Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-07-13
Col. Wesfray B. Boyce
Succeeds Col. Hobby
As Director OF WAC

As Director Of WAC
A 43-year-old woman soldier,
whose soft gray hair and Southern
accent belle her military posture,
today began her duties as director
of 100 900 members of the Women's
Army Corps. She does it with great
humility" says Col. Westray Battle
Boyce, who yesterday succeeded Col.
Oveta Culp Hobby as WAC director.
Col. Hobby resigned to return to
her job as wife, mother and news
paperwoman in Houston, Tex. AL
though members of the WAC signed
up to serve for the duration. and six
months thereafter, it was explained
by Undersecretary of War Patterson
that Col. Hobby had undertaken
"the temporary task" of organizing
the corps, and that her task is COM
pleted now and she would return
home.
Col. Boyce takes over the job after
almost two years of service in the
WAC and, before that, eight years
experience in Government agencies
here. She is widow and the moth
er Of an 18-year-old daughter,
Westray Battle Boyce. jr., a stu
dent at Sweetbriar College, Sweet
briar, Va.
Get Eagles.
Immediately after Undersecretary
Patterson had announced the resig-
nation of Col. Hobby at press con-
9 ference yesterday, he removed the
oak leaves of lieutenant colonel
from Col. Boyce's shoulders and re-
placed them with the eagles Of a
colonel. She was then officially as
signed to her task of director.
at IS with great humility that I
accept the assignment as director of
the Women's Army Corps" Col.
Boyce said. II am grateful to the
War Department for the confidence
it has expressed in me and I shall
endeavor to measure up to that con-
fidence.
st am sure the news of Col.
Hobby's retirement will result in a
sense of deep personal loss on the
part of every member of the WAC.
Col. Hobby brought to her job as
director a warm personality and a
deep compassion for others which
has nodded the policies governing
the corps"
North Carolina Native.
A native of Rocky Mount, N. c.,
Col. Boyce enlisted in the then
WAAC in September, 1943. She
served as company officer in the
first WAAC training center, Fort
Des Moines. Iowa, as public rela-
tons officer in the I'd Service
Command with headquarters in
New York City and as WAAC staff
director of the 4th Service Com
mand in Atlanta. She then was
sent to the North African theater of
operations, where she served for a
year as WAC staff director. On her
return to Washington she was as
signed to the personnel division OF
the general staff, where she served
until she was made deputy director
of the corps last month.
Col. Hobby, in resigning, said, 81
came to the War Department to
spend three months-I have spent
four years. In the beginning was
asked to set up, within the War De-
partment Bureau of Public Rela-
tons, women's interest section.
Later was asked to direct the Or
ganization, training and utilization
of a corps of women within the
Army.
After three years, the Women S
Army Corps has achieved its strength
of 100000 These women are serv-
ing in more than $50 jobs. They
are performing these military jobs
in every Allied theater The Wom-
ems Army Corps is no longer an
experiment nor corps apart.
Through the measure of its per-
Torrance, the WAC is accepted by
the Army and the public as an in
tegral part of the team.
Praised by Patterson.
$50 I feel my mission of organiz-
ing the corps. has been. completed.
1 would like to say that I have had
no comparable experience"
Col. Hobby will return to her
husband, william Pettus Hobby,
former Governor of Texas; to her
job as executive vice president Of
her husbands newspaper, the Hous-
ton Post, and to their two children,
William, jr., Is, and Jessica, 8.
In announcing her resignation,
Undersecretary Patterson said: "Col.
Hobby has distinguished herself by
her great contribution to the prose-
cution Of the war, her contribution
to the morale of the WAC and to
the morale of the entire Army, her
devotion to duty, her energy, tact
and great executive capabilities. We
will, of course, miss her and she
leaves with the best wishes of every
one in the War Department for her
future success and happy career"