📖 1953 WAVES Boot Camp – Company 53-125W, USNTC Bainbridge (*The Ship’s Bell*)

Front Cover, Great Lakes USNTC "The Ship's Bell" 1953 Waves Company 125. | GGA Image ID # 13f1e82fdc

QuickFacts

• Training Center: U.S. Naval Training Center, Bainbridge, Maryland
• Year / Company: 1953, WAVES Company 125
• Commander: YNC A. M. Deleo (Company Commander)
• Graduates: 46 women, graduated 3 August 1953
• Organization: 31st Battalion, 3rd Regiment
• Training Dates: 5 June – 3 August 1953
• Document Type: Yearbook (The Ship’s Bell)
• Standout Features:
  • Overseen by CPT Joy Bright Hancock and LCDR Jean M. Stewart, two pioneers of women’s naval service
  • Full roster of 46 women recruits, with diverse U.S. representation
  • Rich photographs of command staff and recruits at Bainbridge

What Makes This Unique ✨

This volume highlights one of the earliest Bainbridge WAVES companies following the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act (1948), which formally made women a permanent part of the U.S. Navy. Unlike the larger WWII classes, Company 125 was smaller, with just 46 graduates — reflecting a postwar Navy still defining the scope of women’s integration.

The book is particularly notable for including extended biographies of Captain Joy Bright Hancock (Assistant Chief of Naval Personnel for Women) and Lt. Cmdr. Jean M. Stewart (Officer-in-Charge of Recruit Training for Women). These profiles offer insight into how high-level Navy women shaped the future of recruits.

👩‍✈️ WAVES Company 53-125 Leadership

• CAPT Joy Bright Hancock, USN — Assistant Chief of Naval Personnel for Women
• LCDR Jean M. Stewart, USN — Officer-in-Charge, Recruit Training for Women
• YNC A. M. Deleo, USN — Company Commander

This structure reflects the Navy’s commitment to putting experienced women officers at the helm of women’s training during the early Cold War.

🌟 Noteworthy Leaders

CAPT Joy Bright Hancock — One of the “first eight” women sworn into the Regular Navy in 1948, former Director of the WAVES, and one of the most influential figures in women’s naval history.

LCDR Jean M. Stewart — WWII veteran and administrative leader who oversaw Recruit Training for Women at Bainbridge in the early 1950s.

YNC A. M. Deleo — Company Commander, part of the growing cadre of senior enlisted women guiding WAVES recruits in the Cold War era.

🌟 Leadership Profiles

Captain Joy Bright Hancock (1898–1986)

A true pioneer, Joy Bright Hancock began as a Yeoman (F) during WWI and re-entered service during WWII. She became Director of the WAVES in 1946 and, in 1948, was among the first women sworn into the regular Navy under the new Integration Act. By 1951 she held the title Assistant Chief of Naval Personnel for Women, shaping Navy policy for female service members. Hancock earned multiple campaign medals and remains a central figure in Navy women’s history.

LCDR Jean M. Stewart (1910–?)

A Mills College graduate, Stewart joined the Naval Reserve in 1943, serving in administration with amphibious and logistics commands. She later held staff roles in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., before becoming Officer-in-Charge of Recruit Training (Women) at Bainbridge in 1952. She oversaw the daily training of WAVE recruits like Company 125, ensuring they were prepared for administrative and logistical Navy assignments.

Roster And Portraits 📋

The roster of 46 women represents a cross-section of American hometowns, from Alabama to California. Many surnames (Balyeat, Gambacorta, Hippensteel, St. Cyr, Yarbrough) reflect diverse ethnic and regional backgrounds.

For genealogists, this roster offers concrete leads: names + middle initials that match obituaries, census, and VA records of postwar servicewomen.

Waves Company 53-125(W) Bainbridge NTC Recruits, Page 1 (Balyeat-Martin)

1. Mary E. Balyeat
2. Nanette R. Barker
3. Cecile Y. Bell
4. Mary E. Bibb
5. Mabel I. Bostick
6. Barbara J. Bownan
7. Kathryn S. Buckwalter
8. Peggy J. Cole
9. Doris M. Ellsworth
10. Mildred A. Fisher
11. Janet Marie S. Fletcher
12. Angelina Gambacorta
13. Margaret C. Gracey
14. Mary Jane R. Hall
15. Martha A. Harris
16. Anna T. Harsche
17. Sylvia P. Hippensteel
18. Frankie J. Holcomb
19. Alice F. Jacobs
20. Mazie A. Johnson
21. Joyce A. King
22. Diane V. MacGregor
23. Frances M. Martin

Waves Company 56-069 Bainbridge NTC Recruits, Page 2 (McPherson-Yarbrough Plus Sanders, Ivey, and Mulligan)

