Rosamond du Jardin (1902–1963)

Rosamond Neal was born in Fairland, Illinois and attended public schools in Chicago. She married Victor Dujardin, who sold insurance, in 1925. She had three children, Jacqueline Neal, Victor Jr., and Judith Carol, with whom she would later co-author Junior Year Abroad. At first, she did office work at Charles A. Stevens & Company, a women's department store in Chicago. Later she became a freelance writer, working on short stories, novels and radio plays. She published almost 100 short stories and serials in Cosmopolitan, Red Book, Good Housekeeping, McCall's, and other women's magazines. She also wrote humorous verse and fiction in newspapers, including the Chicago Daily News. She also sometimes wrote scripts for radio serials. The Rosamond Dujardin Elementary School, located in Bloomingdale, Illinois, was named in her honor in 1964.