University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chancellor Lori Bruce and Professor of Engineering JW Bruce—sometimes referred to as “Mr. and Mrs. Dr. Bruce”—began their lives together long before the titles and honorifics.
They met as undergraduates in an electrical engineering course called Signals and Systems at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. After their first date, JW Bruce left class to find a handwritten note tucked under his windshield wiper. It read simply: “Call me.” It was signed, “Lori.”
The two went on to graduate school at Georgia Tech and married in 1993. Since then, their professional paths have taken different shapes, even as their lives have remained closely intertwined.
The Bruces have collected a steady catalog of shared adventures, including living in France as newlyweds, learning to ski in the Alps, getting lost together in the countryside, riding tandem bicycles, and raising their son, Walker, through multiple cross-country moves and outdoor excursions.
This Valentine’s Day, they circled back to where it all began: seated across from each other in an electrical engineering lab. This time, Scrappy joined as well.
Professor JW “Mr. Dr.” Bruce:
“Why are we in an engineering lab?”
Chancellor Lori “Mrs. Dr.” Bruce:
“Oh, you know why we’re in an engineering lab. It’s because we met in electrical engineering as undergrads. It was so romantic.”
Mr. Dr. Bruce:
“It was. You had such a magnetic personality.”
Mrs. Dr. Bruce:
“Yes. Our chemistry was shocking.”
Mr. Dr. Bruce:
“Do you remember how much fun we had when we met in our Signals and Systems class?”
Mrs. Dr. Bruce:
“It was very romantic, I will admit, as an engineer. But seriously, we studied hard as students in engineering, and we spent a lot of time together working on projects, doing all of our homework and studying for tests. But it was always you by my side and you were part of what made me successful, I know.”
Mr. Dr. Bruce:
“It was so much fun working with each other and helping each other succeed.”
Mrs. Dr. Bruce:
“Yeah. And we made a lot of friends and had a lot of fun along the way—and did a lot of math. We didn’t need a proof to know that our math worked.”
Mrs. Dr. Bruce:
“Oh my goodness, another question. All right, Scrappy wants to know: we’ve moved, we’ve studied and we’ve built a life together—so what adventure stands out the most?”
Mr. Dr. Bruce:
“I think that goes back to the year we got married, in 1993. After we got married, we moved to France.”
Mrs. Dr. Bruce:
“Yes.”
Mr. Dr. Bruce:
“And we had that adventure of going snow skiing for the first time.”
Mrs. Dr. Bruce:
“Oh my goodness—we have had a lot of outdoor adventures, but that was a doozy. I remember it. We didn’t have a lot of money. We were graduate students in France, and we decided we wanted to go snow skiing in the Alps. I remember getting there and trying to even get the ski boots on. I didn’t know what to do. We got out on the slopes and couldn’t figure out how to get on the lift. People kept trying to talk to us—they were trying desperately to tell us something. We went all the way to the top of the mountain, and the bunny slope was closed.”
Mr. Dr. Bruce:
“And then we had to come down the moderate slope.”
Mrs. Dr. Bruce:
“We had to get down somehow. You remember?”
Mr. Dr. Bruce:
“I do.”
Mrs. Dr. Bruce:
“Let’s toast.”
Mr. Dr. Bruce:
“Thank you, Scrappy. We have literally ridden tandem bicycles together. What does riding a tandem bike say about how we work together?”
Mrs. Dr. Bruce:
“Oh, so much. We always work as a team. No one gets a free ride because we’re linked and we’re cycling together. Everybody has a role to play, right? You were always the captain and I was the stoker. You were in charge ofsteering and gearing and making the decisions, but I was the one providing the energy in the back. It tells me that we always work together, we each have a role to play, and nobody gets left behind.”
Mr. Dr. Bruce:
“Also, it was a family activity.”
Mrs. Dr. Bruce:
“Oh, that’s true. When Walker came along—our son—
Mr. Dr. Bruce:
“We started riding a triple.”
Mrs. Dr. Bruce:
“We started riding a three-person bike. He always rode in the middle, so it was like a little Walker sandwich.
“And he didn’t get a free ride. He was linked in with us. He was on the same chain with us. If we were pedaling, he was pedaling.”
Mrs. Dr. Bruce:
“Thank you, sweetie.”
Mr. Dr. Bruce:
Happy Valentine’s Day.”
Mrs. Dr. Bruce:
“Happy Valentine’s Day.”
Dr. JW Bruce, Walker Bruce and Dr. Lori Bruce ride a triplet tandem bike.
Before their date, the Bruces prepared a list of engineering-related puns to share.
Mr. Dr. Bruce:
“Remember the time I asked you, ‘Are you a catalyst?’ Because you’ve really lowered my activation energy.”
Mrs. Dr. Bruce:
“I do believe we have perfect impedance matching. Sometimes I hope that we really are in an infinite loop.”
Mr. Dr. Bruce:
“When we met, I knew that you were a live wire. Had lots of potential—and I just couldn’t resist her.”
Mrs. Dr. Bruce:
“If loving you is wrong, I’m willing to accept false positives.”
Mr. Dr. Bruce:
“Happy Valentine’s Day.”
Mrs. Dr. Bruce:
“Love you.”
Mr. Dr. Bruce:
“Love you too.”