1. Exie E. McPherson
2. Janet E. Mull
3. Mary L Mullis
4. Lorraine D. Navin
5. Sherlee A. Otto
6. Wilma R. Radtke
7. Mary A. Richardson
8. Theresa Rivera
9. Eleanor J. Schmidt
10. Elsie M. Schrader
11. May P. Scott
12. Helen R. Shockley
13. Claire A. Skinner
14. Joan P. St. Cyr
15. Betty G. Walker
16. Eloise D. Warren
17. Ellen H. Whatley
18. Billie J. Wommack
19. Nina L Yarbrough
20. Ruth M. Bowers
21. Betty L Sanders
22. T. A. Ivey
23. Bonnie Jean Mulligan

Noteworthy Images 🖼️

• Front Cover, “The Ship’s Bell” (1953) | GGA Image ID #13f1e82fdc
• Captain Joy Bright Hancock (Portrait) | GGA Image ID #13f1fc4504
• LCDR Jean M. Stewart (Portrait) | GGA Image ID #13f1fc4504
• Recruits Group Portraits (pp. 2–3) | GGA IDs #13f261cff0, #13f3156392

Relevance And Research 🎯

Teachers & Students: This yearbook provides a lens into early 1950s military integration, allowing classrooms to explore how women shifted from temporary wartime service to permanent roles.

Genealogists: A roster of 46 names with middle initials is invaluable for family research, particularly for women whose service records may be harder to trace.

Historians & Veterans: The presence of Hancock and Stewart connects this small company to the broader history of policy-making and institutional leadership.

Final Thoughts ⚓

Company 125’s Ship’s Bell is more than a roster — it’s a snapshot of the postwar Navy in transition. With leadership from pioneers like Hancock and Stewart, and 46 new recruits ready to serve, this yearbook marks the permanent place of women in the Navy.

💙 Teachers gain lesson-ready material.

📚 Genealogists find names and leads for further research.

⚓ Historians see integration policy in action.

📚 Why This Matters:

By highlighting both policy-shaping leaders (Hancock, Stewart) and everyday recruits (Gambacorta, St. Cyr), this yearbook becomes more than a roster — it’s a story of integration, diversity, and legacy. Teachers, genealogists, and historians alike gain points of entry into the lived experiences of women in uniform during the early 1950s.

CPT JOY BRIGHT HANCOCK, U. S. NAVY
Assistant Chief of Naval Personnel For Women

Captain Joy Bright Hancock, U.S.N., first served as a Yeoman (F), First Class, U.S. Naval Reserve Force at the New York Shipbuilding Corporation yards at Camden, New Jersey, and later as Chief Yeoman (F), she was attached to the U.S. Naval Air Station at Cape May, New Jersey. She was mustered out of the service in September, 1919.

On October 24, 1942, Captain Hancock became Women's Reserve Representative for the Bureau of Aeronautics and for the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Air. She was transferred to duty on February 25, 1946, as Assistant Director (Plans) of the Women's Reserve, and on July 26, 1946, she assumed duty as Director of the Women's Reserve of the U.S. Navy, in the rank of Captain.

On October 15, 1948, Captain Hancock was one of the eight women sworn into the regular Navy of the United States, under the Women's Armed Service Integration Act of 1948. She was assigned duty as an Assistant to the Chief of Naval Personnel, in the temporary rank of Captain, and is serving as an Advisor to the Chief of Naval Personnel on women's affairs. On 17 May 1951 her title was officially designated as Assistant Chief of Naval Personnel for Women.

In addition to the Commendation Ribbon, Captain Hancock has the Victory Medal, for service during World War I, and is entitled to the American Area Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal.

LCDR JEAN M. STEWART, U. S. Navy
Offïcer-in-Charge Recruit Training for Women in the Navy

Lieutenant Commander Jean M. Stewart, U.S.N., L- reported to the Recruit Training Command for duty as Officer-in-Charge of Recruit Training (W) in December 1952. Just prior to assuming her present duties, Miss Stewart was Assistant for Women and Assistant Personnel Officer on the staff of the Chief of Naval Air Training at the Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida.

A graduate of Mills College, Oakland, California, Miss Stewart was first commissioned an Ensign in the Naval Reserve in March 1943. Her first duty was with an Advanced Base Outfitting Detachment of the Amphibious Training Command at Port Hueneme, California, where she served as Administrative Assistant until April 1945. This assignment was followed by duty, also in administration, on the staff of the Commander, Western Sea Frontier with headquarters in San Francisco, California.

In August 1946 she was transferred to Washington, D. C., where her assignments included duty in the Office of Naval Material, the Bureau of Aeronautics, the Air Transport Section of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations and on the staff of the Commander, Fleet Logistic Air Wings, as Assistant Air Traffic Coordinator.

In recognition of her services during World War II, Miss Stewart was awarded the American Area Campaign Medal and the Victory Medal.

Waves Company 56-069 Bainbridge NTC Recruits, Page 1 (Balyeat-Martin with YNC A. M. Deleo, Company Commander). | GGA Image ID # 13f261cff0

Waves Company 56-069 Bainbridge NTC Recruits, Page 2 (McPherson-Yarbrough Plus Sanders, Ivey, and Mulligan.). | GGA Image ID # 13f3156392