BY JE’DON HOLLOWAY-TALLEY | Special to the Birmingham Times
ALTHEA & ROBERT YOUNG JR.
Live: Oxmoor Valley/ Birmingham
Married: Sept. 22, 1984
Met: May 19, 1982, in Rainbow City, Alabama, at Kmart. Robert moved to Rainbow City from Birmingham after being promoted and relocated. Meanwhile, Althea had been at the location for a year after getting her promotion and being relocated by the company. Robert and Althea first crossed paths on his first day on the job as they waited to be let in the store.
While they waited Althea was playing with a butterfly and he had two questions: “why and what position she worked,” Robert laughed.
“Robert thought I was a checkout girl because of how I was dressed. I had on jeans because it was my day off and I was only coming to fill in a few hours, and I guess it didn’t help that I was trying to catch a monarch butterfly either,” Althea laughed. “Who knows why I was doing that…”
“There weren’t many Black folks at the store, and that was the first thing that attracted me to her… we were in separate departments, and it got around to lunch time and I asked her to go eat. It was more of a business thing, it was my first day there and I was [trying to get my bearings] so [the lunch outing] was casual,” Robert said.
“Being polite I agreed to go to lunch with him, but I was not going to let him pay. And because there were so few Black people at the store, I was hoping that the company wouldn’t send a Black manager because I didn’t want to be the designated Black person that had to entertain him,” Althea laughed. “Once, I knew what [management] position he was there for, I said ‘well there goes that’. Not only that, the company also moved him into my apartment building, right above me.”
Even though the two became neighbors Robert said, “Althea wouldn’t give me the time of day.” But that changed after he invited her to a Temptations concert which happened to fall on the same weekend as their company picnic.
First date: June 1982. The pair attended their company picnic in Gadsden, and then the Temptations concert at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) Concert Hall.
“Our first date was my first time seeing him dressed up, and I said ‘ok, he does know when to put a suit on’, I was pleasantly surprised,” Althea said. “We did have a good time, I don’t think he fed me though,” she laughed, “I was thinking maybe I could get a raincheck for dinner on Sunday. I did enjoy watching him enjoy the concert from my side eye, he was playing his imaginary guitar and having a good time. He really does enjoy music.”
“It was a good evening, she was looking cute, and we had fun,” Robert said.
The turn: October 1982. “Robert was kind and fun to be around, but I was looking to move up the ladder at KMart. And four months after we met, I asked for a transfer to Houston Texas, and two weeks later I got it,” Althea said.
As she shared the news with Robert in his office he looked shocked and surprised at the same time. “I thought, ‘wow, he must really like me,” said Althea. “I thought we were just spending time together as friends.”
Althea moved to Texas and Robert offered to drive her there and make sure she was set up in her apartment. The couple dated long distance for two years until Robert transferred to Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1984.
“Anybody who worked at that location in Rainbow City wanted to get out of that store,” said Robert. “So when I got moved to Corpus Christi, it was still three hours south of where she was, but we were closer, and we got closer.”
The proposal: In 1984 in Corpus Christi, Texas. Althea left Kmart, got a job with another company and moved in with Robert. The couple said that they didn’t have a traditional engagement. As Robert put it, “We looked up and we were together, and said ‘since we’re gonna be together, we might as well do this,” he laughed.
“It was that simple, we had the conversation and decided to get married,” Althea said.
The wedding: Virginia Beach, Virginia at Althea’s home church, at First Lynnhaven Baptist Church, officiated by its pastor, the late Reverend Matthew Lewis and the late Rev. William Granger of Gadsden, Alabama. The couple’s colors were red and white.
Most memorable for the bride was being excited about the day and looking forward to their future. “And my father was an hour late to church so we had to hold off until he arrived, and that was a lot of drama but everything worked out,” Althea said. “We had a nice reception, we had two cakes, we did the garter toss and all was well that ended well.”
Most memorable for the groom was a sobering moment at the altar. “I was up there thinking, ‘what am I getting myself into?’” Robert laughed. “But my immediate thoughts were that I got a good woman and she was somebody who was worth spending the rest of my life with, so I rose to the occasion.”
Honeymoon: The couple opted not to have a traditional honeymoon but took a road trip back to Corpus Christi, Texas, stopping to see sights, friends, and family along the way.
Words of wisdom: “You have to compromise and understand that your spouse is another person that will not necessarily do things how you do them,” Robert said. “But you can always believe that person will stand with you through the test of time, and if you believe in your spouse they will believe in you.”
“After close to 43 years together, I can say there is no fairy tale to share, but God has helped us stand the test of time,” Althea said. “Our foundation is solid and we are always reminded of the saying ‘until death do us part’. We have cherished the joy in our marriage and learned from our mistakes, challenges, and disappointments. We’ve had a lot of fun, some [stories] we can share, and some we can’t,” she laughed. “I love my husband, and at this point in life, I live life with the end in mind so I try to make sure we value the time we have left.”
Happily ever after: The Youngs attend Sixth Avenue Baptist Church, in Titusville, where they serve as Deacon and Deaconess. They have two adult children, Candace, 39, and Robert III, 36, and one grandchild, Celeste, born last month. “We are so excited to be grandparents,” Althea said.
Althea, 64, is a military brat and spent her formative years in Virginia Beach, Virginia and many other states. She attended Bauder Fashion College in Atlanta, Georgia, where she earned an associate’s degree in fashion merchandising, and moved to Rainbow City, Alabama in 1981, when she took a job with Kmart, and settled in Birmingham 1986. Althea works for State Farm insurance in the claims department with a 32-year tenure.
Robert, 67, is a Eutaw, Alabama, native, and Eutaw High School grad. He attended The University of Alabama where he studied business administration, and Stillman College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. and works for Boy Scouts of America as the outreach director for the last 10 years.
“You Had Me at Hello’’ highlights married couples and the love that binds them. If you would like to be considered for a future “Hello’’ column, or know someone, please send nominations to Barnett Wright bwright@birminghamtimes.com. Include the couple’s name, contact number(s) and what makes their love story unique.
