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REDSTONE ARSENAL WOMEN’S CHRONOLOGY:
February 1970 The Federally Employed Women (FEW) organization at Redstone Arsenal received its national charter. FEW was a non-profit group that promoted the Federal Women’s Program at the local and national levels. February 1970 The Army Nurse Corps celebrated its 69th anniversary. It was established on 2 February 1901 as part of the Medical Department. Two former Third Army Chief Nurses connected to Redstone Arsenal were among the most decorated “soldiers” on Army records. Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Ruby Bradley, who visited the installation, received her awards in World War II, while Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Margaret Clark, who had been posted to the arsenal, earned her decorations in Vietnam after leaving Redstone. March 1970 Violet Minnich, an aerospace engineering technician, and Walter J. Krueger, an aerospace engineer, received a patent for an aft can they developed jointly which fit on the back of a SHILLELAGH missile. Both were employees of the Structures and Mechanics Laboratory of the U.S. Army Missile Command (MICOM) Research and Development (R&D) Directorate. April 1970 The Defense Management Journal cited Doris Jackson, an item manager in the MICOM Supply and Maintenance Directorate, for suggesting a change in existing supply procedures that resulted in savings to the Army estimated in excess of $1 million. She was mentioned in the journal’s winter issue, which was dedicated to women in national defense who made contributions in the cost reduction program. July 1970 Mary Anne Edger, a well known artist and wife of Colonel Robert Edger, illustrated a book of short stories by Alabama authors. Sponsored by the Huntsville Chapter of the American Association of University Women, the book included 29 stories, each of which had a pencil sketch of the author done by Edger. July 1970 Co-workers in the Land Combat Systems Product Office—Ed Kahrs and Barbara Reed—also collaborated together off the job, writing songs. She composed the music for the lyrics written by Kahrs. Once a professional musician, Reed previously sang with a gospel trio and had worked as a disc jockey for a Huntsville radio station. 1-2 July 1970 Three members of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) visited Redstone Arsenal at the invitation of the U.S. Ordnance Missile & Munitions Center & School (OMMCS) Commandant. DACOWITS was a group of 40 prominent women appointed by the President to advise him and the Department of Defense (DOD) on matters pertaining to women in the military. They also interpreted to the public the need for and role of women in all branches of the United States Armed Forces. They were accompanied by Lieutenant Colonel Ruth M. Isham, who was the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) Advisor at Third Army Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. 31 July 1970 Edith Gibbs, the first woman employee of MICOM to be honored August 1970 Tsetsy Panagrova, a mechanical engineer in the MICOM Procurement and Production Directorate, received recognition from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Boeing Company for her work on the aerospace team that helped Apollo 11 land successfully on the moon. She had previously been a research engineer with the Boeing Company. 16 September 1970 Mayra Cumba, 13-year-old daughter of Master Sergeant Armando Cumba, cut the ceremonial ribbon to open the first of 200 new housing units for enlisted men at Redstone Arsenal. The Cumbas were the first family assigned to the new quarters. November 1970 The MMCS Commandant authorized pant suits for wear by women employees at the school. The new look in women’s fashion was allowed because of the utilities conservation effort in progress at the time. Women employees wanted the pants to help them keep warm while at work. December 1970 The Student Aid Program of the 9th Enlisted Training Company, 3d Battalion, School Brigade provided a unique service for the wives of young enlisted students. It used a local employment agency specializing in temporary help services to assist the women with finding work in Huntsville. December 1970 Some wives of officers with the Army Safeguard Logistics Command signed copies of a letter in Vietnamese to the President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Hanoi, urging the release of U.S. servicemen held as prisoners of war (POWs). December 1970 Two aerospace engineers at MICOM—Latricia Greene and Virginia 10 December 1970 Bettye Ausman, secretary for the Chief of the MMCS New Material Branch, saved the life of a co-worker after he suffered a heart attack at his desk. Two officers at the school nominated her for the Meritorious Civilian Service Award. Mrs. Lawrence Riddich, a management analyst in charge of manpower in the MMCS Comptroller’s Office, became the first woman employee to actively participate on a labor negotiating team at Redstone Arsenal.
March 1971 The Governor’s Committee on Employment of the Handicapped recognized Lilean Long in the Redstone Arsenal Special Services Library as an “achiever.” 26 March 1971 As one gesture during the week of concern being observed nationally for prisoners of war (POWs) and those missing in action (MIAs) in Southeast Asia, Ann Christian, a MICOM supply cataloger, had two scant meals of water, a slice of bread, and pumpkin stew. This was the type of meal served to her son, who had been a POW for 4 years.
