John and Anita Strickler (center) arrive at the Plaza before a screening of the movie “The Bat,” which they saw on their first date. Their daughter, Elizabeth Strickler (left), set it up. Christopher Escobar (right), owner of the Plaza, greeted them on Dec. 23, 2025. (Rodney Ho/AJC
For decades, Elizabeth Strickler had heard the same story about how her parents met.
It was late summer of 1959. Anita Van Buskirk had just graduated from Emory University with a math degree. John Strickler was a trainee at a bank after a stint with the Marines. A mutual friend set them up on a blind date, and they chose to see a film, a safe first date option.
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On Dec. 14, 1960, Anita Von Buskirk and John Strickler announced their pending marriage in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. On their 65th wedding anniversary, they returned to where they think they had their first date: the Plaza Theatre. (Courtesy)
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On Dec. 23, 2025, Plaza Theatre owner Christopher Escobar (left) welcomes Anita and John Strickler to the theater, where they think they had their first date in 1959. (Rodney Ho/AJC)
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Anita and John Strickler settle in before seeing “The Bat” at the Plaza to celebrate their 65th anniversary. (Rodney Ho/AJC)
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Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.ajc.com ’
