By Mary O’KEEFE

It’s prom season! It’s a night of music and dance when boys and girls walk onto the dance floor as the music takes them away. That magical feeling of prom was never more present than on the night of April 22 at Scholl Canyon Estates.

Lusine Khachikyan, activity coordinator at Scholl Canyon Estates, the assisted living facility in Glendale, wanted to do something fun for the residents of the retirement community while creating a unique outreach event. A “senior” prom was perfect.

Khachikyan invited student groups from local high schools and colleges to help “chaperone” the prom. The boys and girls, including members of Crescenta Valley High School’s Prom Plus Club, joined the residents on the dance floor.

“It was fun,” said Justin Gentle, Prom Plus Club member, who danced the night away with one of the residents.

As with every prom, a king and queen were crowned. Nick and Lillie Medvid made the perfect royal couple. Married 64 years this October, the pair held hands as they made their way to the royal court to receive their crowns.

Nick shared with the crowd how the two met so many years ago. Lillie was a teacher and Nick was working in a large room at the school that was being used as a museum when he first noticed her. He was in the balcony as this “unusual young lady” walked by talking “loudly” about all the things she was involved in.

“I was fascinated by all the things she did,” he said.

Nick introduced himself – that was on a Friday evening – and by Sunday they had their first date.

“We had a short courtship,” Nick said.

Nick and Lillie are from Detroit.

“She lived on the east side of Detroit and I lived on the west side,” he said. “The boys on the west side always thought the girls on the east side were better looking, and the boys of the east side always thought the girls on the west side were better.”

Nick traveled from the west side to the east side for several months until he finally was ready to ask “the” question.

“I [bought] a ring and met [with] her mother and explained that I had this ring and [wanted] to marry her daughter. [I asked], ‘May I have your permission?” Nick recalled.

Mother said yes, so Nick waited for Lillie to get home; however, it didn’t go quite as planned because when Lillie came home she had a lot of things to do.

“She was the darndest thing. She was walking all over the house and I was following her all over the house,” Nick said.

Lillie had no idea what Nick was about to ask. Finally she slowed down so he could catch her and ask her to marry him.

“She hugged me and we kissed, and we hugged again,” he said.

That was the beginning of their 64 years together.

After Nick and Lillie shared their story, they shared a dance as prom king and queen.

Khachikyan said the senior prom turned out better than she had thought and plans to make it an annual event.

  Mary Okeefe