Prom Song

By KELLIE LANGDON Eagle Staff Writer

May 16, 2009 Last Updated: May 18, 2009 01:42 PM Community

Jordan Hammer and his girlfriend Dianna Stuckey approve of each other’s outfits before Hammer’s dad, Doug, at right, and others take preprom photographs. Butler High School’s prom was held May 8 at the Butler County Community College Convocation Center with the theme “Club Neon.”

Days of preparation for a lifetime of memories

After a 15-minute wait for the restroom, Dianna Stuckey heard something on the speakers that made her give up her spot in line.

The song "You and Me" by Lifehouse started playing, and Stuckey wanted to get back to her prom date, Jordan Hammer.

It was their song that played May 8 at Butler High School's prom held at the Butler County Community College Convocation Center.

Seniors Stuckey of Oakland Township and Hammer of Renfrew, who have been dating for a year and a half, were attending their first and last high school prom together. This had been their plan since 10th grade.

When the time came, their prom — like many — was steeped in traditions: Hammer did not see Stuckey in the dress before prom night. He rented a tuxedo and bought her a wrist corsage. A fancy dinner awaited them before the dance, and the families gathered with flashing cameras to see the couple off.

Less common was the fact that Hammer is bound to a wheelchair due to a neurological disorder called Friedreich's Ataxia, but that didn't detract from the evening.

When Stuckey arrived at her boyfriend's home before the prom, about a dozen people from Hammer's extended family anxiously waited for her to walk in.Cries of "You look beautiful" resounded through the home's foyer, and Stuckey received several hugs before she saw Hammer in his tux."Awesome," was the word Hammer used to describe his date in her ivory silk dress sprayed with blue and magenta flowers."Stunning" was Stuckey's word for Hammer, even though she had helped pick out the classic black tux with an ivory vest and tie.Hammer presented the corsage that complemented her dress, and the family quickly shuffled to the front yard for pictures."My mom was flippin' out," Hammer said. "She went psycho with the camera."The prom experience for Stuckey's parents was naturally more complicated than Hammer's simply because of the dress, shoes, hair, nails and makeup.Her father, Steve Stuckey, said he realized that prom is just a taste of how a future wedding could be."It's kinda what it feels like," he said.Steve Stuckey may not have played a huge role in picking out the dress, but he weighed in on the jewelry."I said, 'Why don't you wear pearls?'"Stuckey's mom, Kristin, couldn't hold back her excitement that night.

Earlier that day, Stuckey had her hair done at Secrets of Hair Design and Day Spa."It was getting a little wild," Kristin Stuckey said of the prom-crazed salon.Stuckey needed to sleep in a little after a lacrosse game in Erie the night before so she would have plenty of energy for prom preparations. As the senior class vice president, she had also been busy throughout the week decorating for the big night.Hammer said he played X-box all day.For his parents, Doug and Ginny, prom preparation included helping to get the tux and order the corsage. They also gave up their family minivan to celebratory decorations.Doug Hammer said that since his son's diagnosis nearly a decade ago, he and his wife have wondered what his life would be like, including field trips, school and church activities."He seems to get through all of it," he said.

"We're happy that he's excited," said Ginny Hammer. She said that the two were very organized and took care of their own reservations.Hammer asked his grandfather, Grampy or Richard Hammer, to chauffeur Stuckey and him to dinner and then to the prom."They twisted my arm," he joked, but was honored to be asked. "I just can't say enough about her (Stuckey)."Richard Hammer and his wife, Lois, drove the couple to Shakespeare's in Ellwood City, but had to stop at an auto-parts store for directions. The older couple then sat in a different part of the restaurant to give the younger couple and their friends some privacy.They later went to the grand march at the high school at which Stuckey said her mother proclaimed, "This is so much more high class than my prom!"Even though Hammer's motorized wheelchair affects his time on the dance floor, it provided a unique way to escort his date.For their grand entrance to Friday's prom, Stuckey rode in on the back of the chair. Several days before prom, Hammers friends rigged his chair with bright blue lights for the "Club Neon" themed occasion.At other school dances, Stuckey has convinced Hammer to maneuver 90 degree turns with his chair during the Electric Slide. They missed that song at prom, but still had a great time dancing and spending time with their friends.

"It's just your last dance," Stuckey said about the prom, "even though you have to go back to school.""It was more than I expected," Hammer said.They also attended the after-prom party where Stuckey "ate a ton of chocolate-covered strawberries."They enjoyed that party because it was easy to just sit and chat and get a good look at the other girls' dresses, Stuckey said.After a long weekend of prom events and a couple days out of town with friends, Hammer and Stuckey were both exhausted."I went to bed at 8 last (Sunday) night," Hammer said.Graduation will arrive in only three weeks and Hammer and Stuckey will then close a chapter of their lives.He plans to attend Edinboro (Pa.) University to study marketing and she plans to attend the University of Pittsburgh to study bioengineering."It will be weird not seeing each other every day," Hammer said.

Jordan Hammer and Dianna Stuckey enjoy the dance “YMCA” at the Butler prom. Seniors Stuckey and Hammer have been dating for a year and a half and this was their first prom together. They had been planning for it since 10th grade.