Gerard was the first. His mother, Anna Brunick, would drive him from their family home at Dam Neck to Oceana, where he would catch a bus to the Old Dominion campus in Norfolk. It was 1965. Tuition was $200 per semester, and Jerry was able to earn enough at his summer job to pay the upcoming year's tuition and books for his engineering courses.

Then came Cathy, in 1971. So as not to be a financial burden to her parents she had bought her own car - a '65 MG Midget that took up quite a bit of her dad's time, if not his money, for repairs. Cathy was also able to pay her own way, taking business management courses that helped her land a job, while still in school, with Rey Construction, a professional engineering firm she now manages.

After Cathy came Kevin, Michael, Brian and Dan: all Brunick siblings who attended the university, each earning enough money to cover their tuition through summer and part-time jobs. Timothy, the youngest brother, attended the College of William and Mary on a wrestling scholarship.

"Yeah," jokes Kevin, "but he couldn't have made it here at Old Dominion, anyhow."

And, then there are the spouses: Jerry met Linda Hunter on campus, through mutual friends. Linda had transferred from Longwood College after her freshman year, "because Old Dominion had a much stronger math program." Also the "product" of a campus romance are Kevin and Kathryn Kitchen, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in business management.

Another Brunick sister, Deborah, elected not to pursue a college degree, but did marry Russ Chandler, who graduated from Old Dominion in 1974 with a B.S. degree in business. Brian met and married Linda Miller, who had come to the university from Fairfax, "because I had heard good things about Old Dominion's business school, and because I heard from this school first among those to which I applied." She and Brian met at Friar Tucks, a favorite local hangout where Michael was working. With two Lindas, a Cathy and a Kathryn, there is a family joke about the "real" Brunicks, but one is hard pressed to distinguish between the "real" Brunicks and their spouses. This is a close-knit group.

Having a built-in network of friends and family at Old Dominion provided a sense of stability to the siblings. Freshman anxiety was eliminated, and older Brunicks could offer advice on favorite classes and professors. Some lessons were learned the hard way, however. Linda Miller recalls living in Rogers Hall and receiving instructions at freshman orientation on how to safely cross Hampton Boulevard. It was a session Michael had missed a few years earlier: he was struck by a car while crossing the busy street on his way to orientation. Luckily, he escaped with only minor bumps and bruises, and now looks back on the event with the soft focus of nostalgia.

For the Brunicks, Old Dominion University was a natural choice, offering affordability, proximity to home and and a good education. It was understood, though, that each child would have to fund his or her own education. Their parents were always there for shelter, food and laundry, but resources did not stretch to cover tuition and books for such a large family.

Anna Brunick, now a widow, is clearly proud of her children's educational accomplishments. She's also happy that their collective collegiate experience caused relatively few headaches. Even when pressed, she can recall just one anecdote (carefully prefaced by "no names"). She once got a call from the police telling her that "someone driving your car was seen removing the doormat from in front of the Burger King (across from campus)." As it turned out, it was a passenger in the car, not one of her sons; the doormat was returned, and no further action was taken.

"Really," Anna exclaims, "aside from parking tickets, there is really nothing else I can recall!"

Ah, parking tickets. Dan was nearly denied his diploma because of an outstanding fine owed by Michael. That issue was successfully resolved, although even now there is mutual deniability on the part of both Dan and Michael. They laugh as they remember those discussions. And then there was the problem of library fines. Brian professes outrage over the accusation of library books returned 20 years late. Linda Hunter Brunick, who came back to Old Dominion years later to complete her degree in 1994 and was the one returning the books, asserts, "But Brian, they had your name in them!" No fines were assessed.

Other family reminiscences include Cathy's recollection of getting to the cafeteria early in the morning to enjoy the tasty hash browns and grits prepared by Lucy Rowe, a favorite short-order cook with the students, and monthly dances in Webb Center. Linda Hunter Brunick recalls, with a shudder, taking calculus at 8 a.m., five days a week. For Kevin, the fun he and his friends had scrimmaging with the Lady Monarchs remains a fond memory. He recalls playing against Wendy Larry, who now coaches the team, and Maura McHugh, an assistant coach of the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs.

Through the years, the Brunicks have retained close ties to their alma mater. Kevin has served on the Alumni Association board. Jerry, now the president of Engineering Services in Virginia Beach, hasn't missed a men's home basketball game in 25 years, and is currently a trustee of the university's Intercollegiate Foundation. He's had Monarch season tickets for nearly three decades - having started this tradition even before he and Linda were married.

"I knew he was getting serious about our relationship," says Linda, "when he gave me the whole season ticket packet instead of handing them out one at a time."

The Brunicks gather at basketball games as a way of having mini-family reunions. Dan, who admits he was not an avid fan as a student, now knows that if he is to keep in touch with his family, the easiest and most fun way is to attend the games.

The Brunick siblings are a family of humor, intelligence and accomplishment. Kevin continued his education at the College of William and Mary Law School, and now is in sole practice as an attorney in Virginia Beach. Dan, who earned his degree in biology, works for the Navy in occupational health. Brian is an administrative manager with Merrill Lynch, and Michael recently formed his own home construction company, Definitive Homes. Each considers their experience at Old Dominion instrumental in their success.

"We had good professors and got a good education at a university with a good reputation," Cathy remarks. "And it was affordable. We could not have made a better choice."