We Met at Mesa: Rick and Staci Adleman are forever entwined thanks to the love they found at CMU
It was the winter of 1986, and Staci Ferguson, ’88, arrived early on the first day of her business software class in Houston Hall. Just one other student had beaten her to the classroom.
“Rick was the only one in the room, and I sat down right next to him. I’ve never done anything like that in my life,” Staci said. “I did not flirt well. I said ‘hi,’ and he said ‘hi,’ and then he didn’t talk to me.”
Rick Adleman, ’90, acted aloof, but his stomach fluttered.
“I looked to my left, and this pretty young woman had sat right next to me in a fully empty room, and I was like a little dog chasing cars who just caught one,” Rick said. “I was like, ‘what do I do now?’ I was in full panic mode.”
That moment kicked off what would become their shared life. Small talk in class led to the discovery that the pair had grown up in neighboring communities with mutual friends. A date to see Crocodile Dundee was the first of many. Two years later, Rick and Staci wed and eventually welcomed a daughter, Kricket, into their lives.
“We’ve had a lot of fun,” Staci said. “We enjoy spending time together and traveling, and we traveled a lot following Kricket with her sports. We went to Casa Bonita not too long ago and got a message from the fortune-telling game that read, ‘Love is doing stupid things together.’ We’ve done a lot of stupid things together.”
In Rick and Staci’s story, CMU has been a main character in every chapter. Rick’s career eventually brought him back to CMU where he’s worked for the past 23 years, first as the director of alumni relations and now as the associate director of development. Their daughter, Kricket, attended and played volleyball for CMU, and even met a husband of her own on campus.
“We love Mesa,” Rick said. “It was more of a calling than a job, and for Kricket, it was part of our life. She was pretty much raised on campus. The first time watching her run out on that court in the Maverick jersey was super special. It’s just always been part of our life and our family. It’s home.”
Rick and Staci don’t just wear Mavroon and gold; they embody it. Their passion for one another seamlessly intertwines with their love for CMU. Whether it’s the nail-biting football games or the stunning artistic displays at Asteria Theatre, you’ll always find them hand in hand, decked out in their best CMU gear at nearly every university event. Meeting at CMU brought them closer to one another and deepened their connection to the university.