Boxer Love Story: Charles Young '70 and Nancy (Berggren) Young '70

Nancy Berggren and Charles Young were freshmen in the fall of 1966.

 Both of them were seeing other people, but a chance encounter one evening in the Student Union PUB started their “LONG” relationship.

Charles was there with a friend and so was Nancy. They were introduced but didn’t say too much to each other. Charles was playing varsity football and had been featured in an article in the campus newsletter for his efforts in the game the previous week.

“Nancy apparently wasn’t too impressed as her friends were more impressed than she with me and my efforts,” said Charles.

Over the next few weeks, they saw each other around campus and started talking every so often.

Homecoming was coming up and one afternoon Charles was in his room at Mac Hall. Nancy’s roommate’s boyfriend came in and asked if Charles was going to the dance. Charles told him he didn’t have a date and he said, “Neither does Nancy.” Charles replied, “She’s going with so and so,” and he said, “No she isn’t.” Being surprised Charles asked, “What’s going on?” and he said, “Don’t worry but she doesn’t have a date.” Charles immediately went over to Walter Hall, buzzed her down and proceeded to stammer and stutter and finally asked her to the dance.

She accepted. The couple will celebrate their 45th anniversary this August.

They dated, “went steady,” and got “pinned” and tubbed at the light pole in the quad between Mac and Walter Halls during their time at Pacific.

“I was an Alpha Zeta and that was the tradition back then for AZ’s who got pinned,” said Charles.

They were engaged the end of Charles’ junior year and got married August 30, 1969, just before the start of his senior year.

Nancy left Pacific at the end of her sophomore year, transferring to the Western Business College in Portland. After which she got a job as assistant to the manager of a bank in Hillsboro.

“That’s how we were able to afford getting married while I was still in school,” said Charles.

After Charles’ sophomore year, he quit football and worked part time, driving the school bus in Forest Grove during his senior year.

Nancy’s dad was Thorsten Berggren, at the time Associate Dean of the College of Education. Dr. Beggren retired several years after they got married and lived in Forest Grove until his death about 20 years ago.

“So that's how we became ‘Boxers in Love,’ said Charles, "By the way, when we started at Pacific we were the Badgers! We became the Boxer’s in our sophomore/junior year."

Read more Boxer love stories at pacificu.edu/lovestory