"… and after 30 seconds I was a GONER…"

In this heartwarming memoir, Dr. Fritz Hilton reflects on the "butterfly effect" of World War II. Because he was assigned to Navy Company 120 instead of 118, he met Scott Gaiman, the man who would eventually introduce him to his wife, Mary.

The story follows Fritz from the snowy hills of Cornell University to a fraternity "sock hop" in March 1947. Despite Mary’s busy schedule as a PhD student (and a fake "lab experiment" excuse to hide another date), they finally met. Fritz recalls the exact moment Mary walked down the stairs in a light pink wool dress: "By the time she was halfway down, I was a goner." It is a tribute to a 70-year legacy of love, science, and the small moments that define our existence.