DOB/DOD: September 7, 1906 (Bridgeport, CT) – September 14, 1980 (Milford, CT); 74 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried
LOCAL ADDRESS: 406 Newfield Avenue, Bridgeport, and later, Burnt Plains Road, Milford
ENLISTMENT: August 29, 1942, in Hartford
SERVICE NUMBER: I-25005
DISCHARGE: June 16, 1946; served in the reserves until October 1, 1966
FAMILY: Born to William H. Sr. (1873-1938) and Rhoanna Epps Fields Kearney (1879-1963). Four sisters, Melina (1902-1959), Irene (1904-1987), Mildred E. Kearney Johnson (1909-2003), and Anna B. Kearney Seymour (1912-1987). Two brothers, William H. Jr. (1915-1984) and Douglas W. (1923-2011).
OTHER: Attended Central High School in Bridgeport and graduated in the Class of 1924.
Graduated from Howard University, Class of 1928
All images below were of items belonging to the niece of Major Kearney, Sheila Kearney.
From The Bridgeport Post on July 14, 1942
Mary F. Kearney, of 406 Newfield Avenue, today became the first Bridgeport resident accepted for the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps. She is an elevator operator in the Liberty Building.
From The Journal (Meriden, CT) on July 15, 1942
Hartford, July 15. (AP) – The Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps has announced the acceptance of two, Miss Mary F. Kearney of Bridgeport and Miss Ruth A. Lucas of Stamford, as officer candidates. The women are college graduates and will start two months of training on July 20 at Fort Des Moines, Iowa.
From The New Pittsburgh Courier on August 1, 1942
By Charlece Harston
DES MOINES, Iowa, July 30 – Last Monday, this spot became the site of a scene unparalleled in American military history as the training ground for the first women’s Army came into being. Pouring into the Fort were women, some quite young, others whose heads were streaked with the very first gray hairs from every section of the country. At the close of the day, 39 Negro members of the Officers’ Candidate School had arrived. Forty had been expected, along with 400 white candidates. Dressed in suits with ruffles and flowered prints, they were met at the train and bus stations by young officers in large army trucks fitted with special steps and long wooden seats. The ride from the station to Fort Des Moines wasn’t long, about 20 minutes—and many of the women made friends on the way out.
MILITARY SCHEDULE EFFECTIVE THURSDAY
Colonel Don C. Faith. Commander of the WAAC Post. Mrs. Oveta C. Boppy, national director of the training schools, and Mrs. McLeod Bethune, director of Negro Youth Affairs in Washington D.C., and one of 19 women on the board that selected the officer candidates of the WAAC, were at the post to welcome the women.
The military school schedule would go into effect on Thursday, Colonel Faith announced. For the first three days, the women were to spend the greater part of their time going through the processing routine and attending orientation lectures. After going to the checking station, the women were given a short and final physical examination, then assigned to their barracks.
Finally came the big job! Not that it took so long, for the official scheduled time was 41 minutes, but what woman enjoys being measured and measured? At work to accommodate the 800 women arriving at the Fort were 53 fitters from local department stores. Very few of the women left with complete wardrobes. The vast majority had to have their dress uniforms altered. However, all received dark blue barrack bags. Most of the women were able to include in their bags some underwear, gloves, playsuits, shirts, raincoats, skirts, jackets, hose, tennis shoes, overshoes, at least one pair of shoes, and a hat.
FOUR COMPANIES TO BE FORMED
Lastly, the women went to the classification section, where each filled out lengthy forms and answered heaps of questions. The written forms and notations made by officers during their interviews with the women are to be used in classifying them for a particular type of specialist training. At the very end, they received inoculations and vaccinations against typhoid, smallpox, and other diseases.
From The Connecticut Post on September 16, 1980
Miss Mary F. Kearney
MILFORD — Miss Mary F. Kearney, 71, of 214 Burnt Plains Road, a retired librarian for New York City, died Sunday in Milford Hospital.
Memorial services will take place on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. in the Cody-White Funeral Home, 107 Broad Street. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery, New Haven.
Born in Bridgeport, Miss Kearney lived the past 23 years in Milford. She graduated from Howard University and received her Master’s degree in library science from Michigan University. In 1942, Miss Kearney was the first Bridgeport woman to enter the Women’s Army Corps as a Second Lieutenant and retired in 1966 from the Army Reserve as a Major.
Survivors include two brothers, Dr. William H. Kearney of Barbados and Douglas W. Kearney of Bridgeport; three sisters, Miss Irene Kearney and Mrs. Mildred K. Johnson, both of Milford, and Mrs. Ann K. Smith of Detroit, Michigan; and several nieces and nephews.
Major Kearney is buried in Lakeview Cemetery, 885 Boston Avenue, Bridgeport, Connecticut; Avenue D, Lot 27, Grave 1. Photos by Jeff DeWitt.
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