John and Jerri Shotwell of Lexington celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with family at the Boone Tavern restaurant in Berea on Thanksgiving Day.
They were married by the late Rev. Dr. Don Herren, a Corbin native, on Nov. 22, 1968, in Danforth Chapel on the campus of Berea College where both graduated earlier that year.
Jerri was born Geraldine Cochrane in London, Ky., the daughter of Delbert and Lucy Cochrane, and graduated from London H.S. in 1964 as valedictorian. She obtained an MBA from George Mason University and retired from a career as a financial controller.
John (Johnny Mack) was raised in Corbin, the son of Malcolm and Kathryn Shotwell, and graduated from Corbin HS with the class of 1964. After college, he joined the Marine Corps, retiring as a colonel after 26 years of active service which included combat service in Vietnam, Lebanon and the Persian Gulf region. He later received a PhD in strategic communications from the University of Kentucky.
Also in attendance at the anniversary dinner were their son, Kerry Jason Shotwell, a graduate of Radford University, and his two sons, Jay and Adam, from Manassas, VA.
