ID Badge: Elizabeth Nolan
SubjectPortrait of
Elizabeth Ann Nolan
(American, 1924 - 2017)
Date1944-1952
MediumMetal, plastic
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (diameter): 2in. (5.1cm)
ClassificationsInformation Artifacts
Credit LineGift of Elizabeth Nolan Barnicle
Object number2017.55.1
DescriptionIdentification badge for Elizabeth Nolan at U.S. Naval Air Station Alameda, used when she served with the WAVES during World War II. The ID badge is circular in shape and constructed of metal and plastic. The front face of the badge has metal edging reading “U. S. NAVAL AIR STATION ALAMEDA” surrounding a plastic window with a square photograph of Nolan visible below the plastic. The photograph is a bust view of Nolan. She is standing in front of a height chart to aid in identification. A bar on the top of the photograph reads, “NAS ALAMEDA,” and one on the bottom reads, “USN 11796.” The rear face of the badge has a safety-pin to attach the badge.
NotesSubject Note: During WWII, women were eager to get involved in the war effort. Despite political resistance from those who believed women had no place in the Navy, President Roosevelt passed the Navy Women’s Reserve Act into law on July 30, 1942, creating the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES). This opened up new opportunities for women, allowing them to work as aviation mechanics, photographers, control tower operators, and parachute riggers. Although WAVES were not allowed to serve aboard combat ships or aircraft, these women were stationed at 900 shore stations in the continental U.S., later expanding to Alaska and Hawaii. By the end of WWII, more than 84,000 women had served in the WAVES. After the war, Congress passed a law allowing women to gain permanent status in all branches of the U.S. military, effectively disbanding the WAVES organization.On March 15, 1944, twenty-one-year-old Hartford native Elizabeth “Betty” Nolan, joined the WAVES, where she was assigned to the Naval Air Station in Alameda, CA. To prepare, she attended the U.S. Naval Training School at Hunter College, NY, and Yeoman School at the Iowa Teachers College, Cedar Falls, IA. After the war, Betty worked in the Patent Department of the Underwood Research Laboratories until she and her husband, John P. Barnicle, started their family.
Status
Not on view
about 1940
Whitehead and Hoag Company