April 1971 MICOM began hiring veterans under the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Program authority. Veterans were placed in General Schedule (GS) and Wage Grade (WG) positions at grades 1-5 in activities serviced by the MICOM Civilian Personnel Division. 13 April 1971 Brigadier General Elizabeth P. Hoisington came to Redstone Arsenal to speak to members of the Tennessee Valley Chapter, Association of the United States Army (AUSA) on “The Role of Women in the Army.” The first Women Army Corps (WAC) officer to achieve General Officer rank, Hoisington had been director of the Corps since 1 August 1970. By this time, she had served in the Army for more than 28 years in assignments of increased responsibility in the United States, England, Germany, France, and Japan. Read More About It:
June 1971 The wives of enlisted men and officers stationed at Redstone Arsenal expressed frustration at the difficulty of finding employment, although some of the women “believe[d] that things [might] actually be a little easier when it comes to finding jobs in this area….” Most employers rejected military wives as possible employees because they would not “be around very long.” Those soldiers’ wives with civilian service status, however, found help from the Civilian Personnel Office (CPO) when transferring to new posts. July 1971 A Commander’s Letter issued this month outlined goals for hiring and promoting women at MICOM as part of the Army’s Equal Opportunity Plan. Goals (not quotas) established by the letter included hiring another 115 women by June 1972 and promoting 13 additional women to GS-13, 1 to GS-14, and 1 to GS-15 within the next 14 months. August 1971 The Army Missile Command Secretaries and the Redstone Chapter of the National Secretaries Association presented former SERGEANT Project Office secretary Chris Campbell with a new car. After having both kidneys removed in July 1970 and as yet unable to find a donor organ, she needed reliable transportation to Birmingham for dialysis twice weekly. September 1971 Betty Jean Pride, a library technician at the Redstone Scientific Information Center (RSIC), was selected to earn a Masters degree under an Army program for long-term training and education. She attended Alabama A&M University to work on a degree from the School of Library Media that would qualify her as a professional librarian. 15 September 1971 Frank Buckley, Chief Legal Officer for MICOM, announced the appointment of Karen Mercer as Chief of the Congressional Affairs Office. The newly created office handled all types of Congressional inquiries—written or verbal—establishing suspense and coordination procedures necessary to ensure prompt and accurate answers. It also handled “a wide variety of inquiries from military personnel who want hardship discharges to business organizations that want to know why they were not considered for government contracts.” Mercer graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin and received her Juris Doctor (JD) degree in 1970. Prior to her appointment at MICOM, she worked for the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
October 1971 Virginia Swick, the first Redstone Arsenal Red Cross volunteer to serve in the Dental Clinic, eventually became a professional dental assistant after an opening in the clinic allowed the dental surgeon to offer her a job. December 1971 Redstone secretaries continued to raise money for the “Chris Campbell Fund” by selling tickets for a benefit variety show on 17 December. 8 December 1971 In a front-page article published in the post newspaper on this date, Mrs. Marian Czachowski, a mother of nine and a high-grade supervisor in the MICOM Materiel Management Directorate, dispelled several misconceptions about working mothers. She was proof that “home life and career can be compatible.” Read More About It: February 1972 Diane Richards was the first woman hired at Redstone Arsenal under the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Program administered by the Civilian Personnel Division. A former member of the WAVES (i.e., Women Appointed for Voluntary Emergency Service), she was employed as an operating room technician. May 1972 Jacki Montague was the first ex-WAC (i.e., Women’s Army Corps) to be hired at MICOM under a special government employment program for Vietnam-era veterans. She was a clerk-typist in the Financial Management Section of the Materiel Management Directorate. August 1972 Delois Thomas was the first woman employed in the MICOM Maintenance Directorate as a missile maintenance technician, which probably meant she was the first in the Army. The chief instructor of the REDEYE course that Thomas was taking at MMCS was also a woman. September 1972 Sherry Henshaw became the first MICOM summer aide to receive a Special Act of Service Award since the initiation of the Summer Employment of Youth program at Redstone Arsenal. She was recognized for her outstanding performance in the processing of suggestion awards while working in the Management Employee Relations and Incentive Awards Section of the Civilian Personnel Division. September 1972 Reva Dikin was the first woman in 6 years to attend the transistor troubleshooting course at Redstone Arsenal. A WB-10 radio repairman at Fort Riley, Kansas, she was one of only a few women who had attended the course. October 1972 A Women’s Committee was formed within Local 1858, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). The committee’s purpose was to educate women about their rights, privileges, and obligations as employees in the federal service. 1973 MICOM appointed Arleta Martin as its first full-time Federal Women's Program (FWP) Coordinator. The command created this position to ensure that the careers of women were not impaired on the basis of sex. Read More About It: 1973 After the Army permitted women to play in previously all-male military bands, Redstone Arsenal’s 55th Army Band gained three women musicians. February 1973 Shelba Brown, a research chemist for the MICOM Research, Development, Engineering, and Missile System Laboratory, was one of six nominees selected by the Secretary of the Army to enter the government-wide competition for the Thirteenth Annual Federal Women’s Award. The award gave special recognition to women whose achievements had an important effect on a major government program. February 1973 Shirley Yell was the first woman “to bag a deer on post”: a 135-pound, 10 point buck.
