Carol and Jack McElroy of Pasco celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on June 17 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, with their family.

They moved from Spokane to the Mid-Columbia in 1963.

They became engaged in 1959 while Carol was enrolled in the registered nursing program at Spokane's Sacred Heart School of Nursing. Carol graduated in 1962. After her graduation they married on July 7, 1962.

She was a registered nurse at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Kennewick General Hospital, Vista View Nursing home, and in private care. After retiring from nursing, she worked part time for No Nonsense and Proctor and Gamble.

While working and raising their two daughters, she actively participated in their school at St. Patrick's and their other activities, which included dancing and competitive swimming with the Tri-City Swim Team.

Carol loves traveling and spending time at the pool with family and friends, especially her grandchildren.

As a member of the Washington Air National Guard (ANG), Jack went into the Air Force Aviation Cadet Program in 1957 and was commissioned as an officer and pilot in 1958. While attending Gonzaga, Jack was a Fighter Interceptor pilot in the ANG from 1958 until 1963. Jack completed his Chemical Engineering degree at Gonzaga in 1963.

When they moved to the Tri-Cities in 1963, Jack went to work for General Electric, which soon became Battelle, and he became actively involved in radioactive waste treatment. At Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, he became internationally known for his leadership in the development of vitrification technology, and laid the groundwork for much of today's vitrification (turning waste into glass) technology.

Jack was the director of Waste Technology at Battelle, PNNL and president of Geosafe. He retired in 1995 from Battelle. He is a scientific advisor for Kurion.

He was the past chairman of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) Fuel Cycle and Waste Management Division, President and Chairman of Waste Management Symposia (WMS) in Arizona, and remain active board member. He serves on the Board of Directors for Salvation Army, and is a member of the Richland Kiwanis.

They both love to travel to Hawaii and Mexico, and have enjoyed many cruises.

They have two children, Toni Howard, of Duvall; and Jill Heaton of Richland.

They have four grandchildren.