Dorothy B. Austell Collection
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Oral history interview with Dorothy Austell
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Primarily documents Dorothy B. Austell's service as an undercover agent in the Women's Army Corps with the Office of Strategic Services during World War II and her post-war work as an insurance agent. Austell describes her athleticism in high school, working after school for the superintendent, attending business school at Gardner-Webb, and subsequently becoming one of the youngest comptrollers in the state with the Cleveland County school district. " Austell primarily discusses her military service, including the secretive circumstances surrounding her recruitment for position by Senator Clyde Hoey. Other topics include her mother's attempts to keep her from the army; the secrecy surrounding her work and the resultant loneliness; basic training at Daytona Beach; switching uniforms, ranks, and jobs to cover her identity; catching a man suspected of selling secrets and some Italian Americans suspected of sabotage at Baer Field; and her patriotism and devotion to the military and her country. " Other subjects related to Austell's service include almost being sent overseas with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)" being in a plane crash; a visit from Judy Garland and Bob Hope while in the hospital; the attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent treatment of Japanese Americans; George Watts Hill, who served in the OSS; and visiting Harry Truman in Missouri after his presidency. " Austell also discusses her life and career after the war at length. Topics include: a job selling candy in her youth; her work as an insurance agent; an insurance-related trip to Berlin and her impressions of Hitler and Germany; the place of women in the insurance business; being the top agent in sales in the world with Jefferson Pilot; running several insurances agencies; leading the Shelby American Legion Post.
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Portrait of Dorothy B. Austell
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Photographic portrait of Dorothy B. Austell, in uniform, standing by a field, with farm workers in the background. The photograph is dated June 11, 1943.
