Deployed captain surprises wife at Samford graduation

One of the nursing graduates at Samford University’s nursing school commencement was in for a surprise Dec. 12.

When her name was called over the microphone, Kim Scott walked to the front of the auditorium to meet her family. Scripted words about her husband, Captain Scott Stephen, told the audience that he was deployed in Afghanistan and Kuwait. But what was said next wasn’t in the information she had submitted.

 “And is here with us today,” echoed through Shades Mountain Baptist Church as her husband crossed the stage to embrace her.

“I didn’t really know what to do,” Kim said later. “All I was thinking in my head before that was, ‘Get your pin, get your lamp and get on stage.’”

Stephen had managed to fly in that morning at 9 a.m. just in time for the ceremony. His mother, who was the first to know about his plans, confessed that he was nervous because he wanted the entire spotlight to be on Kim.

“I was planning to surprise her, but some family kind of surprised us both by making this a little bigger of a thing than I intended,” Stephen said. “I was just planning on, unknowingly to her, being her in the audience for the ceremony.”

Media outlets from all over Birmingham were there to catch Kim’s expression as Stephen walked out. Stephen will also attend Kim’s commissioning and spend time with her until Tuesday when he will return to Kuwait.