Kathleen and Bill (she called him Billy) went out on their first “date” after one of those dances. He asked if he could walk her home, and they began to date regularly after that. Sometimes Kathleen would take the train to Emerald to stay overnight with Bill’s sister Elizabeth, and she and Bill would go for long walks in the evening.

The Murphy family was highly respected in the community of Emerald where they lived. The Murphys, very much like the Keefes, were an Irish family who had come to Prince Edward Island from WeXford, Ireland in 1811. After a short stint in western Prince Edward Island, they settled in Millvale. Bill’s grandfather, John Murphy married Mary Jane Proctor. He operated a forge in Stanley Bridge, and later purchased his father—in—law’s farm in that area.

Bill’s father, Austin Murphy, operated the local creamery in Emerald, one of many such operations in the province. Austin’s wife, Laura (Hogan) Murphy, ran a boarding house for train passengers. Bill was the youngest of four children. His older brother Douglas spent his career in the Canadian Air Force, and two older sisters, Pauline Trainor and Elizabeth Clark, continued to live and raise their families in the Emerald area.

When Bill began studies at Saint Dunstans University the following year, he and Kathleen corresponded back and forth every week or ten days. That made Kathleen’s regular trips to the post office an even greater source of eager anticipation. Bill would only be home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so the letters were their only way of keeping in touch.

Kathleen did well during her last year of school, and easily passed her examinations. Although she did not have any clear idea of what she would do, she felt she wanted to go to university. She had a great deal of encouragement from her father, and certainly her older brothers and sisters would also encourage her to get an education.

And so in the fall of 1945, Kathleen Keefe became part of the first of her generation to attend Saint Dunstans University. She was about to embark on a new life of her own.

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