Oklahoma State University WAVES Correspondence, and Organizations, and Personnel Records
Collection
Identifier: 1995-006
Scope and Contents
Collection contains letters written by women who were trained in the Woman Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service at Oklahoma A&M College (now Oklahoma State University) between the years 1942 and 1944. The letters were written as a result of a reference question to OSU’s Special Collections and University Archives. A woman came asking for photographs of the WAVES collection and published information in a WAVES publication that photographs were available through SCUA . Several women wrote letters requesting copies of the photographs. Letters are in alphabetical order and mostly hand written. There is also information on WAVES and women’s naval organizations.
Additionally, the collection contains nine boxes of WAVES registration cards containing 10745 data cards. The cards are arranged alphabetically by last names and then first names. Additional information on the card includes: section, date reported, home address, sate of birth, place of birth, high school, colleges attended, work experience, scores during clerical testing, and date detached.
Additionally, the collection contains nine boxes of WAVES registration cards containing 10745 data cards. The cards are arranged alphabetically by last names and then first names. Additional information on the card includes: section, date reported, home address, sate of birth, place of birth, high school, colleges attended, work experience, scores during clerical testing, and date detached.
Dates
- 1942 - 1999
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research use. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the Oklahoma Open Records Act (http://www.odl.state.ok.us/lawinfo/docs/2006-LibraryLaws-PartE.pdf), and other relevant regulations. Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which Oklahoma State University Libraries assumes no responsibility.
Conditions Governing Use
The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of copyright. Whenever possible, Oklahoma State University Archives will provide information about copyright owners and related information. Securing permission to publish or use material is the responsibility of the researcher. Note that unless specifically transferred to Oklahoma State University Libraries, any applicable copyrights may be held by another individual or entity. Copyright for material published by Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College/Oklahoma State University is held by the Board of Regents for the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges. All rights reserved.
Adminstrative History
On July 30, 1942, Public Law 689, Title V provided for a Women’s Reserve to expedite the war effort by releasing officers and men for duty at sea and their replacement by women in the shore establishment of the U.S. Navy and for other purposes. Requirements for service in this Women’s Reserve were that members had to be at least 20 years old and that their work had to be restricted to the performance of shore duty within the continental United States only and that they could not be assigned to duty on board vessels of the Navy or in combat aircraft.
In early August 1942, Mildred McAfee was sworn in as a Naval Reserve Lieutenant Commander becoming the U.S. Navy’s first female commissioned officer and its first director of the Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service (WAVES). Within months training centers were established around the U.S. including a training center at Oklahoma A&M College in Stillwater, Oklahoma. During the next two years approximately 12,000 women received training for secretarial and clerical jobs in the U.S. Navy.
In early August 1942, Mildred McAfee was sworn in as a Naval Reserve Lieutenant Commander becoming the U.S. Navy’s first female commissioned officer and its first director of the Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service (WAVES). Within months training centers were established around the U.S. including a training center at Oklahoma A&M College in Stillwater, Oklahoma. During the next two years approximately 12,000 women received training for secretarial and clerical jobs in the U.S. Navy.
Extent
9.2 Linear feet (18 shoeboxes and 1 slim document box)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
Arranged into five series.
Location
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog or contact the Oklahoma State University Archives Reference staff.
Digital Collection
A digital collection of items from this collection, and other WAVES material, has been created. To learn more about the digital collection, go here: http://info.library.okstate.edu/waves. To view the items in the collection, go here: http://dc.library.okstate.edu/cdm/search/collection/waves
Processing Information
Processed by Angela McKim
Updated by Jennifer Paustenbaugh, July 2003, April 2010. Updated by Paige Hopkins and Emily Cooper, 2017.
Updated by Jennifer Paustenbaugh, July 2003, April 2010. Updated by Paige Hopkins and Emily Cooper, 2017.
- Title
- Oklahoma State University WAVES Correspondence, and Organizations, and Personnel Records Collection Number 1995-006
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Angela McKim
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Oklahoma State University Archives Repository
Contact:
204 Edmon Low Library
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater 74078-1071 USA
libscua@okstate.edu
204 Edmon Low Library
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater 74078-1071 USA
libscua@okstate.edu