David S and Jeanne T Heidler American Historians

Jeanne T. Heidler was born Jeanne Marie Twiggs on January 20, 1956, in Atlanta, Georgia, where she grew up and attended school. She graduated from high school with honors and enrolled at Mercer University as a history major, graduating from there in 1978, summa cum laude. During her undergraduate studies she worked at Emory University hospital. She then entered the history graduate program at Auburn University, where she met David in 1978 and married him 1981. She received her doctorate in 1988 and was then teaching in the history department at Salisbury State University (later Salisbury University) on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

In 1993, Jeanne was selected from hundreds of candidates to become the first civilian member of the history faculty at the United States Air Force Academy. She has since attained the rank of full professor, served as deputy for the American history program, and has garnered numerous teaching and academic awards, all while maintaining a remarkable level of scholarly productivity in collaboration with David.

Jeanne’s parents lived in St. Augustine, Florida, until her father passed away in 2005. Her mother now lives in Colorado Springs. Her brother Michael worked for many years in the United States Postal Service and currently resides in Atlanta with his wife and two children.