Home Designed by Bill Laramore '42 Spotlighted in South Bend Tribune

June 25, 2010

June 25, 2010, Greencastle, Ind. — "Bill and Betty Lou Laramore celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary Friday," reports today's South Bend Tribune. "In the same house they designed and had built during their engagement and moved into the day after their wedding on June 25, 1950. The house that, just a few months later, was featured in a Chicago-based magazine, Living for Young Homemakers." (photo: Marcus Marter/South Bend Tribune)

Becky Emmons writes, "Bill, a Plymouth native, graduated from DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., where he had taken some home economics classes, sometimes being the only male in the classes. His family owned Bosworth's, a floor covering, drapery, home interior and women's wear store and, as the only son, he would be joining the business when he graduated from college. He figured that type of course work would be beneficial for the business. For one class, he had to collect pictures of houses he liked and sketch out a 'dream' house. Later, after he met Betty Lou, who grew up in South Bend and studied journalism at Northwestern University, they discovered they shared a love of the architecture and designs of Frank Lloyd Wright. Bill shared the design he'd come up with at DePauw. Later, they altered his college plan and took it to South Bend architect Andy Toth to finish, and had it built on a rural lot southwest of Plymouth." (at right: Bill Laramore's senior picture from the 1942 Mirage)

Bill Laramore, a 1942 DePauw graduate who majored in economics, recalls, "We couldn't find anyone to build it. It was different, with those clerestory windows and flat roofs."

You'll find the complete article, "60 Years, 1 House," at the newspaper's Web site.

In 2003, the Laramores were honored for service to their community.  Details can be found in this story.

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