Jeanne Gets Engaged

In December of 1942, while in Florida, Jeanne met Edward A. Campbell, 2nd Lieutenant Sig C in the US Army Air Corps, stationed temporarily at an air base near Clearwater. His khaki uniform was crisply pressed, emblazoned with the insignia of the Signal Corps' crossed flags. Originally from NY, Bud was a Harvard man, graduating in 1941. His major was English and he had been teaching (before entering the Army) at the Edgartown High School in Martha's Vineyard. Edward, known as "Bud", was 24, muscular, intelligent, and charming. He had pale blue eyes, wavy blonde hair, and tanned skin. Jeanne quickly fell in love.

They spent days on the Clearwater beach swimming together and had dates in the warm evenings. Jeanne's tiny (size 7), athletic figure was accentuated by her stylish swimsuit. Her brown hair swept across her very tanned shoulders. She had pretty, big, deep blue eyes, and a big smile. After just a short while, Bud proposed on the corner of the veranda of the "Palm Pavilion", and they became engaged. When Bud left the country on an overseas assignment days later, they were uncertain if they would ever see each other again.

Jeanne kept herself busy by going with her mother to Washington, DC, to draw maps and charts for the Civil Aeronautics Administration. She continued to work for the government until Campbell was on leave from Curacao, NWI, in the United States in 1944 and they could be married.