“It all started with a Phish t-shirt”

Editor’s Note: These are my parents and I had the best time interviewing them.

Withers Education Building is not often thought of as a spot where love stories begin but that was the case for Winthrop alumni Valerie ‘96 and Kevin Bassett ‘94 who both graduated with a bachelor of science in early childhood education.

“I was on the third floor of the Withers Education Building talking with some professors to, you know, work on my resume.. And as I was coming out from talking with those professor’s, Valerie was walking up the stairs with a Phish t-shirt and I was like, oh, wow, I just saw those. I just saw them. We chatted for a little bit. Exchanged pleasantries,” Kevin said.

They then both went on their way until they met again at what was then the Harris Teeter on Cherry Road, which has since been replaced with an Earth Fare.

“I was walking into the Harris Teeter. And there is that man I met in Withers with skinny little legs and he’s got a backpack and he’s shoving meat into his backpack,” Valerie said.

After exchanging pleasantries again, they gave each other their phone numbers and Kevin invited Valerie over for a dinner of cube steak, onion rings, and off-brand Kool-Aid.

The two then dated for a couple of months during the summer but separated in August because according to Kevin, “I was very self- absorbed. And you really can’t have a functioning relationship when somebody’s self absorbed like that.”

Fast forward four years later to 1998 where Valerie, who was working at an education supply store, ran into a coworker of Kevin’s from Independence Elementary. Valerie took a chance and guessed his district email correctly and the two fell back in touch.

“I took a stab, and I typed it in. And sure enough, it was him. And we started emailing back and forth. We would email every day, sometimes twice a day. I don’t know how we did that, while in the classroom. And every morning when I would come to school, I’d look and see if he wrote the first message, or if I was gonna send the first message. And then we went on a date. He asked me out on a date to Hayden’s which was a restaurant by where I lived in Pineville,” Valerie said.

“We started dating, which was great. I remember, she was living in Pineville. And I was living in Rock Hill. And we usually get together on Friday night, either she would come down to Rock Hill, or I’d go up to Pineville. I remember always waiting on the porch, I’d have a cigar or something, and just waiting, just all with butterflies all excited when she would come in, and I’d see her come in, and it’s just like, oh, this is great,” Kevin said.

The two then decided in 1999 to move down to Summerville, SC. They later became engaged in 2000.

“So we get to Hunting Island. Beautiful, beautiful place, highly recommend going there. So I’m setting up his tent and I said, Hey, I need you to come over here. And help me with this. And I’m
already down on one day trying to pretend like I’m fixing something. And then I proposed to her, Kevin said.

He continued saying, “ She was so happy. And when we went driving around the island, I got to listen to Ass Factor, a hardcore punk rock band, who she absolutely hates and that I love. And I said hey, can we listen? She said I don’t care. And I’m like sweet. I’m milking this thing and we listened to Ass Factor and drove around the island.”

The two were then married on June 30, 2001 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Greenwood, SC.

They both agreed that “it was one of the best times we ever had.”

A special thing that was incorporated into their vows was a line from “The Jeffersons” theme song “Movin’ on Up”. The line was “As long as we live, it’s you and me baby and there ain’t nothing wrong with that.” The couple has the quote framed in their house.

The two also agreed that the reception was “the best party we ever had.”

“That dance floor was jumping from the get go which was great, which is what we wanted. And it was a good celebration, a lot of fun. A lot of laughs, a lot of great memories. So that was a very, very joyous occasion,” Kevin said.

When asked about their major marriage milestones, Kevin said that his was when Valerie helped him get sober after nine-and-a-half years of marriage.

“My behavior was out of control. Or actually, my drinking was out of control. And she was instrumental in helping me get the help I needed. And she’s been so supportive ever since that. So that’s been something that’s been very meaningful to me was her loving and guiding me towards health.”
Valerie said that a big milestone for them was deciding to work at the same school in 2012 “because we had always said we would never teach at the same school.”

Both of them agreed however that their favorite accomplishment was raising their children, Marley and Lily.

“ The choices that you two have made and continue to make just fill us with joy just raising two wonderful, very highly achieving young ladies. I don’t know how it’s done. You gotta give credit to Valerie for that,” Kevin said.

Today Valerie and Kevin are both teachers at William Reeves Elementary School in Summerville, SC where they teach 2nd and 1st grade respectively.

25 years later and they say that “their love continues to grow each and every day.”