Ann Campana was born in Manhattan on December 28, 1951, the youngest of Ruth and John Campana's three children. As the youngest, she was truly "Daddy's Girl." She grew up on Long Island, NY, graduating from West Hempstead High School in 1969. She attended Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, OH, and graduated in 1973.  

Ann's first travel job was with Sun Lines, a cruise line, in New York City. She married her high-school sweetheart, Geoffrey Judge, in June 1978, after which they moved to the Washington, DC, area. She soon found work in the Travel Department of the National Geographic Society, which she eventually headed.  

She was beloved by her colleagues at the NGS. Her skills at arranging trouble-free travel to the four corners of the world were legendary and greatly appreciated, and she often traveled to the same places where she booked the Society's writers, editors, and photographers. She was an iconoclastic, take-charge person who brooked neither bureaucratic nonsense nor the phrase "It can't be done." One of her favorite sayings was "A little bit of irreverence is good; a lot is better." She took a special interest in the NGS's programs for teachers and students, and would often accompany her colleague and close friend Joe Ferguson, head of the Education Department and also a passenger on Flight 77, on his travels. She and Joe became a dynamic and trenchant team well-known for their abilities.

Ann cherished people and was without equal when it came to making people feel loved and part of the family. Her Thanksgiving dinners were the stuff of legends and an invitation was highly prized. Each Thanksgiving, she and Geoff would open their house to 25-30 (or more) friends and family, for whom she would cook. She was especially conscious of inviting those friends and colleagues who could not be with their families.

In honor of her work with the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, at the Navy's recommendation, named a seamount in the Pacific Ocean in her honor. Judge Seamount is located at 30 degrees 31 minutes N, 172 degrees 26 minutes E, just west of the southern end of the Emperor Seamounts chain.  

Ann leaves behind husband Geoff, mother Ruth, and siblings Ellen and Michael. The Ann Campana Judge Foundation is our way of perpetuating not only her memory, but also her spirit and desire to help those in need. She is missed. 

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  Send mail to: acjf@acjfoundation.org

A 501(c)(3) Publicly-Supported Foundation
Incorporated in the State of New Mexico (Certificate #2269090)
Established July 19, 2002