Their story began long before they met. From September, 1948 to December 1949, Nancy Primeau attended Nürnberg High School while her mother, Fern Primeau, was a court reporter on the Nürnberg War Crimes Trials. During that time, Nancy was Class Treasurer and even an alterante cheerleder during her sophomore year. When the trials ended at the end of '49, Fern Primeau was appointed head of the court reporters at Rhein-Main Air Force Base, so Nancy attended Frankfurt High School and lived at Kronberg Castle for almost six months.
A week after the Primeaus left Nürnberg, Bill Martin transferred from Munich as a sophomore, when his stepfather, LeVan Roberts, was appointed U.S. Resident Officer (mayor) of Nürnberg. His family moved to only a few blocks from 70 Treitskestrasse, the former Primeau residence. Bill played basketball for Nürnberg for two years, and while competing in the 1950 EUCOM tournament, was pointed out to Nancy by a former classmate, Nancy Riggins, as the "new guy who arrived just after you left."
In June, 1950, the Korean War broke out, so many dependents, including Nancy returned to the U.S. Her mother became an Official Court Reporter in Detroit, where Nancy finished high school. From there, Nancy went on to college, and earned a B.S. in Chemistry.
The summer of 1951 took Bill to Frankfurt, where his stepfather was with the U.S. Information Agency as a Public Affairs Officer. As a senior at Frankfurt High School, Bill continued playing basketball, culminating in his being named to the first-string EUCOM All-Star basketball team.
In the next 11 years Bill attended Colorado State University, spent three years in the Air Force, received his Masters Degree in Wildlife Administration at CSU, and came to Washington, D.C. as a wildlife biologist with USDA. Nancy's career in chemistry brought her to D.C. as a science administrator for the National Science Foundation.
Nancy's and Bill's paths finally crossed when a mutual friend suggested Nancy and her roommates should meet the fellows who only lived a block away in a house in Chevy Chase, Maryland. The fateful meeting occurred in October, 1963, and on May 2, 2002, they celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary. Nancy and Bill have two fine sons, two grandchildren, and now live outside of Salem, Oregon . Bill retired from the Fish and Wildlife Service (Federal Department of Interior) as a Deputy Regional Director (an 30 years of government service).
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