Weathering the Storm

Johnny’s mother moved from Italy to the United States in 1946, and his father was a commercial fisherman. Though his parents both had an eighth-grade education, they encouraged him to pursue higher education. Laura’s parents met in college while her dad attended Texas A&M University and her mother attended Texas Woman’s University. From a young age, Laura knew Texas A&M was the place for her. “My family is full of Aggies,” she said. “My Aggie dad and uncle both made a point to make sure my feet were on the campus.”

Despite their similarities, the couple wouldn’t have encountered each other if not for a mutual connection. Laura was vacationing in Galveston with her family when her childhood friend invited her to play pool with Johnny. At the end of the game, Laura gave Johnny her number, and the sparks flew from there. Though they lived more than five hours away from each other, their love triumphed, and they married shortly after high school.

“We had to jump through a lot of hoops back then to stay in contact,” Laura said. “We wrote letters, but by the time the snail mail got there, we had already called each other. We loved each other enough to do it, though.”

Learning Through the Storm

After marrying, they both attended junior college and worked retail positions while planning to attend a major university. The couple toured the College Station campus and pondered their future, but just a few days later, Mother Nature would make their decision for them.

“We visited Texas A&M a few days before the hurricane,” Laura explained. “We met Bob Cherry, the vice chancellor then, and he became a close friend. On our way home, the radio broadcasts kept telling people in Galveston to be on alert and evacuate.” The couple retrieved the essentials from their home, prepared it to withstand the storm as much as possible and evacuated. When they returned to assess the damage, an entire wall of their condo was gone.
 

With no home and minimal belongings, there was only one option. “My parents told us we were going to Texas A&M right then, and they helped us find a place to live near the university,” Laura said. After a taxing apartment search, Cherry helped them register for classes and adjust to life on campus. Just 10 days after the hurricane destroyed their possessions, the Campanellos had become Texas A&M students with a new home.

“The biggest challenge was being thrown onto a campus not knowing what to expect and not having the prior experience of a large campus environment,” Laura said. “We just had each other at first.” During their time at Texas A&M, Laura and Johnny made close friends who are still in their lives today, made countless memories and learned life lessons they will never forget. Their fondest memories, though, are the times they spent with Laura’s parents on campus. “My parents would come down for football games, concerts, bonfires and all kinds of events,” Laura recalled. “They refused to sit down during the games. We always had to take them to the student section!”

While in school, Johnny and Laura sold shrimp to local Bryan-College Station restaurants to help make ends meet, while Johnny also worked for a CPA in Navasota his junior and senior year. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, and Laura received a bachelor’s in agricultural economics. After all they had been through, graduation was a memorable celebration of not only their academic achievements but also the perseverance and hard work their parents had instilled in them from an early age.