Mid Week At Work. Their careers and lives. Lex Anteinternet: May 5, 1920. The Contest

Yesterday and the day before we ran this item:

Lex Anteinternet: May 5, 1920. The Contest:

May 5, 1920. The Contest

The essay contest was on the benefits of enlisting in the Army.

Awarding of prizes in the Army Essay contest by the Secty. of War, General March, and General Harris. 

Two out of the three winners were young women, an irony in that women hadn't been allowed to join the Army on a regular basis prior to World War One, and during the Great War it was only on a temporary basis.  That would really only changed during World War Two.

"Awarding of prizes in the Army Essay contest by the Secty. of War General March and General Harris. Elaborate exercises were held at the Stadium of the Central High School."

So who were they?  And what became of them?

Left to Right Betty Bowen Eason, Age 16, Olive Branch Miss. Donald L.Campbell, age 15 Clinton Iowa, Marjorie Sheetz Age 14 Chillicothe Mo. Congressman Hubert D. Stephens Miss. Hull, Harry E. Iowa. Wm W. Rucker Mo

Did they join the Army?

Well, not in so far as I  know, but it turns out that Donald L, Campbell had quite the career.

I posted this photo on Reddit's 100 Years Ago subreddit, and somebody followed up with the details on Campbell.  He became a significant chemical engineer and has a place in the Inventors Hall of Fame.  He lived to age 98, dying in 2002.  He holds a patent pertaining to the refining of petroleum.

Marjorie Sheetz lived with her grandparents up until 1910, but that doesn't let us know what happened to her after 1920.  She apparently went to university and became a librarian.  She was secretary of the Missouri Library Association under that name in 1940, twenty years after this photo was taken.  She worked as a librarian for the University of Missouri and the later a public library, before retiring in 1955.  She died in 1964, having never married.  She would have only been 58 years old at the time.

Betty Bowen Eason did marry, and lived until 1992.  Her married name was Cantwell.  Which is all that I'm able to find about her.

Did they every meet again?

I doubt it, but it's interesting to know, if only as a snipped, how things went after this.