23 February 1973 Rear Admiral Alene Duerk, Director of the Navy Nurse Corps and the first woman in U.S. Naval history to wear the stars of an admiral, was the guest speaker for the annual Navy Night Dinner, held this night at the Redstone Arsenal Officers Open Mess. The representative for Navy women on Department of Defense (DOD) boards and committees, she spoke on the future role of women in the armed forces. June 1973 Bessie Certain was one of nine physical security specialists in the MICOM Internal Security Division and the only woman at that time. Her job involved the physical security of the installation, including fenced areas, structure, and igloos. She inspected these facilities and recommended procedures and safeguards to preclude entry. June 1973Brenda Cooper worked as an intelligence research specialist for the Missile Intelligence Agency (MIA) located at Redstone Arsenal. Her job included traveling extensively, giving briefings, and doing research work.August 1973 WAC Specialist 5th Class Karla Judkins was the only woman at Redstone Arsenal living in barracks on post (Building 3434) with 105 enlisted men. She worked in the Obstetrics-Gynecology (OB-GYN) Clinic at the U.S. Army Hospital Redstone. 1 August 1973 The Procurement Career Intern Administrator in the MICOM Procurement and Production Directorate, Mattie Ballou also found time to participate in a variety of community service and job-related extracurricular activities. Among the many organizations she served were the Huntsville Pilot Club (past president); Nu Chapter, Beta Sigma Pi Sorority, a cultural group (charter president); Oak Park Garden Club (past president—three times); Order of the Eastern Star (Past Worthy Matron, past president of the Past Matrons’ organization, and member, Past Matrons and Past Patrons Club); and White Shrine (Past Worthy High Priestess, past president and secretary-treasurer of the Past-Officers-From-the-East Club, and past district deputy of District Five). In connection with her work at Redstone Arsenal, Ballou was a charter vice president of the Redstone Arsenal Toastmistress Club, as well as belonged to the National Contract Management Association; North Alabama Purchasing Agents Association; Association of the United States Army (AUSA); American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), Local 1858; and International Platform Society. In addition, she was a member of the Beta Sigma Pi City Council, Chapman School Parent-Teachers Association, and the Jackson Way Baptist Church, where she sang in the choir and was a past president of the Faith Sunday School Class. Included in the 1972 and 1973 editions of Personalities of the South, Ballou also found time to complete a Masters degree from George Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee. According to the busy working mom, “I think sleeping is a waste of time. When I am gone, they can say the old girl wore out, but not that she rusted out.” 1 August 1973 Another community-minded female MICOM employee was Martha Rice, a management analyst with the Directorate for Procurement and Production. Vice president of the Civitanettes in Guntersville, Alabama, Rice and other women in the group associated with the Civitan Club supported the County Medical Center, the Well Baby Clinic, and a program to assist needy families. She also was the pianist-organist at Happy Home Baptist Church, active in the Parent-Teacher Organization, associated with the Guntersville High School Sports Booster Club, and a leader of a mothers’ cheering section of the Pee-Wee Sports Program. “…I think any work I do on community projects is for a worthwhile cause.” September 1973 Private Elizabeth A. Fields was MICOM’s only WAC air traffic controller. Her new assignment also meant a reunion with her husband, Private First Class Michael A. Fields, a