Tanya and Eddie

LaTanya Jenay Bennett is the only child of Donald and Pamela Bennett. She is a New Jersey native where she still resides.

Christ
LaTanya is a born again Christian, who considers herself a constant work in progress. She has a heart of compassion and tries to share God’s love with everyone that she meets. She is a member of Christ Church in Montclair, NJ.

Books

Being an only child, Tanya often had to find activities that she could do alone. As soon as she could sit up in her crib, she grabbed a book and has been reading ever since. Tanya loves books that celebrate African-American culture, and she is drawn to reading about cultures that differ from her own. Tanya most enjoys reading autobiographies and historical based fiction. She owns hundreds of books and hopes to one day have a personal library.

Shopping

Some would say that most women like to shop and that everyone likes a good deal. Tanya definitely takes it to the next level. She truly has the talent of making a dollar out of fifteen cents. It is most likely a trait passed down from her father. One of her earliest memories is of her dad taking her on a grocery extravaganza. There was no such thing as a regular trip to the grocery store. It was a process that included clipping coupons, doing price comparisons between stores and going aisle by aisle to ensure they were getting the best deals and not missing out on anything. By the end of the trip the store usually ended up owing her dad money!  She applies this model to everything she buys and has ended up with some outstanding deals. Her friends often tease her about it, but she always gets the last laugh when they purchase the same thing and she gets hers for half the price!

Some of Tanya’s other interests include: Spending time with family, cooking, watching documentaries, skiing, dancing, eating, watching movies, watching football (she’d be in trouble if she didn’t), theater, live music, dance, The Color Purple, Coming to America.

 

Edward Lewis Ford, III is the son of Edward Lewis Jr. and Gayle Rowlette. He has one younger brother, Eric, who resides in Washington, D.C. Edward is a New Jersey native and he still resides there today.

Christ

Edward is a devoted Christian. He’s not perfect, but he loves the Lord and tries to share His love with everyone he comes in contact with. He has been a lifelong member of St. James A.M.E. Zion Church where he has grown spiritually because of the word of God and the loving spirit of its members who he considers an extended family.

Sports

Edward loves sports. He started playing at a very young age and continued through high school. Where did this all begin? Maybe it was Uncle Willie getting him in a three-point stance right after he learned to walk. Maybe it was Uncle Butch and Marshad having him do 40 push-ups - at age 7. Maybe it was his Dad who took Eric and him on countless trips to the park. Or maybe it was his Mom. One Sunday in the fall of 1981, she sat her firstborn son in front of the TV around 1:00PM (kickoff for NFL football games) and said “On Sundays in this house, we watch football.” Whatever it was, it stuck.

Food

Edward loves food. He eats everything from the Grease Trucks, to barbecue, to Thai food, to top cuisine. He also loves to take pictures of the food he eats. His Facebook friends may have seen him document his travels with snaps of burgers, cookies and cupcakes. And since he loves to eat so much, his parents made sure he knew how to cook, too.

Other interests

Technology, reading, my iPhone, sneakers (Nikes to be specific), spending time with my family, traveling, X-Men, Batman, good music, commuting, words, PBS, hipsters, nerds, people, excellence, nutrition, searching for the essence…
 

How they met…
Edward went all the way to Boston to find a Jersey girl. Tanya and Eddie developed a friendship at Boston College, working together on the Black Student Forum executive board and singing in the Voices of Imani gospel choir. It wasn’t until a few years after their graduations from BC (Tanya in 2002 and Eddie in 2003) when they reconnected through the INROADS Alumni Association. Eddie took Tanya to plays and restaurants in New York. Tanya took Eddie to Philadelphia and made delicious home-cooked meals. They went to church together. And after a trip to the Dominican Republic where they both caught a stomach bug on the last night of their trip, they knew they had something special.

 

Their Favorites

Movies
Coming to America
X-Men (All of them!)
The Color Purple (Ok that’s really more Tanya)
Wedding Crashers (Although we hope no one crashes ours)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Batman
Crash
When We Were Kings

TV
ER
Hell’s Kitchen
Iron Chef (The original)
Football (Ok definitely more Eddie, but Tanya can hang)
Down Home with the Neely’s
Chopped
The Cosby Show Re-runs (Eddie thinks he’s Cliff Huxtable)
The Office
ESPN Sportscenter (This is LaTanya Bennett and I did not approve this message)
30 Rock
Frontline (PBS rocks)