PRESS RELEASE
Jazz Age couple met, married in Montgomery |
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Most Montgomerians know Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald were one of the most famous couples of the jazz age, but many don't realize where, or how, the couple met.
Since April 1917, the United States had been an active combatant in World War I (then known as the Great War). Shortly after the American Congress's declaration of war, Montgomery was the recipient of a U.S. Army military base. It was named Camp Sheridan, and in Montgomery's pro-Confederacy society, many whites resented the camp being named for Phil Sheridan, a Union Army Cavalry general in the Civil War. But many were ignorant of the origin of the name, and even those who knew were far less critical when the jobs and federal funds that the camp would bring became apparent.
The first infantry division that arrived at Camp Sheridan was a federalized Indiana National Guard unit, the 37th "Buckeye" division. After it left the camp for the deadly trenches of northern France in the summer of 1918, a newly created Army infantry division composed of personnel from various states arrived.
Most of the enlisted personnel in the ninth were draftees from the Selective Service Act of 1917. One of the ninth's junior commissioned officers was 1st Lt. F. (Francis) Scott Key Fitzgerald, a native of St. Paul, Minn.
In Montgomery, upper-class women dated, but few married, commissioned officers. Zelda Sayre's father was an associate justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. Only 17, she attracted many officers who were training to be pilots at Taylor Field, though she only dated a few. Several of the lucky ones buzzed her home in Montgomery in their diving aircraft.
Scott Fitzgerald was more interested in writing than in soldiering. He had begun a novel and spent much of his spare time working on the manuscript. He also spent much of his spare time being sociable in Montgomery. As one of his biographers (Andrew Turnbull) described him: he had "a trim figure in his Brooks Brothers uniform ... There was a dash about him, a greyhound leanness and elegance. ..."
Most Montgomerians know Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald were one of the most famous couples of the jazz age, but many don't realize where, or how, the couple met.
Since April 1917, the United States had been an active combatant in World War I (then known as the Great War). Shortly after the American Congress's declaration of war, Montgomery was the recipient of a U.S. Army military base. It was named Camp Sheridan, and in Montgomery's pro-Confederacy society, many whites resented the camp being named for Phil Sheridan, a Union Army Cavalry general in the Civil War. But many were ignorant of the origin of the name, and even those who knew were far less critical when the jobs and federal funds that the camp would bring became apparent. \ The first infantry division that arrived at Camp Sheridan was a federalized Indiana National Guard unit, the 37th "Buckeye" division. After it left the camp for the deadly trenches of northern France in the summer of 1918, a newly created Army infantry division composed of personnel from various states arrived.
Most of the enlisted personnel in the ninth were draftees from the Selective Service Act of 1917. One of the ninth's junior commissioned officers was 1st Lt. F. (Francis) Scott Key Fitzgerald, a native of St. Paul, Minn.
In Montgomery, upper-class women dated, but few married, commissioned officers. Zelda Sayre's father was an associate justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. Only 17, she attracted many officers who were training to be pilots at Taylor Field, though she only dated a few. Several of the lucky ones buzzed her home in Montgomery in their diving aircraft.
Scott Fitzgerald was more interested in writing than in soldiering. He had begun a novel and spent much of his spare time working on the manuscript. He also spent much of his spare time being sociable in Montgomery. As one of his biographers (Andrew Turnbull) described him: he had "a trim figure in his Brooks Brothers uniform ... There was a dash about him, a greyhound leanness and elegance. ..." In mid-July, 1918, Scott obtained a pass to dance at the Montgomery Country Club, then located several miles east of the city. The crowd that night consisted mainly of upper class young women and young commissioned officers from Camp Sheridan and Taylor Field.
The most popular young woman that night (and many nights) was Zelda Sayre, a recent high school graduate who would soon turn 18. Daring and mischievous, and spoiled by her mother, she loved to shock both her peers and adults. One of her biographers, Sally Cline, has described her physical beauty: "As Zelda blossomed into a young woman, people remarked that there was something theatrical about her eyes. They changed color: sometimes blue, sometimes green, most often Confederate gray. Young men stared at Zelda, and she stared right back. Her peaches-and-cream complexion was so archetypically romantic," and she also had a "kissable mouth."
When Scott first saw Zelda, he was attracted not only by her physical beauty, but also by her being the Belle of the Ball. As she danced with one officer, others continually cut in. Scott seized his chance as soon as they were dancing together. They were both attracted, but neither fell immediately in love. For the next two months, Scott dated her, although Zelda continued to date other men. A point in his favor was that his neatness and polite manner positively impressed her parents, especially her mother. It was not until Sept. 7, 1918, that he wrote, in his ledger, that he was in love with Zelda.
Zelda's acknowledgment to Scott that she too loved him came a bit later. But gradually, she ceased to deny it to Scott. She declined his offer of marriage, however, until she realized that by marrying Scott, she could escape the cloistered life and dull existence of living and marrying in Montgomery.
Wesley P. Newton is a retired history professor who has written or co-written several acclaimed history books, including "The Wisdom of Eagles: A History of Maxwell Air Force Base" with Jerome A. Ennels, and "Montgomery in the Good War: Portrait of a Southern City, 1939-1946."
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