student at MMCS. September 1973 Rebecca Stokes, an employee of the Ground Equipment and Materials Directorate, was the only female metallurgist at MICOM and one of the few women in the entire profession. October 1973 Beth Adams assumed the duties of religious education director, the first to serve in that capacity on the staff of the Redstone Arsenal Post Chaplain. February 1974 Private Barbara S. Edwards was the first WAC to attend the 26-week Army Nuclear Weapons Electronics Specialist course and only the second to receive schooling at MMCS. She lived with several other WACs in the first co-educational (co-ed) barracks at the Redstone Arsenal training center. March 1974 An employee development assistant with the Civilian Personnel Division, Mary Spears was selected as the first para-trainee under MICOM’s Upward Mobility program. Her training would cover all areas of civilian personnel management and the FWP, and was designed to lead to the position of FWP action officer in the Civilian Personnel Division. Read More About It: March 1974 Four Army enlisted women—Private Doreen Bradley, Private Barbara Edwards, Private Evelyn Vila, and Private Linda Yandt—began their studies at MMCS in an Army career field that had been dominated by men for over 20 years. For the first time, women in the Army studied NIKE radar and computers, PERSHING missile systems, and nuclear weapons electronics at MMCS. Private Bradley was the first to arrive at Redstone to study NIKE computer and radar repair. The women occupied one floor, along with seven other female trainees, of a regular MMCS barracks that included men in the 7th Evaluation Training Company (ETC). Recent changes in the Department of the Army (DA) opened career fields to women in law enforcement, alcoholism counseling, aircraft and missile maintenance, preventive medicine, warrant officer flight training, airborne, and other areas. By this time, 434 of the Army’s 482 military occupational specialties (MOSs) were open to women.
March 1974 Sergeant Lynda L. Cranford held a unique position as one of the first women to complete the Technical Escort phase of explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) training. March 1974 Blannie Batts, a contract specialist trainee in the MICOM Procurement and Production Directorate, served the first portion of her internship at the U.S. Army Aviation Systems Command (AVSCOM) in Saint Louis, Missouri, where she was selected Miss AVSCOM. The Birmingham native and Alabama A&M University graduate relinquished her crown when she moved to Redstone Arsenal. April 1974 A federal judge ruled that wives of military personnel stationed at Redstone Arsenal or elsewhere in Madison County could register to vote in local elections. The judge’s ruling came as the result of a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Alabama which charged the Madison County Registrar refused to allow Elizabeth Ann Wunsch and other wives in similar status to register to vote in the elections. Their registration in Alabama did not affect their soldier husbands’ registrations in their own states. May 1974 Private Michael King and his wife, Private Susan King, began attending classes at MMCS in NIKE Computer-Radar and NIKE Test Equipment Repair. May 1974 Specialist 4th Class Julie Zern was a novelty as the only woman guitar player in the 55th Army Band, but she did not march with the instrument. She also played the bell lyre (her marching instrument) and the accordion. 30 May 1974 The first WAC was assigned to the 291st Military Police Company at Redstone Arsenal. 31 May 1974 The Redstone Rocket said farewell to long-time information specialist as well as former editor and journalist, Rhoda Stambaugh, who retired on this date after 23 years on the job. An enlisted WAC during World War II, she came to work at Redstone Arsenal in 1951.
