Bradley beam., 1944-11-18
"Mom'' - Stevens One or First
 Women Drivers

ana James, aOdreSSeu F6SpSCtlul1y by the younger Second Leutenants as "Mam" and answering to any thing from "Driver"' to 'Mrs. Stevens" by the higher ranking Officers, s'Mom" Stevens is known to one and all at Bradley.
 Born in Springfield, Mass. (neyer mind when) she continues to make her home there. After graduating from high school, Mrs. Stevens studied music for eight years, and then decided on professional career.
 She entered the insurance busi- ness first. as broker, then later, after successfully passing the State examinations, she became head of her own agency, representing the Atlas Assurance Ltd.
 Retiring from business in 1883, Mrs. Stevens became active as a club woman, in addition to singing in most of the churches in Spring field and surrounding towns. Long member of the Red Cross, she joined the Motor Corps of that or ganization where the members were given a course in motor me chanics and trained for driving in convoy, map reading, first aid, identification of poisonous gases,
 Tn January 1943, her son enlist ed in the U. s. Marines, and Mrs. Stevens, along with many other applicants, applied for the position of staff car driver, and was one of the five to be accepted. This was something new for an Army Post, having women drivers, but the original five, of whom only Mrs. Stevens and Marie Vail remain, proved it to be a success, for many other vehicles as we'll as staff cars are still driven by women. In de- scribing her first day at Bradley, Mrs. Stevens says, "I was told to report at the Q.M. Office IS Janu- ary 1943 at O8OO. It was cold and wet and the ground was covered with nearly foot of snow. Added to this a driving rain was turning everything into ice, making walk ing hazardous. That was when l began the BATTLE OF BRAD LEY". Accompanied by Mrs. Ruth Atterbury of Enfield, we were told to report to the Guard House. to be fingerprinted. Apprehensiveiy we set out in search of the building, not havingNthe slightest idea where it was, for they all looked alike to us, and we took the hard way to find out. We were sent from one place to another to be given writ ten and oral examinations and from O80O until 1700 we covered Bradley Field. We slipped and sloshed for what seemed miles and finally when about ready to give up, we were escorted to staff car, where, accompanied by Sgt. Roy Monagahn, we were taken on road test. To that gentleman goes my deepest admiration, for it re- quired great courage for any man to be driven by a tired, disheveled, and slightly excited woman over road covered with ice. That trip stands out as one of the miracles of my life for by the grace of God we returned uninjured."
 Mrs. Stevens first assignment was to the Chaplain, and at this post she stayed so long that some of the very new Wacs who came in the spring, thought she must be the Chaplain's assistant and came to her for all sorts of advice. Fear ] full of becoming a "Mrs. Anthony" she was transferred to Base Opera tions, where she enjoyed her work immensely. It was at Base Opera tions, where she was assigned for nearly a year, that she became known as "Mom", not only with the enlisted men but many of the young f1iers, who are now accom- plishinp great things lover there"