Willam and Landrey Black admit they don’t exactly have a traditional boy-meets-girl story. How they became a couple is something more unique and woven together by an Ozarks Tech thread.
William comes from a farm family in Crane, Missouri, but it was a specific event that led him to study animal science at Ozarks Tech. Years before he stepped foot on the Richwood Valley Campus, his pet horse became ill. A mobile veterinarian diagnosed the animal with foundering – a painful inflammation of the hoof. Seeing the vet’s knowledge and ability to help the beloved horse was the moment William knew he wanted to do the same. Still in high school, he arranged to shadow the vet and take dual courses at Ozarks Tech. From that moment on his sights were set on becoming a veterinarian and Ozarks Tech was part of the means to get him there.
A former Carthage, Missouri student who took ag classes at her school, Landrey was disappointed to find her new high school didn’t offer similar classes when she moved to Springfield. Thinking her future goal was also to be a veterinarian, Landrey dual enrolled in animal science at Ozarks Tech.
That’s where the couple’s paths first crossed in the fall of 2022.
William and Landrey had several classes together. Both driven and extremely interested in their program at Ozarks Tech, they began showing up to class early (sometimes as early as 7 a.m. for an 8 a.m. course), staying late and participating in as many activities as they could. It was when they were paired up for a group project that things started to take a turn, but it was campus activities that finally helped the couple move past being just fellow study partners.
“I kept wondering why he would get to class so early and when we would see each other at campus events like the Ozarks Tech picnics, he’d always joke ‘hey, I know you!’” Landrey explained. “I thought it was just casual.”
But here’s where the story gets colorful. Each year in October, the Ozarks Fall Farmfest – the largest farm show in the Midwest – is held at the Ozarks Empire Fairgrounds. William decided to ask Landrey to go with him … and he asked during class while they were palpating a cow to check for pregnancy (for all the non-agriculture people, you can Google palpating).
“It worked. She gave me her number,” William recalls with a laugh.
This set the couple up for a host of additional dates, including movies at the drive-in in Aurora, trips to corn mazes, deer hunting on William’s family farm and, of course, fall events on campus.
After that, the couple collectively explains they were “two peas in a pod” for the entire next spring semester.
“We just share so much in common,” William said.
Landrey chimed in: “We are just really good together.”
It was during a trip to Silver Dollar City on Landrey’s birthday in July 2023 the couple made it official and got engaged. They married May 20, 2024.
Ozarks Tech classmates supported the couple with help planning the wedding and with gifts. They describe their small, private wedding – that included a vanilla wedding cake baked by Landrey – as perfect.
William received his associate degree in animal science in the spring of 2024 and is now at Missouri State University. He eventually plans to complete his veterinary education at Mizzou. After discovering the many agriculture options at Ozarks Tech, Landrey has decided she wants to bestow that knowledge on others as an agriculture teacher. She currently works part-time at the Richwood Valley Campus and is set to graduate this fall with an associate degree in general agriculture.
The takeaway?
“Be active at Ozarks Tech, stay involved on campus and you will find your people, your career path and maybe even a relationship,” Landrey said.