A Blog About Women Who Were Homefront Heroines: the WAVES of World War II
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, visiting to the officer training at Smith College in Northampton, MA with WAVE Commander Mildred McAfee.
The photograph comes from the Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies, Harvard University.
Eleanor Roosevelt was a staunch ally of the WAVES, both advocating for women to be in the military at the same rank and pay as men, and visiting WAVES stations from time to time.
This is a visit to the officer training at Smith College in Northampton, MA.
The photograph comes from the Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies, Harvard University.
Dorothy Turnbull joined the WAVES in 1943. She headed to boot camp at Hunter College and was selected to become a recruiter. Because of her connections in New Orleans, they wanted her to be stationed there. But when she finished boot camp there weren’t any openings, so she spent another eight weeks at Hunter making sure the new boots didn’t get into trouble as part of the Shore Patrol. She also helped out with visiting dignitaries.
Eleanor Roosevelt came to visit us when I was on Shore Patrol. Well, ship service is what they called us. And here she is getting out and I think I might have been one of these. My claim to fame is when she was going into the building from getting out here and going down here, I held the door for her (laughs). With my backside as I’m (laughs). That was my claim to fame.
This photograph comes from the collection of Dorothy Turnbull Stewart.
Hinges of History 