Blanche Woolard Haggard Collection
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Blanche Woolard Haggard in snow
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Blanche Woolard Haggard stands in the snow in front of a country store in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she was sent for officer candidate school in January 1943. She is wearing her WAVES winter uniform including her officer overcoat, hat, and purse.
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Oral history interview with Blanche Woolard Haggard
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Primarily documents Blanche Woolard Haggard's education at the Woman's College of the University of North Carolina (now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro); her service with the U.S. Navy WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) from 1942 to 1945; and her life after World War II. Haggard details working in the Woman's College registrar's office and being taught by Virginia Farinholt in the late 1930s and early 1940s. However, she primarily discusses her World War II service. She recalls her parents' reactions when she joined the WAVES; basic training, including marching and uniforms; Eleanor Roosevelt's visit to her typing class at Northampton; her social life, including trips to New York, dances, and dates; her work coding and decoding messages; GI deaths during pilot training; shore patrol; and her opinion of President Franklin Roosevelt. " Other topics include the mood of the country during World War II; her husband's experiences in the military; frequent traveling with her husband; her work with the Red Cross Blood Program; the general perception of women who joined the military; her opinion of women in combat; and the variety of jobs and volunteer work she was involved with after her military service.
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WAVES navy blue garrison cap
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WAVES navy blue garrison cap, authorized for wear by enlisted women and officers in January 1945. Worn by Blanche W. Haggard in 1945.
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Wedding of Blanche Woolard and Bill Haggard
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Blanche and Bill Haggard walked down the aisle at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station Chapel, Florida, following their wedding ceremony in 1944. Blanche wears her white summer dress uniform and officers' combination hat and carries a small bouquet. Bill also wears his white navy officers' uniform.
