Some relationships begin with perfect timing. Others take the long way around.

For John Flick ’76 and his wife Beth, their story began not with certainty, but with curiosity, distance, and a campus culture that quietly brought lives together. It unfolded across RPI, Russell Sage College, fraternity houses, band parties, handwritten letters, and eventually two cities and two careers. More than five decades later, it stands as a reminder that the relationships formed during college often shape far more than a résumé.

Finding Direction and Unexpected Mentors

John arrived at RPI in the fall of 1972 as a biomedical engineering major. Like many students, he was still testing the boundaries of who he might become. Engineering was demanding, the expectations were high, and financial realities mattered. When a potential switch to industrial engineering threatened to extend his time on campus, John made a practical choice that changed everything.

At the encouragement of Dean Steger, then head of RPI’s management school, John added management coursework alongside his engineering studies. His grades improved, his confidence sharpened, and his thinking expanded beyond technical problem-solving into leadership and decision-making. That mentorship did more than alter his transcript. It opened a door to Columbia Business School, where John would later earn his MBA.

Looking back, John is candid. He believes his RPI education was the reason elite institutions took him seriously. The rigor mattered. The reputation mattered. And the people who saw potential in him, before he fully saw it himself, mattered most.

The First Meeting and the One That Almost Wasn’t

John and Beth’s paths crossed through one of the most iconic bridges between RPI and Sage. Greek life.

As a member of Phi Kappa Tau, John returned to campus early each fall to prepare the fraternity house. One long-standing tradition involved helping incoming Sage students move into their dorms. It was organized, social, and, for many couples of that era, quietly consequential.

Beth arrived at Sage as a freshman. John, then a sophomore, did not meet her right away. In fact, she initially dated one of his fraternity’s new pledges. Their timing was off, almost from the start.

When they finally did connect, it was at a band party, the heartbeat of campus social life at the time. Beth stood out immediately. Her short hair, distinctive style, and quiet confidence

made an impression that lingered. John noticed her not because she fit in, but because she didn’t.

They dated for a time, then drifted apart. Each dated other people. Life moved on. Or so it seemed.

Losing Touch and Finding Their Way Back

Their reconnection did not happen during a romantic campus moment, but during Senior Week. Older, more grounded, and a little wiser, they ran into each other again. The spark returned, but uncertainty remained. John was headed to Columbia. Beth was finishing her degree. There were no cell phones, no instant follow-ups, no guarantees.

What followed were letters, a chance encounter with Beth’s brother at Columbia, and eventually a phone call that led John back to Troy for a weekend visit. Neither was dating anyone else. This time, the timing was different.

Beth later moved to New York City, and their relationship deepened alongside John’s MBA studies. They explored museums, neighborhoods, and new ideas together. John jokes that his grades may have dipped slightly as their life together expanded, but the education he gained extended far beyond the classroom.

Partnership, Compromise, and Shared Growth

After graduation, John accepted a corporate role that took them to Chicago, then briefly to Arkansas. When it became clear that constant relocation would limit Beth’s ability to build her own career, John made a defining choice. He adjusted his professional path so they could return to Chicago and put down roots.

Beth went on to build a career in banking. John continued his leadership journey in business. They married in 1978 and would go on to raise three children, building a life together through career changes, geographic moves, and the kinds of unexpected challenges that test and ultimately strengthen a partnership.

What sustained them, John reflects, was learning early how to listen, adapt, and respect differences. Beth brought creativity, artistic perspective, and cultural curiosity into his life. He brought structure, analysis, and long-term thinking. Together, they built something balanced and enduring.

Community, Brotherhood, and Lasting Lessons

While John’s relationship with Beth is central to his life story, he credits his fraternity experience at RPI with shaping his resilience and leadership just as powerfully. In an era

when mental health support was limited, fraternity life provided structure, accountability, and belonging.

Those bonds still matter. John remains deeply involved in alumni engagement and mentorship, now serving on the national board of his fraternity and mentoring Lally students. He sees today’s students facing different pressures, but needing the same things. Connection. Guidance. And people who will answer the phone years later.

Advice for Today’s Students

John’s advice is simple and earned.

Invest in relationships, even when you don’t yet understand their importance. Stay in touch after graduation. Seek mentors early. Get real-world experience while you are still in school. And recognize that the people you meet now, classmates, partners, friends, may shape your life in ways you cannot yet imagine.

For John and Beth, what began with a missed introduction and a band party became a 50-year partnership. It is a story rooted in RPI and Sage, strengthened by mentorship, and sustained by choice.

And it all started with showing up. Again and again.