GROOM NAME
James Higgins Jr
NAME OF HBCU FOR GROOM ?
Virginia State University
GROOM PROFESSION?
Retired
BRIDE NAME
Sharrelle Higgins
NAME OF HBCU FOR BRIDE?
Virginia State University
SO, EXACTLY HOW DID YOU MEET?
We had a mutual friend so he asked the friend to introduce him to me. After multiple attempts to meet up in Jones Dining Hall failed, we finally met in the dining hall. This was my first semester in 1984 and he was a junior. Once our friend pointed him out to me (I hadn’t seen him on campus before) in the dining hall, I walked over to where he was sitting because I needed some utensils 
and he spoke and we started talking.
and he spoke and we started talking.HOW DID YOU KNOW THIS WAS GOING TO BE THE PERSON THAT YOU WOULD MARRY?
We have so much in common. We have similar personalities with distinct differences. We both enjoy sports, are family oriented, and we took the time to really get to know each other. We were together for seven years before we got married. Now granted we were extremely young (he was 20 and I was 18 years old) so we had the time.
DESCRIBE THE PROPOSAL?
We went to the store, picked out a ring and he presented it that night in bed.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN MARRIED?
32 years
How do you Balance Work, Home and Fun Times?
Before we retired on August 31, 2022, we commuted together (drove) every day for over 25 years. This gave us an opportunity to spend plenty of time together discussing how our day went, what we needed to accomplish after work with the kids’ schedules, and any future plans. We made frequent date nights and traveling together once a year without the kids a priority. We have the same VSU friends so it is easy for us to hangout together. We also respect each other’s space in order to recharge away from the family. In our house, I’m the administrator and he’s in charge of logistics. We support each other’s strengths. As retirees, we frequently travel whether in the country or abroad and enjoy doing the same things while away. We are both cyclists so we take our bikes with us when traveling in the country.
