Evening star., 1942-08-03
Miss McAfee Takes
Oath as Director
OF WAVES
AtIontu Businesswomun
On Way for Induction
As Her Assistant

Miss Mildred McAfee. AZ, on leave
of absence from the presidency oi
Wellesley College, was sworn In al
1:30 o'clock this afternoon by Secre-
tary Of Navy Knox as director OF
the Women's Reserve of the United
States Naval Reserve She now has
the rank Of Reserve lieutenant
commander.
Although Miss McAfee's appoint
ment was not official until Secretary
Knox administered the oath. she
has been established in the Airing
ton wing of the Navy Building for
the last two weeks To her already
sizable staff she will add on
Wednesday as assistant Miss Doro-
thy Foster, Atlanta businesswoman.
Miss Foster is now en- route to
Washington to be sworn in by Miss
McAfee as assistant to the director.
After the swearing-in ceremony
Miss McAfee was scheduled to hold
her first press conference in the
Navy press room. She was expected
to announce details of the WAVES
uniforms and plans for the first
officers class October at Smith
College. Later in the year a Mid
western women's college will be
given over to the training OF WAVES
enlisted personnel.
Known rs Miss Mac"
The new head Of the WAVES" is
known as Miss Mac" to most of her
students at Wellesley. OF medium
height, trim and we'll dressed, the
42-year-old college president, a
native of Parksville, Mo-, has estab-
nshed a record as an able admin
istrator with an excellent sense Of
humor.
For the first three years after her
1920 graduation from Vassar, where
she was Phi Beta Kappa, Miss
Mac" taught eighth grade and did
church work in Chicago before going
on to more important academic
posts. At each Of these posts, how
ever, she is still remembered with
some sort of anecdote.
At Oberlin College, where Miss
MCE1Cc Wdo OCdIl OA WOiAACii oSAOA Z
she came to Wellesley in 1896, there
was a rule that woman students
couldn't leave town without permis-
sion of the dean,
College Boys Offered Ride.
One day, while driving to Cleve-
land, Miss McAfee sighted three
Oberlin man students and three
co-eds trying to get "hitch-hike"
on the outskirts of the college town.
Stopping her car, Miss McAfee
called out:
Hop in, boys. I'm sorry can't
take you girls along, too-but you
know the college rules"
Miss McAfee also served as dean
Of women at Center College in Ken
lucky from 1927 to 1882, during
which she came down with now
almost-famous case Of measles. Pre-
vented by her illness from making a
speech In the chapel, she wrote the
speech anyway and had some one
deliver it for her, signing it Your
Measley Dean"
Miss McAfee's new job with the
Navy is her second attempt to come
to the aid of her country during
wartime.
During the first World War, she
interrupted her student days at
Vassar to 60 to Washington and
become war worker.
Job Lasts One Week.
1T was my task she said, Ito
paste clippings in scrapbooks. I
remember distinctly that I pasted
too rapidly to please some of my CO.
workers. I never did bring myself to
Be slow enough. The job lasted just
one week and went back to
college"
Daughter of the Rev. Cleland
Boyd McAfee, secretary OF the Pres
byterian Board of Foreign Missions,
Miss McAfee comes from long line
Of educators, writer's and church
people. However, she has a Navy
background, too, for some of her
ancestors fought In the War of 1912
under Commodore Perry.
AS commanding officer of thou
sands of women who will come into
the Navy in the coming months,
Miss McAfee has some clear cut
ideas about womens rights without
being, she said, militant feminist
II cannot get in the least excited
about demanding rights for women
as women, although I am tremen-
dously interested in protecting any
woman from loss of human rights
k>~a,.eA che l..