LCDR Maude M. Abbott Oral History

title:

LCDR Maude M. Abbott Oral History

creator:

Abbott, Maude (McCurry)

subject:

Navy WAVES

description:

Maude M. Abbott (formerly McCurry) was born in Toccoa, Georgia on February 8, 1920. She was the middle child, with three brothers and one sister. She went to a nearby boarding school on a scholarship for high school, with her mother sending her there with the hopes of getting a better education. She graduated as valedictorian, and because of that was able to attend the University of Georgia tuition-free. She worked in the library while going there, which started her love of books and research. After graduating college in 1942, she accepted a job teaching high school English in Blue Ridge, Georgia. She met with a Navy recruiter in 1943 and, although she wasn’t sure if she wanted to join because she loved teaching, the recruiter was very persuasive and promised her a commission if she joined the WAVES. Her sister had already enlisted in the WAVES by the time she talked to the recruiter. She wanted to join the WAVES largely because she had never traveled outside of Georgia and wanted to see more of the world, and because it paid better than teaching. All her siblings served in the military during World War II and their parents were proud of them, although her mother shared how sad she was to not have any of her children home for Christmas. After enlisting in August, she was sent to Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts for Officer Candidate School. She was then assigned to the Naval Gun Factory in Washington, DC to train for working as a researcher for Navy armaments. She was then assigned to the Bureau of Ordinances in the research section, where she read action reports and highlighted anything that had gone wrong with equipment in the report. There were five people in her office, but she was the only WAVE. Some men treated her with resentment, but on the whole she remembers being treated very well by men in the Navy. She remained at this station for the entirety of her service, leaving in 1946. Her older brother was wounded overseas, but ultimately all of her siblings survived their service and returned home after the war ended. She was discharged in 1946 and went to school once again, receiving a graduate degree in library science using the GI Bill. She began working as a reference librarian at the University of New Hampshire right after school. After four years at another library, she got married. When Abbott left the service she had reached the rank of lieutenant commander, and for her service she was awarded an American Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal. No transcript of this interview is currently available.

publisher:

Military Women's Memorial Foundation

contributor:

Pedemonte, Monica

date:

2004-07-02

type:

Audio

format:

CD

identifier:

002; 2004.002

source:

VHP | CLIR - Recordings at Risk

language:

English

relation:

598922

coverage:

World War II (1939-1945) | 1943-46

rights:

Unrestricted