It wasn’t easy, in 1965, for a boy from West Tisbury to get close to a girl from Edgartown, especially when they were in different years at the regional high school. But by the time he was a junior, Jim Athearn had seen enough of his friend Ken Galley’s younger sister Debbie to know he had to try.
Mr. Athearn’s winning strategy was to sign up for a 4-H trip to Washington D.C., during which he and Ms. Galley sat together on the bus.
“They say after that bus trip, they knew they were just meant to be,” said Prudence Levy, the first of Jim and Debbie Athearn’s three children, at the couple’s 50th anniversary celebration Sunday at the Chilmark Community Center.
After dating through high school and into college, the couple married on August 30, 1969 in a West Tisbury ceremony followed by an Edgartown reception. He was 21 and she was 20.
The Athearns celebrated their golden anniversary twice last week, taking the day off Friday to spend together and then gathering with family and friends on Sunday.
The community center was decked out for the occasion with bouquets and swags of fresh flowers and greenery, harvested from the Morning Glory Farm flower fields in West Tisbury and crafted by the farm’s floral team, led by Robyn Athearn, who is married to the couple’s son Simon.
Athearns and guests alike donned floral crowns to pose for photographs.
Outside the building, their son Daniel shucked oysters and chatted with guests as his wife Meg bustled in and out of the kitchen and folk-rocker Ellen Biskis entertained with her trio. Both inside and out, long tables were laden with food from the farm and potluck dishes provided by guests.
In the lobby of the community center, a display of black-and-white photos showed the 1969 newlyweds, all smiles, ducking confetti and then driving a Ford Fairlane onto the Islander Ferry to start their future together.
Her brothers by her side, Ms. Levy surprised some at the dinner by revealing that her parents — now considered inseparable from Martha’s Vineyard and farming — originally settled off-Island after tying the knot. But when they were expecting their first child, Jim and Debbie wanted her born on the Vineyard, and found themselves settling in Edgartown.
“You’re welcome,” Ms. Levy joked to the crowd.
In 1975, they started Morning Glory Farm. This year, the farm employed more than 125 people, Ms. Levy said.
Farm workers, family members — including the Athearns’ eight grandchildren — Island neighbors and friends of a lifetime were all on hand for Sunday’s celebration, which included a special anniversary dance for the couple to the country waltz, May I Have This Dance For the Rest of My Life.
When it came time to thank everyone who came together for the party, a visibly moved Jim Athearn invoked one of his favorite bands, the Beatles.
“All you need is love,” he said.
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