Geraldine Pratt May | |
|---|---|
 Lieutenant Colonel Geraldine Pratt May, first director of women in the Air Force, 1948, U.S. Air Force | |
| Born | April 21, 1895 Albany, New York |
| Died | November 2, 1997 (aged 102) Menlo Park, California |
| Buried | Arlington National Cemetary |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | United States Army Air Forces United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1942–1946 1948–1975 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Commands | Women in the Air Force |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Spouse(s) | |
Colonel Geraldine Pratt May (April 21, 1895 – November 2, 1997) was the first female to earn the grade of colonel in the United States Air Force and the first director of Women in the Air Force. May paved the way for women and the role of women in the United States Air Force.[1]
Early Life & Career
editBorn in Albany, New York, April 21, 1895, May attended high school in Tacoma, Washington, and Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the University of California at Berkeley.
Her first job was with the California immigaration and housing commission. She spent time as a social worker and Camp Fire Girls executive prior to exiting the workforce.
She married Albert E. May in 1928 in Sacramento, California, and moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Before War World II began Albert had died.[2][3][4]
World War II
editAt the age of 47, May joined the newly formed Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) in July 1942 to attend officer candidate school at Fort Des Moines, Iowa. May was 2 years above the legal age limit for WAAC members. [2]
March 1943, May’s received her first assignment to the Army Air Forces as WAC staff director of the Air Transport Command (ATC). May’s job included the overseeing of 6,000 enlisted women and officers. May would soon see herself traveling to U.S. air bases across the world in order to provide the oversight and advisement regarding women in the Army, their assignments; and policies related to them.[5]
Women's Armed Service Integration Act
editFollowing WWII, May transferred to the General Staff of the War Department before becoming WAC staff director of the Army ground forces. On terminal leave, May was tipped off by WAC Deputy Director Lieutenant Colonel Mary Hallaren, a fellow member of the first WAAC officer class, that a separate Air Force was imminent, and that May should head back to Army Headquarters. May moved to Army Headquarters in January 1948, per Hallaren’s advice, to help with the military’s planning efforts for after the war at the rank of major
On June 12, 1948, President Truman signed the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act into law. Four days later, May transferred to the newly created Air Force to become the director of the Women in the Air Force (WAF). May was appointed as colonel, the first Air Force woman to attain that honor.
May was best described as “not the pushy kind and so not too aggressive” and her friends described her as gentle and low-key. May was known for not compromising on matters of principles despite tending to avoid confrontation.[2]
Arlington National Cemetery
editMay died in 1997 at the age of 102 and is buried in Arlington Cemetery.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Geraldine Pratt May, Colonel, United States Air Force". www.arlingtoncemetery.net. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
- ^ a b c ""A Defense Weapon Known to be of Value": Servicewomen of the Korean War Era". The SHAFR Guide Online. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
- ^ Strobel, Heidi A. (2009-04). Rosie the Riveter (fl. 1920), iconic figure of the women who worked in defense industries during World War II. American National Biography Online. Oxford University Press.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Danysh, Romana; Holm, Jeanne (1985-04). "Women in the Military: An Unfinished Revolution". Military Affairs. 49 (2): 105. doi:10.2307/1988437. ISSN 0026-3931.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "An Encyclopedia of American women at war: from the home front to the battlefields". Choice Reviews Online. 50 (11): 50–5945-50-5945. 2013-07-01. doi:10.5860/choice.50-5945. ISSN 0009-4978.