By Janay Boyd | Reporter
It all started in the fall of 1987, when a young man from Charleston, S.C., moved to Baton Rouge, La., to begin graduate school in sociology at LSU. What he didn’t expect was that battling the sweltering Louisiana heat would lead him to the love of his life.
“The semester started, and I go into the sociology building, where I’d been going for two weeks,” Dr. Carson Mencken said. “All of a sudden, there was this cute little girl downstairs. I’m like, ‘Oh, this is getting better, right?’ It was. It was Kim.”
Professor Kimberly Mencken was a sophomore at the time who had her eye on Carson early on. She eventually asked Carson to her sorority semi-formal, but he took two days to respond — not out of hesitation, but to make sure their age difference wouldn’t cause any issues.
Both agreed they knew relatively quickly that they were right for each other. For Carson, it only took about six weeks, right after Mardi Gras in 1988.
After a year of dating, Carson proposed on Valentine’s Day 1989. They married that December at her parents’ lake house in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and honeymooned at Disney World — a place that would become a recurring theme in their adventures.
After their wedding, the Menckens returned to Baton Rouge, where Kimberly worked at a bank while earning her master’s degree, and Carson completed his doctoral work. Their academic journeys eventually led them to West Virginia University in Morgantown, where they faced one of their biggest challenges — brutal winters.
“It’s the absolute coldest place I’ve ever lived,” Kimberly said. “As we stayed there, we eventually decided if we’re going to survive winter, we needed to find something we enjoy about it, and we took up ice skating.”
Kimberly said that ice skating was the one thing she was better at than Carson.
“She’s really good,” Carson said. “Meanwhile, I look like a gorilla making a pie.”
In 2001, their son Carter was born. Shortly after, the Menckens moved to Waco, where they joined the faculty at Baylor in 2002. Over the last 23 years, they’ve built a life that blends their passions for teaching, research and community.
“Carson talked to the economics department, and they had the perfect opening as a lecturer,” Kimberly said. “I interviewed with them, and it just worked. Usually, it doesn’t work out this way for academic couples … to get a job at the same school. We were really, really fortunate. It was God’s will.”
Carson, a sociology professor, and Kimberly, who teaches economics, have collaborated on academic papers, co-directed student programs and even hosted dinners for students every Sunday as faculty-in-residence.
Their love for travel has been another cornerstone of their relationship. Through Baylor’s study abroad programs, they’ve explored 10 countries, leading students through Europe and returning to their favorite destination — Disney World.
“We’re co-directing Baylor in Great Britain right now,” Kimberly said. “I run it from the business school side, and he runs it from the arts and sciences side. I don’t think I would want to run this program with anybody else.”
With retirement on the horizon, Carson and Kimberly are eager to check more destinations off their bucket list — with Iceland, New Zealand and Australia at the top. Kimberly even dreams of following Carter, now a Ph.D. student at the University of Georgia, around the country, potentially in an RV with a new furry companion in tow.
They also look forward to spending time with future grandchildren and embracing life’s next chapter, Kimberly said.
“After our last trip to Disney, the lines were so bad I don’t think I’m going to get [Carson] to go back until we have grandchildren,” she said.
Through the ups and downs of life, Carson and Kimberly have learned that a strong marriage thrives on communication, respect and a shared sense of purpose. Carson credits Kimberly’s deep sense of fairness and justice with shaping his outlook, while Kimberly admires Carson’s compassion and his dedication — whether it’s to his career, fatherhood or being a loving husband.
“I’m much more considerate of other people than I used to be — patient and more empathetic to other people’s situations,” Carson said. “Those are three big ways that I can think about how my life is better because of Kim.”
Carson emphasized the importance of considering each other’s circumstances and not rushing into marriage.
Kimberly echoed this sentiment, adding that setting boundaries and learning to say no has been key to balancing their personal and professional lives.
“It’s no longer you, it’s now us,” Carson said. “Everything that happens to her, or everything that happens to him, is really also happening to you.”
As they reflect on 35 years of marriage, Carson and Kimberly expressed immense gratitude for the journey they’ve shared. And if the past is any indication, they hope their future will be filled with just as much love, laughter and adventure as the journey that brought them here.
