UB's power couples: Claude Welch and Jannette Ludwig

Love comes in all forms. For married professors Jannette Ludwig and Claude Welch, it's silver.

Ludwig, a modern languages professor, and Claude Welch, a political science professor, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in June 2006.

"We celebrated in our backyard," Ludwig said. "It was a beautiful day with all of our family and friends."

Their love story is one of hope. Welch was a recent widower with four children when Ludwig walked into his life.

They met at UB at a special lunch before May's commencement ceremony. Ludwig was receiving a chancellor's award for teaching.

"He wrangled a seat next to me at the table and proceeded not to talk to me," Ludwig said. "He said he was too tongue tied to say anything."

Ludwig's best friend helped in the match making, telling Ludwig she thought Welch liked her. Ludwig recalls being surprised because Welch never said a word to her. Nevertheless, the following fall they started to date, and 25 years later they are still in love.

When Ludwig married Welch, she married his family as well. The beginning of their relationship involved sacrifice, making sure to put Welch's children first. The couple made the decision to reside in Welch's house so that the children didn't have to relocate.

"Their family had been through a lot at that time and I knew that I did have to be careful," Ludwig said. "However, you can't choose how and when you fall in love."

Today they enjoy the company of seven grandchildren, five girls and two boys. They recently returned from a visit to Boston where they "read books in Spanish, did yoga and dallied around the house with the kids," according to Welch.

Ludwig says that if there such a thing as "love at first sight" she came as close as it gets. The couple enjoys teaching at UB, agreeing that they mutually "enrich each other's lives."

"Working together is great," Welch said. "We love traveling together and our similar schedules make that easier."

Welch even took his wife's advanced grammar and composition course once before a trip to France.

"I didn't want my students to know that he was my husband so I called him monsieur the whole semester," Ludwig said.

Welch's advice for finding a love like his is simple.

"Stay in school so you can meet a nice girl like I did," he said.