photo by Jim Vickers

Anita and Steven Butler fell in love 40 years ago just before he set sail on the USS Yorktown. They revisited that love in the same spot last week (pictured left). Superimposed on the right is a picture they had made together on the fantail of the Yorktown in 1969.

photo by Jim Vickers

Anita and Steven Butler celebrated their 40 wedding anniversary aboard the U.S.S. Yorktown. Steven met Anita in London before setting sail with the navy on the Yorktown.

But last week, his story landed him in Mount Pleasant. Alongside him was his bride of 40 years--that same lovely English girl he met in November of 1969.

The couple came to visit the USS Yorktown, the same ship that brought them together 40 years ago. Steven and Anita Butler were here last week celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. They were married Sept. 3, 1970.

How they met

Steven was in the process of being transferred from shore duty to sea duty in 1969. The Navy sent him to London, England for a week and while he was there he met a beautiful girl in a local club. However, she was on a date with one of his buddies.

"It was one of those cases of love at first sight--or at least attraction," Steven said. "After her date, she got my address and wrote to me and said come see me next time you're in London."

Steven got on the ship and returned to Portsmith, England. It wasn't until late November of 1969 that Steven was able to return to London. But he was able to find Anita and they went on three glorious dates.

"But after the third date I was late getting back to the ship and the result was that they pulled my liberty card," he explained. (A Liberty Card is a pass that will allow you on and off the ship. It means "to go on liberty.").

"The lateness was not my fault," said Steven. "I had to take a taxi from my girlfriend's house to the train station and the taxi started to take me to the wrong train station. That's what caused me to miss my train. In any case, I didn't show for our date the next night."

Anita wondered what had happened and she didn't have a phone, so Steven couldn't call her. And in her words, she was naive to think if she showed up at the train station, she might find him.

Anita's persistence

"Steven had given a friend money to send a telegram to me but I never got it. And I went to the train station thinking maybe I would get on the train. But there were hundreds of them coming off the train," she said. "All I could think was 'what if I get on and he's coming off and we miss each other.' I stopped one person and was even more naive to think everyone knew each other in America. But I asked this person if anyone knew Steven Butler and did anyone know if he was on the train."

There was a crew of 2,000 people. Steven said no more than 12 could have possibly known him at the time.

But the one fellow Anita stopped that day did know Steven.

He looked at his buddy and asked about Steven and they confirmed that he could not leave the ship.

The brave young girl then got on the train to Portsmith to see her man.

Fortunately the Navy was actually allowing civilians on the ship. They let her come aboard for a couple of hours to visit with Steven. He then gave her money to get a hotel room and she returned the next day for a public open house of the ship.

"We spent the entire day together on the ship trying to find some privacy and talk and we watched movies in the ready rooms had our picture made on the fantail," Steven said.

And thanks to Yorktown photographer Jim Vickers, that same photo opportunity was reenacted last week in the very spot the young couple posed.

Looking back

"Looking back it seems quite funny and an odd coincidence that we met because he happened to be in London and I was at a club the same evening. I hadn't been to this club for quite a while," Anita said.

"It is strange because we had that photo taken in 1969. I never dreamt that 40 years later we'd be married and together."

The couple had that picture taken Nov. 30, 1969 and got married Sept. 3, 1970.

Both said their parents never thought their whirlwind romance would last.

"My parents were upset at first because here I was with this lonely sailor far from home," said Anita. "But here we are 40 years on and we surprised everybody. Our marriage was quite unexpected to everyone I think."

Steven initially enlisted in the Navy in early 1968 stayed in the service another two years after he and Anita met. He was released from active duty late in 1971. In addition to serving on the Yorktown, Steven also served on the Intrepid, which is also a Naval Museum.

The couple married in Rhode Island because that's where Steven got stationed ; then they returned to his native Texas. Through the years they found themselves back in Rhode Island, where Steven went to college, and also in London, where they lived for five years.

Today

Today they live in Richardson, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. Steven is a professor of history at Richland College in Dallas. They have two grown sons and a 4-month-old grandson.

"This is the first time I've been back to the Yorktown in 40 years," Steven said. "It was quite an experience for us." He said it was hard to explain and felt almost surreal after all that time. "It still smelled the same. What was strange was going below decks and seeing areas that are now set up like a museum. I was on working war ship so it was a whole different atmosphere. It seemed strange to have once served on what is now a museum," he said.

Anita agreed. "To come here to see the Yorktown again after all that time is quite amazing."

"We've been wanting to recreate our picture for decades and we finally did it," said Steven. "Anita and I are very grateful for the treatment and hospitality we received from the people at the Yorktown. They were very nice and kind to us and we really appreciate it."

(Sully Witte can be reached by emailing editor@moultrienews.com.)