Bronx Community College (BCC) President Dr. Thomas A. Isekenegbe reached out to Klaus and Nellie Schneider to congratulate them on their 50th wedding anniversary in January.

Klaus and Nellie met at BCC in 1972 where she was teaching English as a Second Language and he was a student.

Nellie said to her sister: “A guy came into my English class today. I think I will marry him. I want his eyes for my kids.”

Klaus proposed within a week. They were crossing the color barrier. She is Puerto Rican, and he grew up in Germany. Fifty years ago in New York, people would stop and stare at them. Klaus said it was nothing to do with race. They were simply an attractive couple.

They first settled in Montreal where Klaus worked as an engineer and Nellie brushed up on her French. Klaus would fly around the world working on projects such as Hibernia Oil Platform in New Foundland and Galerie Lafayette in Berlin.

They had two children and eventually moved to Germany where Klaus could be close to his aging parents. Over the years Nellie worked on her education and continued teaching. In Berlin, she pursued her dream of becoming an assistant pastor and a few years later a pastor in a large inner city church. Klaus retired and helped Nellie with her church.

They now live in Magdeburg, one of the oldest cities in Germany where Martin Luther once preached (1526). Their son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren live there.

Klaus and Nellie offered this advice to other couples, “Love without respect is impossible, appreciation of each other is indispensable.”

BCC congratulates Klaus and Nellie on their rich life together and is delighted to be part of their life story.