Erma Hughes Kirkpatrick Collection
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Erma Hughes Kirkpatrick at religion building
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Erma Hughes Kirkpatrick, in dress blue uniform, poses beside a sign identifying a department "Of Religion," circa 1945. The sign appears to contain some of the 1937 quote from Nazi Minister of Church Affairs Hanns Kerrl that "Adolf Hitler is the true Holy Ghost."
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Oral history interview with Erma Hughes Kirkpatrick
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Primarily documents Kirkpatrick's work in naval intelligence as both a civilian and an officer in the U.S. Navy WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) during World War II; and her personal life after the war. Kirkpatrick discusses her civilian work in naval communications in Washington, D.C.; her decision to join the navy; her training at Smith College; her work in naval intelligence reconstructing Japanese coded messages, training new personnel, and conducting research; the Mount Vernon Seminary facility; her social life and schedule; and VE and VJ celebrations in Washington. She also briefly describes some of her post-war activities, including her travels across the United States; attending a management training program at Radcliffe on the GI Bill; remaining in the reserves; and her volunteer work and quilting. " Kirkpatrick also reflects on patriotism in Washington, D.C., and other parts of the country during the war; the atom bomb and how her feelings about the Japanese have changed since the war; feminism and being a stay-at-home mother; and her quilting and volunteer activities.
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WAVES and sailors in the snow
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Four WAVES, including Erma Hughes Kirkpatrick (second from left) and two sailors, all in overcoats, pose outside in the snow, circa 1945.
