John and Vivian Ingersoll, Lawrence and Marva Carter and Alvin and Lydia Foster, each recently married, had all arrived at Boston University's School of Education.
The men, all head directors of dormitories while pursuing doctorate degrees, met for the first time at staff meetings.
Colleagues at first, their relationship soon grew to include their wives, Marva, Lydia and Vivian, who became quick friends, too.
The six of them would become almost inseparable, gathering often to debate the issues of the day or break bread, preferably at Lydia the dietitian's table.
"Lydia was the quintessential hostess, and she could throw down in the kitchen," Marva said.
Those moments, though, were about far more than food and fun, they said. They were also therapeutic.
"Black worship and gatherings like we'd have at the Fosters were uplifting and inspiring because they helped you endure the racism," Lawrence Carter said. "When we left, it was like being renewed because everybody understood the cultural references and you didn't have to explain everything."
Over the next 16 years, they would each add a son — the Ingersolls in 1972, the Fosters in 1973 and the Carters in 1985. Lawrence Carter would complete work on his Ph.D. in pastoral psychology and counseling while Marva wrapped up her piano studies at the New England Conservatory of Music and Boston University and work on a Ph.D. at the University of Illinois in Urbana.