June 1974 Redstone Arsenal had a high percentage of well-educated employees, several of whom helped “fill the faculty slots at colleges and universities in the Huntsville area.” One MICOM employee who found time to combine both a career in federal service with the duties of a law professor was Jeanne Scales, a principal attorney in the Missile Command Legal Office. She taught both business law and procurement law at the University of Alabama-Huntsville. According to Scales, “It’s gratifying to know that I can contribute to the expansion of the University to fill specific needs of this community…. I feel right at home in the classroom and in the field of law. June 1974 Harriet F. Gee was awarded the 1974 MICOM Junior Executive Award for her outstanding performance in the furtherance of resource management and equal employment opportunity (EEO) programs in the Policy and Program Management Office. June 1974 Three women employed at Redstone Arsenal were recognized for their civic and professional achievements. Katie Byrd, an EEO officer at MMCS; Latricha Greene, a mathematician in the MICOM Aeroballistics Directorate; and Virginia Redrich, also a mathematician in the Aeroballistics Directorate, were selected as Outstanding Young Women of America for 1973. The program honored women between the ages of 21 and 35 who distinguished themselves by their contributions to the betterment of their communities, country, and professions. July 1974 Shelba Brown, a MICOM chemist, was selected for the Education for Public Management Program (formerly known as the Career Education Award). She began a 9-month intensive study fellowship at the University of Virginia in September 1974 designed to prepare her for management positions. July 1974 Private Evelyn Vila became the first member of the Women’s Army Corps to complete studies at MMCS. After 18 weeks of intensive study of the PERSHING launcher system and the English language, she was a fully trained PERSHING missile electrical mechanical repairwoman. 16 July 1974 Sergeant First Class Joseph A. Melead, assigned as a technical non-commissioned officer (NCO) at MMCS, was charged with murder in connection with the death of his wife. She was pronounced dead shortly after her arrival at Redstone Army Hospital. She died as the result of a single stab wound inflicted at the family’s Jupiter Court home on the arsenal. Sergeant Melead was taken into custody by military police (MPs) and held at the Madison County jail as a military prisoner until his transfer on 19 July to the military detention facility at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, while the case was investigated. 24 July 1974 Two women were among the five soldiers assigned to MMCS who were awarded the Army Commendation Medal on this date for their actions during and after the tornado which struck the arsenal on 3 April. Other soldiers, all men, were awarded certificates of achievement. Sergeant Doreen H. Bradley and Private Margaret Smith were in the troop areas hit hardest by the tornado. By dawn, men and women had turned out for the massive cleanup and recovery work. August 1974 Private Sandra J. Baudorn was the first woman to complete the Army Nuclear Weapons Maintenance Specialist course. September 1974 The MICOM Commander ordered Sergeant First Class Joseph A. Melead be tried by general court martial at Redstone Arsenal for the premeditated murder of his wife, Patricia Ann Melead. The stabbing incident occurred on post on 16 July 1974. 24 October 1974 A military court of 10 Army officers convicted Sergeant First Class Joseph A. Melead of unpremeditated murder in the 16 July 1974 slaying of his wife at their family quarters on Redstone Arsenal. He was sentenced to 10 years at hard labor, given a bad conduct discharge, reduced in rank to Enlisted-1, and required to forfeit all pay and allowances. December 1974 Ola Berry, a MICOM mathematics statistician, was one of the first women to head a tri-service team sent to review management and control systems at a major weapon contractor’s plant. An employee of the MICOM Procurement and Production Directorate, she served as chief of a 12-man/2-woman review team sent to Hughes Aircraft Company to determine the acceptability of management practices in accordance with Cost Schedule Control Systems Criteria. December 1974 Private First Class Bobbie J. Brown was named distinguished graduate of the Ammunition Operations Specialist course by attaining an academic average of 99.11 percent for the course. 31 December 1974 The number of women represented in the MICOM general schedule (GS) work force rose 1 percent to 32.8 percent. Of the 1,084 promotions at MICOM during this year, 383 went to women. Women occupied 2,329 of the 7,865 MICOM civilian jobs of all categories at year’s end. January 1975 Private Margaret A. Smith was the first enlisted woman at Redstone Arsenal to be named Soldier of the Month (SOM). The post-wide honor gave her letters of commendation, a promotion to private first class, several savings bonds, and a night on the town paid for by the Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce. She had previously been selected as Soldier of the Month for MMCS’s 1st Battalion. January 1975 Specialist 5th Class Mary A. Cook was the first soldier at MMCS promoted under the Stripes for Skills enlisted program. She was able to advance two pay grades from Private First Class under the program, which allowed individuals to receive the rank of Specialist Fifth Class after satisfactorily completing a 2-month probationary period. March 1975 Jo Ann Artis, a MICOM procurement specialist, received notice that her poem, “Little Footsteps,” would be published in a poetry anthology entitled Poetry, Coast to Coast. 14 March 1975 A special court martial found Specialist 4th Class Roger Jerome Block of the 291st MP Company guilty of assault and battery for hitting a Redstone female soldier in the face during a barracks incident on 2 January 1975. He was sentenced to confinement at hard labor for 3 months, forfeiture of $229.40 per month for 3 months, and reduction in rank to Private 1. May 1975 Three military students at MMCS—one of them a woman—completed their ammunition storage course with perfect scholastic averages. Private First Class Elsie L. Doetsch and two other members of her class were awarded academic honors during their graduation from the training center. In the 20 years the course had been conducted at MMCS, only two other graduates ever got through with no errors on their written or performance exams. The total number of graduates with perfect academic averages since the school’s founding in 1952 was established at about 10. Read More About It: |
