Other Elite Specialties
While the bulk of the WAVES jobs fell into clerical categories, such as bookeeping, accounting, and other office work, many women were able to work in specialist positions not typically available to them in civilian life.
Other Elite Specialties
Radio and Communications
Radiomen were an important specialty during World War II, engaged in coding Navy transmissions so as not to be read by the enemy, or in decoding enemy messages.
Helen Edgar Gilbert
Helen Edgar Gilbert grew up in Pennsylvania and was one of the first WAVES to train in radio communications. She’s also the author of Okay Girls – Man Your Bunks: Tales From the Life of a World War II Navy WAVE.
Her oral history was conducted August 6, 2007 at her home in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
Patricia Farrington Siegner
Patricia Farrington Siegner was selected in the elite corps of radio communication. She was also selected to go to Hawaii when overseas assignments opened up to WAVES – and ended up spending most of her time in an underground bunker decoding radio signals.
Her oral history interview was conducted over telephone from her home in Helena, Montana, on March 22, 2007.
Doris Gardner Cain Marquez
Doris Gardner Cain Marquez escaped a bad marriage when she enlisted in the WAVES. She was chosen to work in an exciting new area – on new computerized devices developed by IBM.
Her oral history was conducted at her home in Coos Bay, Oregon, on July 26, 2007.
Patricia's Oral History
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Part One
In Part One, Patricia discusses her life history. Click for more.
Part Two
Paatricia talks about her family and the WAVES legacy. Click for more.
Doris's Oral History
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Part One
In Part One, Doris discusses growing up, her trouubled firstt marriage, and enlisting in the WAVES. Click for more.
Part Two
Doris talks about boot camp. Click for more.
Part Three
In this section, Marquez talked about her time in the service and her post-war years. Click for more.
Other Elite Specialties
Pharmacist’s Mates
“Pharmacist’s Mate” was a general Navy classification for women who worked in the medical field but were not Navy Nurses. Positions ranged from being in an actual pharmacy dispensing drugs, to working as a radiologist or doctor.
Virginia Benvenuto Matich
Virginia Benvenuto Matich grew up in Oregon. Her brother died in an accident a few years before war broke out, and she decided to enlist so that at least one member of her family could serve. Her full oral history can be found here.
She shared her oral history from her home in Portland, Oregon, on March 29, 2007.
Theresa Doris “Dottie” Bougie Soules
Theresa Doris “Dottie” Bougie Soules says she never went by her given name until she joined the Navy. She was stationed at Norman, Oklahoma during the war.
Her oral history was conducted in 2006 in her home in Portland, Oregon.
Jean Byrd Stewart
Jean Byrd Stewart grew up in New Jersey and became one of the first African American WAVES after service opened up in 1945.
Her oral history was conducted September 22, 2006 aboard the Carnival Cruise ship Conquest during the WAVES National Convention.
Virginia's Oral History
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Part One
This section is Virginia’s life story. Click for more.
Part Two
Here, Virginia shares her thoughts about the legacy of the WAVES. Click for more.
Other Elite Specialties
Less Common Specialties
WAVES and SPARs worked in nearly every classification in the Navy and Coast Guard, except for front line combat.
Dorothy Riley Dempsey
New Yorker Dorothy Riley Dempsey enlisted in the SPARs. She was officially assigned to be Master of Arms for her unit, but because of her acting skills she was also assigned to a traveling theater company.
Her oral history was conducted September 23, 2006 aboard the Carnival Cruise ship Conquest during the WAVES National Convention.
Dorothy “Dotty” Anderson McDowell
Dotty Anderson McDowell says she grew up poor in rural Oregon, but because everyone around her was in the same boat she didn’t realize it. She ended up being assigned to another small Oregon town, Klamath Falls, where she worked in personnel.
She shared two oral history interviews in 2007.
Dorothy Turnbull Stewart
Dorothy Turnbull Stewart hails from the Big Easy, and was a krewe queen during Mardi Gras. After she left New Orleans and joined the Navy, she was assigned as a recruiter. She thinks it’s because she couldn’t really do anything well but talk. Read her oral history here.
Dotty's Oral History
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Part One
Part one is the interview conducted on January 5, 2007. Click for more.
Part Two
Part Two is the inteview conducted October 26, 2007. Click for more.
Dorothy's Oral History
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Part One
In Part One, Dorothy talks about growing up in New Orleans and going to college. Click for more.
Part Two
In this section of the interview, Dorothy talks about boot camp and being assigned as a recruiter. Click for more.
Part Three
In the final section of her oral history, Dorothy talks about her work as a recruiter and her life after the war. Click for more.
MORE WAVE AND SPAR STORIES
Aviation Specialists
Storekeepers
Yeomen
Officers
