Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-09-08
By EVELYN M. DENT
star Special Writer


be assigned to the Federal
Aviation Agency.
An imposing job title be-
came hers. On August S
she was named Commu-
nicationS and Navigation
Planning Officer, Systems
Research and Development
Service. When asked what
she was doing at the moment
with such b title to live up
to, she remarked: Just
charts, plotting Navigational
Aid Facilities available to jet
aircraft" which to a layman
sounded like a bookful.
Capt. Killwey is a slim,
dark-haired, blue-eyed en-
thusiast Of the Air Force, and
all 1t stands for. She can
think Of nothing better for
young women who really
want a career and are willing
to work, than the Women's
Air Force. Her own IA years
Of service attest to this state
ment.
A native Of Brooklyn, N. Y,
Marie Killwey joined the
firm Of Merrill Lynch, Pierce.
Fenner and Smith, after
graduating from the Acad-
envy Of the Sacred Heart Of
Mary. She was in the firms
communications room for
five years.
Between times she headed
for Donovan Hughes Flying
Service in Staten Island.
There she did odd Jobs and
pumped gas In exchange for
flying lessons. At night she
attended New York Univer-
sity, concentrating on weather
courses.
She Enlisted
In 1850, after earning her
private pilots license, she
decided to enlist in the Air
Force. That's when my
training really started in
earnest" she said, "and led
to that other first you know,
which lasted for four years"
the only woman to serve as
director Of frequency man
agement on the staff Of the
Pacific communications area,
Air Force communications
service, at Hickman Air
Force Base, Hawaii.
Her duties involved her in
significant communications
responsibilities on the Prof.
ect Mercury series Of orbital
flights" reads the terse Off
cial statement on Capt. Kill
wey's Job. She is both the
only woman in the Air Force
to hold such q Job and a
veteran as Project Mercury
frequency officer. She has
been in on every orbital
flight from the pioneering
chimpanzeeS Ham and Enos,
through all the AstronautS to
Maj. L. Gordon Cooper's "a
orbits.
1t was during the Cooper
flights that she stuck at her
post the entire 43 hours. A
pretty gruelling session? mot
as ] remember" she Smilingly
said, ut was too exciting.
Sheer nerve most Of the time,
and then being q woman I
was afraid I'd miss some
thing and although I never
spoke directly to Mai. Cooper
I heard every word he said
and shivered with pride when
I knew that I was part Of the
ground crew vital to his
safety"
How did she acquire the
technical knowledge essen
tial to such unique Jobs?
1T is all the Air Force" she
says. After q year in cleo
tronicS school, I had two
months at RADIAC-and was
an airborne radar equipment
mechanic staff sergeant
when in 1852 I entered OFF,
GERS Candidate School at
Lakeland AFB, Tex"
After being commissioned,
Capt. Killwey went to SCOTS
AFB, H.. for a year. training
In the Ground Communica-
tons Officers School. Tours
Of duty took her to Tachi-
kawa, Japan. and the Stra-
tegic Air Command in Oma-
ha. Nebr.
School Again
1t was back to school again.
This time in Washington,
D. c., for a year ut the FIRE.
quency ALLEGATION Sc h o oil
and her assignment TO Head
quarters Pacific Communi-
cations Area followed.
Off duty in her Arlington
home Capt. Killwey hopes to
indulge In one Of her hobbies
photography. She says Its
fun to take pictures, but I
get Kodak to develop them.
I find time too precious, or
I'm not q real enough pho
tographer at heart to spend
lots Of 1t In q dark room"
In Hawaii her favorits re-
taxation was surf and sun
bathing. collecting shells and
travelling. Australia, Singa-
pore, India, Thailand, Wet
Nam, Korea. Taiwan, the
Fiji and Philippine Islands
have been some Of her stop
ping off places.