The Scholar Who Led a Fleet

When the United States entered World War II, Mildred McAfee was already a woman of significant influence, serving as the President of Wellesley College. In 1942, the Navy came calling with a monumental task: to lead the newly formed WAVES (Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service).

McAfee didn’t just fill a role; she built the organization from the ground up. She was famously insistent that the WAVES be integrated as a core part of the Navy, not just an auxiliary unit. She fought for—and won—the right for women to receive the same pay and benefits as men of equal rank, a revolutionary concept at the time.

Under her command, the WAVES grew from a small experimental group to a force of over 80,000 women serving in diverse roles—from air traffic controllers and translators to cryptologists and clerical experts. Her leadership allowed the Navy to “free a man to fight” while proving, once and for all, that women possessed the technical skill and discipline required for high-stakes military service.

For her “exceptionally meritorious service,” she became the first woman to be awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal. After the war, she returned to academia and eventually retired to the quiet beauty of Randolph, New Hampshire, where she remained an active community leader until her passing in 1994.