Some love stories begin with a chance introduction and keep unfolding in familiar places. For Kip (RU-1987) and Candy Falany (RU-1988) Wilbanks, those places were the back steps of the old Dean’s house, the rolling hill beside the Hal B. Wansley President’s home, and Hagan Chapel, where they later said, “I do.” Reinhardt wasn’t just the setting of their relationship. It was the environment that shaped it.
Kip Wilbanks (RU-1987)
Their story began thanks to a little matchmaking. They met in high school on a blind, double date arranged by Brady Rogers, the son of Thelma Rogers, Reinhardt’s athletic director at the time. Brady wanted to go out with Candy’s best friend but needed another couple to make it a group outing. Kip joined at the last minute when another plan fell through — “a cancellation,” he laughed — and Candy’s parents agreed because they knew and trusted the Rogers family. That simple connection set the stage for a lifetime together.
Candy (Falany) Wilbanks (RU-1988)
Candy grew up on campus — first in the Dean’s house (now the Admissions house) when her father, Reinhardt President Emeritus Dr. Floyd Falany (1936-2025), served as dean. And later in the President’s home — where students were always coming and going. Snow days became shared memories: cafeteria trays turned into sleds, with long trains of friends sliding down the hill as the campus family gathered under one roof for warmth and hot food. “There were students in our house all the time,” Candy remembered. “It was a different, super-special childhood.”
Professor Emerita Thelma Rogers in 1984.
By the time the two were dating as Reinhardt students, the rhythms of campus life were part of their own. They walked to the lake, slipped into Hagan Chapel to play the grand piano, and joined a Bible study led by Thelma Rogers. Faculty and staff felt like “professor parents,” Candy remembered. “They noticed when something was off and checked in. Staff members knew names and stories. You weren’t a number. You were known and cared for.”
Kip admits he wasn’t planning to go to college at all. But Reinhardt changed that. For the first time, school felt challenging in the best way — applicable, challenging, and personal. It set him on a path he never expected, eventually to an MBA pursued at night while working and raising a family. “Reinhardt was part of that story,” he said. “It grew me as a person.”
Candy and Kip Wilbanks attending an event at the President’s home.
If place anchored their relationship, community gave it texture. Campus life offered a safe “next step” between high school and a large university — space to grow up with support and accountability. Kip and Candy talk often about the gift of letting wise people into your life: coaches, faculty, staff, and friends who help you learn from others’ experiences rather than your own mistakes. That posture — inviting community into your story — became a thread they’ve carried forward ever since.
Candy and Kip Wilbanks.
Decades later, their marriage ministry clearly reflects that thread. For more than twenty years, they have led small groups for young couples, and for the last nine, they have hosted a seven-week date-night course that helps married couples practice communication, navigate conflict, and intentionally choose to stay connected rather than drift apart. They share candlelight, dinner, teaching, and honest stories from their own journey to help other couples flourish.
“Unless you’re intentional, you don’t naturally drift together,” Kip said. “You need rhythms that pull you close.”
Their advice to college couples today is simple and wise: be intentional and set boundaries, keep dating each other, and invite trusted mentors into your story. In other words, do the things that helped them thrive at Reinhardt — on purpose.
President Emeritus Dr. Floyd Falany in 1986. (Reinhardt University Archives)
The campus remains sacred ground for the Wilbanks family. Dr. Falany modeled what it means to know people by name and to show up — at games, events, and everyday moments. After his passing, former students, couples, colleagues, and friends returned to share how his presence changed their lives. That reunion of stories feels like Reinhardt at its best: a place where people are seen, challenged, and loved. Kip and Candy were married in Hagan Chapel, a symbol of that same vision — a campus shaped by faith, community, and care.
Today, they still drive by campus, still smile at the places where their story took root, and still champion the “Reinhardt way” for the next generation: a close-knit college community where students are known, where adults invest, and where love of learning, people, and place grows steady and strong.
The Wilbanks family
Give to Love celebrates alumni whose lives embody that spirit. Kip and Candy’s story reminds us that relationships flourish where community is intentional—where mentors lean in, friends link arms, and couples keep choosing each other. Every gift to Reinhardt helps preserve that kind of environment: one that shapes not only what students learn, but who they become.
When you support the Fund for Reinhardt, you invest in people and programs that nurture lifelong connection — the same spirit that helped shape Kip and Candy’s story. Your generosity helps keep Reinhardt a place where faith and friendship meet, where learning transforms lives, and where love continues to grow.
– By Sherelle Morgan, Director of Annual Giving & Alumni Relations
