Evening star., 1942-09-13
WCA Street Dance
For Men in Service
Attracts 1000
Women War Workers
Join Armed Forces
For Coy Party

Street dancing, three orchestras,
q penthouse party and games enter
tanned 1000 servicemen and women
war workers at the USO dance last
night at the YWCA, Seventeenth
and K streets NV.
The uniforms of sailors, soldiers,
marines and WAVES of the United
States, Great Britain, Norway and
Holland mixed with evening dresses
and sports clothes of American
women civilian war workers in the
giant party given to celebrate the
anniversary of the first USO dance
given at the YWCA for service men.
Cries of Hey, Joe, haven't seen
you since Omaha" when a soldier
and marine met, and the softer tones
of new friendships springing up in
the roped-off street or in the other
two dance floors at the Y kept a
consatnt excited buzz of talk going.
Three orchestras played, in the
street, in the Y gymnasium and in
Barker Hall. And every dance floor
was packed.
All Men in Uniform.
Four different types of police, the
Navy Shore Patrol, Military Police,
Metropolitan force and auxiliary
police silently moved among the
dense crowd to keep lanes of traffic
clear. Not a man out of uniform
other than those in the receiving
line or USO officials was to be seen.
1t was the serviceman's night
from $50 to midnight. Men
from Quantico, Aberdeen, Belvoir,
Meade, Boiling Field, the Navy
Yard, Naval Air Stations and Naval
Gunnery School took over the young
women's association. Every branch
of the service but the merchant
marine was represented. Merchant
seamen, though invited to USO
functions, feel shy according to one
soldier present, about coming to
these parties. They fear, he said,
being questioned about their lack
of uniform, and figure that girls
prefer the more easily identified
war heroes for dance partners.
At 9:15, three-quarters of an hour
after the dance had begun, a line
still stretched an entire block wait
ing for admission to the Y. Men
and women were 'rubber-stamped"
on their hands so that they could
pass from the street dance floor -
from K street to the Washington
Club on Seventeenth street, to the
other dance floors.
Punch and Cakes Served.
Punch and 1000 little birthday
cakes with lighted candles were
served, prepared by 20 USO host
esses.
Miss Mabel Cook, director of the
USO Club, who has been hostess to
more than 100000 servicemen at
the YWCA in the past year, said
that generally hundreds of service
men have to be turned away from
the regular Saturday night dances.
Last night no one had to be turned
away because of the extra space in
the street-that is no one but the
women war workers who had for
gotten to register at the USO Club
before the dance.
Servicemen and women both were
welcomed by a receiving line that
included Miss Mildred McAfee, di-
rector of the WAVES; Miss Cook;
Floyd Akers, chairman of the Com
Schoolcraft of the National USO
War Hospitality Committee; Sidney
Taliaferro, chairman Of the Dis
trict USO; Miss Elsa Peterson, presi-
dent of the District YWCA; John
Schoolcraft of the National USO,
and Mrs. Wilson Compton.
Throughout the evening ping
pong and other games took place
at the USO penthouse on top of the
Y which is open during the week
to servicemen and war workers.
A committee OF sailors, soldiers
and marines and woman workers
planned the party and made all
arrangements for it with the help OF
Mrs. Compton, Mrs. Bernard Chan
dler, Mrs. Arthur D. Elliott, Mrs,
James S. Hathcock and Miss Cook