From Friends to Lovers
Two Auburn alumni, Molly Cassidy and Jacob Citch, met on the first day of their freshman year, in their world history class.
“My advice on love is to date your best friend,” Cassidy said. The professor of their history class had assigned seats, and the two students sat next to each other all semester and were slow to get to know each other. At first, they didn’t talk much, but they soon began to become each other's favorite person, making history class a lot more exciting.
“It might be scary at first to date your best friend, but he’s my favorite person," Cassidy said. They found out around final exam time that they had classes next semester together as well.
“Everything clicked with him and I felt like I had known him for ages,” Cassidy said. Through the couples’ classes and free time spent together, they became best friends.
“We spent about 2 years being “just friends” until we decided to date,” said Cassidy. The two students also had mutual friends, but these friends all met around the same time during freshman year. The couple loves to snowboard and travel together.
“Some of our best memories have included snowboarding and taking trips to different places,” Cassidy said. Overall, Citch and Cassidy just love spending time with each other. The two lovebirds will get married on June 3, 2023. Citch proposed to Cassidy on his graduation day, in December 2021.
“I had graduated the previous spring and so he likes to say ‘We met on the first day of freshman year and he proposed on the last day of his senior year,'" Cassidy said. Citch had planned for Cassidy’s best friends from Auburn and Virginia Beach (her hometown) to come to surprise her at Ross House Coffee after.
“Even through all of life’s struggles Jacob is still my person to turn to and lean into when things get hard,” Cassidy said.
It’s More Than Just A Band
Chris and Kim King met in the fall of 1991, through the Auburn University Marching Band.
“I had accidentally hit Chris' trumpet with my flag, dented his trumpet and busted his lip,” Kim said. They had been placed beside each other in the opening set of the show.
“I was attracted to her cute, sassy personality,” Chris said. The two college kids soon became close through spending time together in the marching band.
“It was probably his eyes that attracted me initially,” Kim said. There were also plenty of band trips the two went on and the time-consuming schedule brought them closer together.
“Any band trip was fun no matter the outcome, but beating Florida in The Swamp in 1994 would have to be one of the best,” Kim said. The Kings married in August 1998 in a traditional church ceremony.
“How’d I know Chris was the one? You just know,” Kim said. The couple met by bonding over their love for band and performing, but it soon became more than just that.
“When they are the first person you want to call when something good or bad happens, you know,” Kim said. The Auburn students ended up dating for 6 years before getting married.
“When you miss them when you can’t be together, you know and when you start planning your future with them in it, you know,” Kim said.
The couple had a large reception after their traditional wedding, complete with bottled cokes & Tenda Chick in honor of the groom’s favorite Auburn chicken!
“We laugh a lot just at little everyday things,” said Kim. The Kings have been married almost 25 years. They currently live in Prattville, AL. Chris is the Director of Bands at Prattville High School and Kim works for Autauga County Preschool Services. They have three daughters, Ashtyn Grace, Emma Claire & Audrey Kate.
The Kings’ best life moments have been the days their three girls were born, the days their girls were baptized, the days their oldest two kids graduated high school and anytime they can see their kids perform.
“Most recently, a proud moment was Senior Day Recognition 2022, honoring Ashtyn Grace for her four years on Auburn’s Flagline,” said Kim. Some of the Kings’ most cherished band moments spent together include Iron Bowls 2013 and 2019 in Jordan Hare, Alumni Band with their oldest daughter and dear friends.
“We also loved when Auburn Gymnastics beat Bama for the first time and when our oldest two daughters got accepted to Auburn,” said Kim. Their favorite memories also include their road trip to Dallas to see their oldest daughter perform for the first time with The AUMB Flag-line, and Honor Band 2021 when all three of their girls performed in Jordan-Hare together.
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Virginia Shea, sophomore in pre-public relations, is a culture writer at The Auburn Plainsman.
