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This story was originally published in the August 2026 issue of The Leaflet, Elon’s quarterly printed newsletter.

Julie Thoman remembers CJ Fleming’s first baby steps years ago, and the large pink letters with Fleming’s initials mounted over her crib. In July, the two lifelong friends became colleagues.

Thoman is now an associate director of online communications for Elon, based in Charlotte, where for four years she has maintained the website for Queens.

Fleming is an associate professor of psychology, associate director of undergraduate research, chair of the Department of Human Service Studies and the faculty administrative fellow at Elon. As a fellow, Fleming is supporting the merger of Queens and Elon by reviewing graduate policies, processes and procedures to assure the university grows its graduate degree portfolio strategically and intentionally.

Both Thoman and Fleming lived briefly in New Bern, North Carolina, before their parents’ careers took them to Okinawa, Japan, and Morehead City, North Carolina, respectively. Thoman’s father flew C-130 planes for the U.S. Marine Corps and Fleming’s father served as an administrator for various North Carolina school systems.

When military assignments and careers separated the young friends, Thoman’s family letters — notably their popular Christmas cards — kept everyone together.

Every year the Thomans created a themed holiday message with a photo and handwritten letters.

“Julie’s parents were content creators before content creators were a thing,” Fleming said.

Distance was no barrier for the families to stay in touch long before the days of social media and email.

“CJ and I both experienced a ‘nomadic’ childhood,” Thoman said. “While some childhood friendships continue into adulthood from in-person bonding, we never lost that bond despite our distances.”

The Thomans eventually moved back to North Carolina in 1993. They reside today in Jacksonville, while Fleming’s parents make their home in Durham. Over the years, the families have enjoyed getting together at cultural and sporting events, among other activities that nurture their friendship.

Individually, Thoman and Fleming regularly text and find time to see each other in person, including a recent show at the Durham Performing Arts Center and a Durham Bulls game.

“Our parents built a great foundation between CJ and I,” Thoman said.

Fleming said she is excited that the merger will create a blended family. “Julie and her family are effectively my family,” she said.

“There’s a whole school full of Julies that are now a part of Elon’s blended family, and the opportunity for us to all be a team together is the most exciting part,” said Fleming. “One of the things I love about Queens is that we all know each other,” Thoman said. She said that she always knows who to go to for questions. “I love the relationships here and I’m excited to expand this relationship further with colleagues from Elon.”