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Valentine's Day Has "Sweet" Significance for Ex-Mayor and His Wife

Tom Jardim and Karen Fountain have some very meaningful memories when it comes to February 14... old and new.

For former mayor Tom Jardim, and his wife Karen Fountain, Valentine's Day has more than just a little "heart" felt significance. February 14, 1986, was the day she stole his heart.

"Our first date was Valentine's Day," said Karen, who met Tom her freshman year at University of Richmond. She was 18, he was 19.

"There was a Sadie Hawkins Dance at school. I was used to asking boys to dances because I went to a Catholic, all-girls high school."

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So Karen asked… and Tom accepted. And although a snowstorm stopped the dance that Valentine's Day, it didn't stop their impending romance. "There was a state of emergency in Richmond. We just hung out and talked the whole night."

"I had this crazy mad crush on her," said Tom. "I was a big sophomore and she was a pretty little freshman former Catholic school girl. I had a crush on her really badly."

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And he apparently was not the only one. "There was this other guy who was a friend of mine who kind of had a crush on her. We were kind of vying for her attention," said Tom, adding jokingly "He's worth a 100 million. She definitely made the wrong choice," he chuckled.

Karen happily chimed in, "I was thinking which guy am I going to invite to the dance and (the other guy) went skiing that weekend. I was a little on the fence." Since Tom didn't try to kiss her too soon, she decided to go for "the slower guy."

But the relationship quickly grew, despite some time apart.

Tom studied in London for a semester, and Karen studied in Paris for a year. "We'd go visit each other," said Karen.

Tom graduated ahead of Karen and stayed in Richmond as a paralegal until she was finished with school.

After Karen graduated, they went to Africa together for six months. "We almost broke up in the middle of it," said Karen. "Thank goodness that didn't happen."

Love prevailed… and ultimately they ended up in Washington, D.C., together. Tom transferred from the University of Bridgeport to American University for law school so they could move south.

"We were totally broke and happy," said Tom. He was in law school and Karen taught and worked in a women's health clinic. "That was like our time," Tom recalled.

And that love did lead to marriage, but not quite in the traditional way. "She asked me to marry her" said Tom.  

"I had very specific ideas back then," said Karen. "I didn't like the word engagement." ("Really?!" quipped Tom.)

"I really didn't like the idea of a man asking a woman to get married. You're a couple and you know you're going to get married. You know that your future is together… why should anybody ask anyone anything?"

At that point they had been together seven and a half years. They were now in their late 20s. It was time. "I found out when the church was available" Karen said.

August 7, 1993.  That was the date.

And as "untraditional" as Karen's marriage philosophy was, their Connecticut wedding was just the opposite. "I would've preferred not to have a big wedding," she said, but she did it for her mom.

And while Tom wanted a wedding by the beach, and she wanted a wedding by a barn, they compromised on a site along the Connecticut River with 100-plus guests.

"It was beautiful," she admitted.

Two and a half months later, after detouring to Texas for six weeks, they traveled back up north… to Westfield.

"He's a big dreamer and I'm the pragmatist," said Karen. "He said 'I'm gonna run for mayor and I said 'I think you should run for town council first.'"

But Tom's dream prevailed. In 1996, he  became Westfield's first Democratic mayor in nearly a century.

"I was working as a lawyer, she was working in the city and going to school (for her masters in public health)," said Tom, who also has a masters in foreign affairs. "I was working in the mayor's office and she'd be laying on the floor doing her homework or sleeping in the wing chair."

Tom was re-elected in 1998, the year they had their oldest daughter Cecile, now 11. Charlotte, now nine, and Nathaniel, now seven, soon followed.

And from their three children grew yet another "sweet" Valentine's Day tradition… literally. It was a dessert party.

"I like to make dessert and I thought that would be kind of an easy party to do," said Karen. "We had little kids… it was for friends. We were like 'come, we're going to have dessert. Don't bring anything. We're going to just let the kids run around."

The tradition started for the neighbors since they didn't visit often during cold winter months.

"After a while we'd have a few friends," said Karen. "It got to one point a few years ago where we had 57 kids and 50 adults. The kids outnumbered the adults. Thomas was afraid the house was going to fall in. I hired two babysitters as bouncers."

"After the 57 kids, I said 'yea... I think I'm just going to do adults."

That was three years ago.

Since then, the party dynamic has reversed. "Our kids are still here and they have a few friends over."

"There are just too many nice people in town. I can't even remember who I invite… I invite a lot of people." There are about 100 on the list. (Tom: "She totally knows more people than I do.")

"Last year we had our minister, my yoga teacher and some of the teachers from school," explained Karen. "I did invite the crossing guard but he didn't come."

"Thomas has a 'heart attack' every year," joked Karen. "He's nervous the house is going to fall in. Once we have it he totally loves it."

"I think she's into Valentine's Day," teased Tom. "My wife dots her I's with hearts." (Karen: "I don't really dot my I's with hearts.")

"I'm crazy about my wife," said Tom. "I think she's incredibly beautiful and I think she's an incredibly nice person."

Karen said she loves her husband's sense of humor. "I think we really compliment each other. He sees the big picture. He helps me to do things I wouldn't normally do and always has."

She added, "he always makes me laugh. He's such the goofy father. He's a great dad. I say to my kids all the time 'your dad's not a 'normal' dad." He's always got us going off on some adventure."

Both agree that they are extremely supportive of their kids and insist on positive reinforcement. "I feel like when they grow up they'll feel like they can really accomplish anything" said Karen.

And even after all of their successes, personally and professionally, the couple remains very modest.  "We're a total work in progress," said Tom. "We work really hard at it."

As for their magical memories of Valentine's Day and how they got together, "I tell my kids that every year," said Tom. "They're bored by that story."

Editor's Note: This is the third part of a four-part Valentine's Weekend series on couples in Westfield.

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