Women and Leadership

In the fall of 1963, Joan received orders to attend Petty Officer Leadership School at the Naval Training Center and then in December she received orders to attend the Naval Justice School back in Newport, RI.

As was typical, Joan was the only woman. She graduated with distinction and received orders to be stationed in Norfolk, VA where she was a Personnel Officer for the Naval Station. Her additional duty was as the official Women’s Representative. She described being met on all sides with cold shoulders from fellow male officers. She found out later that the female Lieutenant she had replaced had been having an affair with the Executive Officer who was then transferred out. Joan recalled, “The male officer who finally told me the problem said the men were afraid of me, as they were of her, because they believed that all women officers got themselves intimately involved with the boss. Wasn’t that a shock!”

The male officers began to accept her when they found out she could bowl. Joan got a full-time position on the officer’s league team. She was the only woman, but had one of the highest averages.

Joan talked frequently about the kinds of issues that slowed the progress of women officers and their careers. There were rules that delayed promotions for women. There were also rules that women could not serve on submarines, ships or aircraft carriers – these were all common routes to promotion for men.

One rule that particularly worried Joan was that women could not have dependents under 18 – although obviously men could. Even though Joan was not married, she worried that in the event that her parents died, she would be responsible for caring for her younger sister, Susan, who was only 16, and this could end her career.

As time went on, it became apparent to Joan that having a bachelor’s degree was insufficient to be seriously considered for a promotion. She applied to the Computer Systems Management program at the Post Naval Graduate School in Monterey, CA. It took a year for the selection process and another year for there to be an opening in the program.

The escalation of the war in Vietnam led to legislation that improved opportunities for career military women. It removed the percentage restrictions on women’s Commander and Lt. Commander ranks and numbers. But women were still prohibited from serving aboard “aircraft engaged in combat missions” - this wasn’t lifted until 1993 after Operation Desert Storm.

The new Vietnam era law permitted women to hold the permanent rank of Captain. Seven women were promoted to the rank of CAPT that first year. But according to Joan, no thought was given as to what the Navy was going to do with them. One earmarked position that had been filled by a man who was retiring, was rescinded when that man withdrew his retirement when he heard that he was going to be replaced by a woman!

Joan enjoyed sharing a significant event that forced the beginning of the integration of women officers into the overall scheme of things. The first man was admitted to the Women Officer’s School in Newport, Rhode Island – a male nurse!

In July 1968 Joan finally began school at the Post Naval Graduate School in Monterey, California – two years after she applied. Once again she was the only woman in her section and the only woman in the Computer Systems Management curriculum. The curriculum included engineering courses and programming languages.

She graduated in December 1969 and was assigned to the Personnel Accounting Machine Installation, U.S. Pacific Fleet. Or PAMIPAC for short.