.”
At the time Walker was a marine, but now works as a drafter at Audubon Institute and has a degree in industrial design. Bonck has a degree in education and works as a teacher at Slidell Jr. High.
A year after their engagement, they returned to the Homecoming Tailgating at section 19, the same spot that he proposed. They have many memories at the university. One of them is a brick in Friendship Circle that says “Megan M. Bonck Will you marry me? Your Marine.” This is something that they both think is very important to their relationship and history. They hope that later generations of their family will see the importance too.
“Our children, grandchildren, even great-grandchildren, if they come to Southeastern, will be able to see the brick that says ‘Megan M. Bonck Will you marry me? Your Marine.’ They can find the paper with the article as well,” said Bonck, last year after Walker proposed.
They continued to return to how important the university is to them.
“I mean, it’s where it all started,” said Bonck. “It’s something that really means a lot and we want it to be involved all the way till the end.”
Walker and Bonck now live in Slidell, where they mentioned they were going to continue to live even after their wedding.
Looking back on the beginning can be important, but to the couple, looking forward is really what it is all about.
“I’m just so excited,” said Bonck. “I’m really looking forward to seeing what life has in store for us.”