Their marriage was as short as it was spontaneous. Jan and Leonard S., as they are known in their divorce proceedings, married in August 1966 during a three-day stopover in Acapulco. They were told the marriage would make it easier for Jan to obtain a visa for Australia, where Leonard was headed on a Fulbright scholarship.

Jan obtained her visa, and the couple returned to the United States 13 months later, at which time they immediately and permanently separated—Leonard headed to New York, Jan to Maryland.