Alumni couple Linda (Tomsyck) Best and Robert Best

Linda (Tomsyck) Best ’82 and Robert Best ’81

During the Summer of 1978, I had just finished my freshman year at Carroll and agreed to volunteer to help out with R&O (Registration and Orientation) for incoming freshmen. I was a commuting student, so my responsibility was to spend some time with the new students who would also be commuting, to help them understand what it means to live off campus and still be a part of the Carroll community.

On the first day of orientation, I was acting as one of the hosts in the commuter room in the basement of the student union (Campus Center).  Suddenly, a small group of students came into the room.  Among them was Linda.  I knew in an instant that she was special and that I would want to get to know her better.  We became close friends almost immediately, and we hung around together for the next three years of college. But, it took until my senior year before we both realized that there was something more than friendship developing.  I finally decided to ask Linda to the Bergie Ball—a dance sponsored by the dorm residents in North and South Bergstrom.  That was the beginning of a three-year courtship and engagement, and ultimately a lifelong love affair.

We both developed a love of travel while attending Carroll and participating in the NCEP European tours.  We ultimately were married in Cana of Galilee in the Holy Land in 1985.  I wrote a song for Linda on our 25th anniversary (which occurred on 10-10-10) called: “Our Journey Together” chronicling our story.
Panoramic View of campus