"They Met, They Married"

The Wisdom of Age Project—Hampton Roads, Va. 2017

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Reflecting on making the film

About the filmmaker

"Not What I Expected" (3:05)

Jean's Story: A Fully Three-Dimensional Woman At age 21, Jean's life deviates from Alexandria's for the simple reason that hers has already happened. On our first visit Jean handed me a packet of paper outlining all of the things she had done in her life. On that list a section titled "Firsts" details the many things she has been the first to do. The one she is possibly most proud of is her work as the first woman in CalOSHA the safety program for the state of California. While her husband, Cliff, was off as part of the first navy team sent to the Arctic, she raised her children. When they went off to college so did she. She earned a triple degree in Production Management, Mathematics, and Computer science. Through the same money management skills that allow her to currently be a resident at the Arbors, she retired early. But it is not in Jean's nature to be stagnant. She and her husband traveled around in a camper, working and camping. You can hear more about those adventures in her own words in the video on this page, "They Met, They Married." Even without those stories, Jean's character quickly shines through in even a brief interaction. She is pragmatic and hands on. You will not meet a more down-to-earth person and sometimes even an in-the-earth person: Jean has done both archaeology and paleontology. Her travels have taken her to Asia, to an area where someone was waiting outside your gate to sell you paintings as you went in and out of your house, and to churches on reservations where the service starts whenever the locals get around to it. She has taken classes in everything from quilting to oil well drilling and has children and grandchildren as close as Williamsburg, Virginia, and as far away as Brazil. She is a fully three-dimensional woman, lively enough to exercise more regularly than me and far more skilled at using a Mac. Jean's independent spirit and good humor glow under the surface of a woman with both feet planted firmly on the ground, a list of accomplishments securely tucked under her belt, and a life that is very much still happening. ◊

Aree Rachel Coltharp is a in the Christopher Newport Class of 2018 with a Major in Museum Studies and a minor in Leadership Studies. She hopes to combine her passions for art, storytelling, science, and people in the museum world. Aree got into photography while living in Alaska the summer after her freshman year. She still claims that “Alaska is the most photogenic state.” This documentary marks her official foray into filmmaking and she hopes to have opportunities to continue working with her camera no matter where life takes her.

"They Met, They Married"

film & story by Aree Rachel Coltharp

We often think of age gaps as a huge barrier to mutual understanding. Young people tend to be way out of touch with their elders and the elderly have little contact with younger generations besides their grandchildren if they have any. In a project where I wanted to highlight the differences between older people and people of my own age, I found only similarities.

"They Met they Married" (7:44)