This is Sylvia N., but we know her as Zeace. The photo she is holding is from the year she and her husband Dr. Leonard Nadler were married, 1945. She was 20 and he was 22.
Doc, as he was known, was stationed in Tampa, Florida as a Private 1st Class in the United States Air Force in the thick of WWII.
Doc and Zeace belonged to a Jewish club called Hillel, the head of Hillel in Zeace’s school was a Rabbi who gave each girl a list of 6 Jewish boys names. He explained it was their sacred duty to write to these 6 boys who had been in the school but were now serving their country. Len was one of the names on that list and of all the writings back and forth, theirs persevered. After two long years forging a bond through these letters Doc went on furlough and they finally got the chance to meet face to face. As Zeace tells it, on that very first date Len kissed her and told her he would marry her. Then off he went back to Tampa. Prior to his second furlough, Doc wrote Zeace’s parents to proclaim he was coming home to marry Zeace.
Doc returned to Brooklyn NY with just enough time to sweep his bride up and whisk her back to base in Tampa, where they were finally married. “I didn’t have a traditional bridal gown as you can see. Len didn’t have a suit, only his military uniform. I picked out what I felt was my nicest dress and that became my wedding gown.”
This photo became their one and only wedding photo, taken in haste and sent to Zeace’s parents to reassure them their daughter did indeed marry Len. Through his years of service Doc always knew deployment overseas was inevitable, however shortly after their marriage the war ended!
Doc & Zeace went on to enjoy their careers, family, travel and 70 years of marriage!