How I Met My Mate | When Bumper Stickers Did the Matching: Chuck and Eva Hummel

Chuck and Eva Hummel “NOW”. Photo by Jill Cornelius with JC-Originals Photography.

‘Single But Looking’

ROCKWALL COUNTY, TX (Feb. 8, 2026) Long before dating apps and swipes, romance sometimes arrived on four wheels—with a bumper sticker.

It was the early 1980s, and I was working as an apartment leasing agent in Garland. One rainy day, a young man walked into the office, newly arrived from Illinois and looking for a place to live. I took one look at the weather and decided I was not heading out into the rain to view apartments. Cute or not, I handed him a key and a map of the property and sent him on his way.

I told the ladies in the office, “If he comes back, I’ll help him.”

To my luck, he did come back.

I leased him an apartment—right next door to one of my friends. And as any good leasing agent knows, I already knew everything about him thanks to his apartment application.

What really caught my eye, though, was his Chevy S-10 pickup. On the back window was a bumper sticker: “Single But Looking.”

Armed with his phone number and just enough courage, I asked the question that mattered most: 

“Are you still single and looking?”

The answer changed everything.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Thirty-eight years later, we’re still grateful—for rainy days, for bold bumper stickers, and for a time when love found you without an app… just a little bravery and perfect timing.  

Submitted by Eva Hummel. She and her husband Chuck are longtime residents of Rowlett. Photo by Jill Cornelius with JC-Originals Photography.

Editor’s Note: Each year for Valentine’s Day, Blue Ribbon News asks local couples to share stories of how they met. Publishing their tales of true love has become one of our favorite traditions. This year the response was overwhelming. Stay tuned to our Facebook page as Valentine’s Day approaches. The names of several lucky participating couples will be randomly drawn to win gifts from our local prize sponsors – Culpepper Cattle Co., Dodie’s Cajun Diner, Zanata, Wickland’s Sweet Connection, Lakeside Florist, and Wildflower Wigs. 

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