St. Petersburg Times describes love and adventure for Ward '03

An installment of the St. Petersburg Times series “Heart Beat” describes what brought newlyweds Suzanne Eldridge ’03 and Carlton Ward Jr. together. “They both saw the Big Picture,” writes reporter Amy Scherzer, “from the fragility of the ecosystem to the frailty of humanity.” Ward is a wildlife photographer whose work supports nature conservancy projects. Eldridge is a law student who helped start two nonprofits that focus on emotional health issues in young women. She’s now managing director of the University of South Florida Hope House for Eating Disorders. “A mutual friend introduced them,” Scherzer writes. “Click! Ward zoomed in, capturing Eldridge’s heart.” He proposed on a Thai beach on the island of Phuket. “I turned to my right and he’s in a foot of water, on his knee,” she said. “I still can’t stop smiling.” View story from the St. Petersburg Times, July 21, 2010.