It only took one look for Dennis Beetham (’64) to know there was something special about Janet Berry. The two young freshmen had enrolled in a zoology class in Lincoln Hall (known at the time as Old Main) during the fall of 1960, and Beetham vividly recalls the first time he laid eyes on Janet.
“I saw this cute little auburn-haired girl clear across the classroom and I said to myself, ‘That’s the girl for me,’” Beetham remembers.
The young man was shy, but his three friends were not. They approached Janet and told her their friend wanted to meet her. Beetham asked if he could carry her books after class, and their courtship began.
The young couple would fall in love, drift apart, reconnect and marry 50 years later.
Sentimental Beginnings
Dennis and Janet during their days at Portland State
On their first date, Beetham picked Janet up on his Vespa motor scooter and they drove to Laurelhurst Park to feed the ducks.
“I completely fell for Janet,” Beetham says. “She was down-to-earth with an independent spirit, and everyone could tell she had a real spark.”
Janet’s feelings for Beetham grew too, as she found herself drawn to his loyal nature, intelligence and solid values.
First-generation college students, the 18-year-olds lived off campus with their respective families. Money was tight, but the couple played pool at the student union, went dancing and staged make-your-own-pizza parties with friends.
During their sophomore year, Beetham was getting ready to ask Janet to marry him. Before he did, however, Janet said she wanted to see the world and left college to become an airline stewardess.
Separate Ways
Beetham played football for the Vikings over the next two years and earned his degree at PSU. He eventually founded his own company and enjoyed a happy marriage for 26 years until his former wife passed away.
Meanwhile, Janet worked three years as an airline stewardess, then married and moved to Southern California to raise a family. She later divorced and returned to college at age 45 to earn her degree in Public Relations.
Beetham reconnected with Janet after his first wife died, and the couple casually dated long distance. Beetham was also involved with a woman in Oregon. He ended his relationship with Janet to marry the Oregon woman, but the marriage didn’t last long. Then, he married a woman 20 years his junior.
“That was a disaster,” Beetham says. “In 2007, I was at a low point. I went for a walk along Coos Bay and a heavy rainstorm started. I stood in the rain and told God, ‘This marriage thing just isn’t working out for me. What type of person am I trying to meet?’ Several characteristics clearly sprung to mind, and I knew instantly they were the same as Janet’s.”
Undeniable Connection
The Beethams in 2017
Ten years had passed since their long-distance relationship, and Janet had moved. Beetham decided to find her using the telephone’s information line. Directory assistance would only provide two numbers at a time, but he persevered. In the end, Beetham placed 62 phone calls to finally locate Janet.
She was living in Keizer, Ore. when she received his call.
Their initial conversation lasted more than three and a half hours, and it was obvious the magnetism was still there. After a few more phone conversations, Beetham drove to meet Janet.
“I walked up to the screen door to greet her for the first time in a decade, and it was like no time had ever passed,” Beetham asserts. “We immediately fell into each other’s arms.”
Two years later, Janet arranged for them to marry on the 50th anniversary of their first date. Now, the Beethams have been married for 12 years.
“I’m a very lucky man to have had two women to love in my lifetime,” Beetham says. “Janet is my soul mate, and we got our second chance.”