Dorothy recounts memories of her older sister, Maxine.
Maxine as a toddler, circa 1924.
Maxine, circa 1934.
Sisters Maxine and Dorothy; Maxine was
ten years older than Dorothy, circa 1942.
L to R: Charles, Maxine, and 1st cousin Kenny Gruber. All three served in World War II era: Charles in the post war in a topographical unit in Japan; Maxine in the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service program (WAVES) as a psychiatric aide; and Kenny as a Lieutenant Colonel and pilot of a B-24 Liberator. According to Peter Chen's online article "WAVES: Women in the WW2 US Navy," women's responsibilites grew tremendously from their WWI WAVES counterparts:
By mid-1943, 27,000 American women served in the WAVES program. While their WW1 counterparts served only as nurses and secretaries, these WW2-era women took up far more responsibilities. Secretarial and clerical jobs still made up a large portion of WAVES positions, but thousands of WAVES personnel performed other jobs such as aviation mechanics, photographers, control tower operators, and intelligence personnel. In late 1944, the WAVES program began accepting African American women at the ratio of one black woman for every 36 white women enlisted in the WAVES program. By the end of the war, over 84,000 women served in WAVES with 8,000 female officers, which constituted 2.5% of the US Navy's personnel strength.
Maxine's high school graduation picture, 1940.
Maxine in California.
L to R: Maxine's best friend, Dolores, who was also a WAVE member, and Maxine in San Diego, California.
Maxine in her WAVE uniform.
Dr. Frank Butler, Maxine's husband, psychiatrist.
Maxine as a WAVE psychiatric aide.
L to R: Jim & Mark Butler, Frank & Maxine's sons.
L to R: Maxine, holding Bill, Jim, Frank, Mark Butler.
Maxine, Jim, & Frank Butler.
Mark Butler
Jim Butler, 14 months old.
L to R: Bill, Mark, & Jim Butler.
Frank Butler's extended family. Frank's father was an educator.
L to R: Bill, Mark, & Jim Butler.
Bill, 8 years old.
L to R: Bill, Maxine, Mark, Frank, & Jim Butler.