Evening star., 1960-04-18
Defense
Group
Meet

The Defense Advisory Com
mittee on Women in the
Armed Services, often re-
ferred to by its short title
DACOWITS, will hold its
semi-annual meeting here
April 24-26, Assistant Secre-
tary of Defense Charles C.
Finucane announced today.
Deputy Secretary of De-
fense James H. Douglas will
address the committees Of
fetal opening session in the
Pentagon on Monday morn
ing, April 25.
On Tuesday afternoon,
April 26, the committee COM
posed of so of the nations
leading civilian women rep
resenting business, the pro-
feSSions, and public service
will hear Deputy Assistant
Secretary of Defense Stephen
S. Jackson. Mr.. Jackson is
deputy to Mr.. Finucane who
is Assistant Secretary of De-
fense for Manpower, Person.
mel and Reserve.
During their three-day
meeting DACOWITS men,
bers will report on various
projects they have sponsored
in their local areas in con-
nection with women in the
services.
Stresses Career for Women
Established in 1851 by the
Secretary of Defense, DA-
COWTTS has four principal
aims. 1t interpretS to the
public the need for and the
role of women in the serv-
ices and promotes public ac-
ceptance of military service
as a career for women.
1t advises the Department of
Defense on policies relating
to women in the services.
1t recommends measures
to bring about a more ef-
fective utilization of the ca
pabilities of women in the
services. And it recommends
standards for the training,
housing, health, recreation
and general welfare of wom-
en- in the services.
Members are appointed by
the Secretary of Defense to
serve for three years. They
serve as individuals, not as
official representatives of
any group or organization.
Equitable field of interest
representation and geograph-
ical representation are also
selection factors.
Mrs. Anthony j. Drexel
Biddle of Annville, Pa. is
chairman of DACOWITS,
and will preside at this semi
annual meeting of the COM
mittee. Her vice chairman is
Mrs. Mortimer Fleishhacker,
jr., of San Francisco, Calf.
Certificates Due
The meeting also will fea-
ture working sessions of the
subcommittee in which plans
will be made for future edu-
cation and information prof.
ects covering all fields of the
nine women's components of
the services, including the
medical.
The committee will then
submit recommendations to
the Department of Defense
concerning the training and
welfare of all women in the
Army, Navy, Marine Corps
and Air Force.
Ninteen new members will
receive their three year
membership certificates In
DACOWITS from Secretary
Douglas at the meeting. Two
from Washington area who
will receive certificates will
be Mrs. Katie Louchheim.
vice chairman Of Democratic
National Committee and Mrs.
Donald A. Quarles, widow of
the former Deputy Secretary
of Defense.
An orientation for the new
members will be held on
Saturday, April %. That
afternoon the group with the
nine directors of women in
the services will board a
Navy craft for a trip down
the Potomac to observe sun
set memorial ceremonies at
Mount Vernon.
Reception Scheduled
On Sunday. April "a there
will be reception and dinner
meeting for all DACOWITS
members.
At the close of the formal
business sessions, the new
DACOWITS members will
make all-day visits to OBJ
serve women in the services
in training and on duty at
the Naval Training Center at
cambridge, Md. and at
Andrews Air Force Base, Md.
Members of DACOWITS
from the Washington area
previously appointed are Mrs.
Ruth Cowan Nash, Miss jose
phine B. Ripley, Mrs. William
F. Schnitzler and Mrs. Glare
B. Williams, the latter assist
ant chairman of the Repuli-
can National Committee.