A Dramatic Beginning

Early in November 1959, Ralph Harold Zengen, a First Class Petty Officer in the USN stationed at the New London Submarine Base, was on his way back to the sub-base in Groton, CT in his beautiful 1958 Customized Chevy Impala hardtop.

As he drove, his car was bumped from behind and he was pushed into the median that separated traffic. He took his foot off the gas pedal to gain control of the car when the car hit the culvert at the center of the median. Ralph was slammed forward and his foot hit the accelerator. The car was catapulted into the air and came down on the other side of the highway, facing the oncoming traffic. (That's Ralph's car, on the right, in the photo.)

Ralph was taken to nearby Grace New Haven. His mother, Gladys Strobel Zengen, was called in Bayside, NY and was told, "If you want to see your son before he dies, you'd better get down here."

Amazingly and wonderfully, Ralph survived this accident. He was in Grace New Haven for some time--till the following August--but he put this extended period of time to good use.

Note that Grace New Haven was a teaching hospital. In 1959 this meant that nursing students did their training and practical work on guinea pigs like Ralph Zengen. It didn't take long for Ralph to get the lay of the land. He had friends sneaking in illicit foods (and other substances) and he started dating (while still in the hospital) more than one nursing student at a time. But he had noticed one student nurse in particular, a young woman named, "Nancy".

Nancy Woods didn't think much of Ralph and his arrogant behavior and she didn't mind letting him know how she felt. But Ralph thought Nancy was kind of cute. And so, one afternoon when his Mom was visiting him, and he noticed Nancy was on duty, he sent his Mom away for coffee, explaining he was going to get the young nurse to assist him. He rang for the nurse and when Nancy appeared, he insisted that he needed an alcohol massage.

She relented but ensured the massage was not an enjoyable one. Little good it did her, though. Ralph persisted and eventually, they began dating. She knew his reputation with the other nursing students, but kept things to herself until one day, one of her fellow students (commenting on Ralph's apparent unavailability) asked if anyone had seen him. Nancy raised her left hand, flashing a pretty diamond ring and said, "I have."

Ralph and Nancy Zengen, September 17, 1960

Ralph and Nancy were married in New Britain, Connecticut on September 17, 1960. This summer, they'll celebrate their Gold Wedding Anniversary by meeting up with their daughters, sons-in-law, and granddaughters for a relaxing week in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

They'll kick off that week of fun with a celebration dinner on Sunday, August 1. They'd love it if any of their dear friends and family could join them for the festivities. We all know that this is not a small request and so do not necessarily expect folks to move heaven and Earth to spend time in Hilton Head this summer, but for anyone who is interested, we've included some relevant information.