Winifred Collins
Encyclopedia
Winifred 'Quick' Collins (November 26, 1911 – May 5, 1999) was Chief of Naval Personnel for Women in the United States Navy
, and Director of the WAVES
(Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) from 1957 to 1962.
, United States. She was the third child of four of Daniel A. Redden and Mary Winifred Redden (maiden name Farrell). When Collins was 10 years old, her family moved to Missoula, Montana
to run a hotel. A year later her parents divorced. When she was 11, she contracted a mild case of polio, but fully recovered without suffering a lasting disability. Soon after this her mother abandoned her, and she spent the next few years living with relatives in various locations. After attending High School
in four different states, Collins graduated in 1929 while living Seattle with one of her brothers.
In 1930 she received a scholarship
from the Brunswig Drug Corporation to attend the University of Southern California
. She graduated with a Major
in business, in 1935. It was in 1935 that she married her first husband Roy Quick. Also in that year, Collins got a job as the Personnel manager of Brunswig Drug Corporation. She recommended a number of changes to the President of the company; she suggested that the employees should be paid according to their performance
and job type, regardless of gender
. Because of the subsequent improvement in productivity Collins was financed, in 1937, to attend the Harvard-Radcliffe
Training Course in Personnel Administration. In 1938, she was one of five who graduated from the first course.
, the President of Radcliffe College
when Collins was educated there, sat on a committee that was looking into the idea of recruiting women into the US Navy
. She contacted Collins in June 1942 with a suggestion that she might apply for a commission. On August 4 of that year, Collins graduated from the first female commissioning class held at Smith College
, Northampton, Massachusetts
and was commissioned with the rank of Ensign
on August 28, 1942.
After the month long training at Smith College, the Commanding Officer
of the Naval Officer School, Captain Underwood, requested that she would stay on as the Personnel Director. Two months later, she was promoted to Lieutenant (junior grade). Her next assignment was in the summer of 1943; she was sent to the Bureau of Naval Personnel in Washington DC. She was one of twelve Naval officers tasked with the evaluation of the jobs the WAVES could do within the Navy as a whole, and the skills they would require to do them.
In late 1944, the now Lieutenant
Collins was the first female non-medical officer to serve outside the Continental United States when she was sent to Hawaii
as the District Personnel Officer. She organised accommodation for 5,000 WAVES who were going to be posted there in January 1945. At the end of World War II
, Collins was tasked with the demobilization
of the WAVES and their reintroduction into civilian life. For this, she was promoted to Lieutenant Commander
, and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal
.
In 1946, Collins returned to Washington DC and helped plan the eventual inclusion of females into the Navy; this led to the 1948 Women's Armed Forces Integration Act. On October 15, 1948, the first female Commissioned Officers of the United States Navy were sworn in; Collins was one of them. In 1951, she was then sent to Stanford University
by the Navy for post graduate education and graduated in 1952 with a Master
of Education
. She then became the Assistant Director of Naval Personnel for the 12th Naval District; the area of the US comprising Nevada
, Utah
, and Northern California
. In 1953 she was promoted to Commander
; one of only two female Commanders in the entire US Navy. Between 1953 and 1956, Collins was Personnel Director of the 12th Naval District, and commanded 350 Navy personnel. This was the highest post ever held by a female Officer in the Navy.
Her next post was to London
, United Kingdom
as Senior Assistant to the Commander in Chief of Naval Forces (Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean). Returning to the United States in the summer of 1957 she was appointed Chief of Naval Personnel for Women and promoted to the rank of Captain. She was the only female Captain, making her the most senior women in the Navy, until she retired from service on August 31, 1962.
in 1964, and the first female National Vice President of the Navy League of the United States
in 1965, and was later the Director. The Navy League have an award named after her; the Captain Winifred Quick Collins Award. In 1977, she was elected as the first female director of Corn Products International
, a global consumer food products operation. Further Navy related roles she filled include; the first female trustee
of the United States Naval Academy
Foundation, in 1977; the first women named in the Navy League's Hall of Fame in 1990.
Collins died at the Hospice of Northern Virginia on May 5, 1999 after suffering from spinal cancer. She was buried on May 25, 1999, in section 3 of the Arlington National Cemetery
.
Howard Lyman Collins. From her second marriage she had two step-sons; Howard Lyman Collins, Jr., and John Collins. Her second husband died in 1984 and is buried in Arlington Cemetery.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, and Director of the WAVES
WAVES
The WAVES were a World War II-era division of the U.S. Navy that consisted entirely of women. The name of this group is an acronym for "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service" ; the word "emergency" implied that the acceptance of women was due to the unusual circumstances of the war and...
(Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) from 1957 to 1962.
Early life
She was born Winifred Mary Redden, in Great Falls, MontanaGreat Falls, Montana
Great Falls is a city in and the county seat of Cascade County, Montana, United States. The population was 58,505 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Great Falls, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Cascade County...
, United States. She was the third child of four of Daniel A. Redden and Mary Winifred Redden (maiden name Farrell). When Collins was 10 years old, her family moved to Missoula, Montana
Missoula, Montana
Missoula is a city located in western Montana and is the county seat of Missoula County. The 2010 Census put the population of Missoula at 66,788 and the population of Missoula County at 109,299. Missoula is the principal city of the Missoula Metropolitan Area...
to run a hotel. A year later her parents divorced. When she was 11, she contracted a mild case of polio, but fully recovered without suffering a lasting disability. Soon after this her mother abandoned her, and she spent the next few years living with relatives in various locations. After attending High School
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in four different states, Collins graduated in 1929 while living Seattle with one of her brothers.
In 1930 she received a scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
from the Brunswig Drug Corporation to attend the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. She graduated with a Major
Academic major
In the United States and Canada, an academic major or major concentration is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits....
in business, in 1935. It was in 1935 that she married her first husband Roy Quick. Also in that year, Collins got a job as the Personnel manager of Brunswig Drug Corporation. She recommended a number of changes to the President of the company; she suggested that the employees should be paid according to their performance
Job performance
Job performance is a commonly used, yet poorly defined concept in industrial and organizational psychology, the branch of psychology that deals with the workplace. It's also part of Human Resources Management. It most commonly refers to whether a person performs their job well...
and job type, regardless of gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
. Because of the subsequent improvement in productivity Collins was financed, in 1937, to attend the Harvard-Radcliffe
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was the coordinate college for Harvard University. It was also one of the Seven Sisters colleges. Radcliffe College conferred joint Harvard-Radcliffe diplomas beginning in 1963 and a formal merger agreement with...
Training Course in Personnel Administration. In 1938, she was one of five who graduated from the first course.
Military career
Dr. Ada ComstockAda Comstock
Ada Comstock was an American women's education pioneer. She served as the first dean of women at the University of Minnesota and later as the first full-time president of Radcliffe College.-Early life and education:...
, the President of Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was the coordinate college for Harvard University. It was also one of the Seven Sisters colleges. Radcliffe College conferred joint Harvard-Radcliffe diplomas beginning in 1963 and a formal merger agreement with...
when Collins was educated there, sat on a committee that was looking into the idea of recruiting women into the US Navy
Women in the United States Navy
Women have served in the United States Navy for over a century. Today, there are over 52,391 women serving on active duty in an array of traditional and non-traditional ratings or careers...
. She contacted Collins in June 1942 with a suggestion that she might apply for a commission. On August 4 of that year, Collins graduated from the first female commissioning class held at Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
, Northampton, Massachusetts
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
and was commissioned with the rank of Ensign
Ensign
An ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...
on August 28, 1942.
After the month long training at Smith College, the Commanding Officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of the Naval Officer School, Captain Underwood, requested that she would stay on as the Personnel Director. Two months later, she was promoted to Lieutenant (junior grade). Her next assignment was in the summer of 1943; she was sent to the Bureau of Naval Personnel in Washington DC. She was one of twelve Naval officers tasked with the evaluation of the jobs the WAVES could do within the Navy as a whole, and the skills they would require to do them.
In late 1944, the now Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Collins was the first female non-medical officer to serve outside the Continental United States when she was sent to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
as the District Personnel Officer. She organised accommodation for 5,000 WAVES who were going to be posted there in January 1945. At the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Collins was tasked with the demobilization
Demobilization
Demobilization is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and military force will not be necessary...
of the WAVES and their reintroduction into civilian life. For this, she was promoted to Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant commander (United States)
Lieutenant commander is a mid-ranking officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade of O-4 and NATO rank code OF-3...
, and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
.
In 1946, Collins returned to Washington DC and helped plan the eventual inclusion of females into the Navy; this led to the 1948 Women's Armed Forces Integration Act. On October 15, 1948, the first female Commissioned Officers of the United States Navy were sworn in; Collins was one of them. In 1951, she was then sent to Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
by the Navy for post graduate education and graduated in 1952 with a Master
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
of Education
Master of Education
The Master of Education is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in a large number of countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum and instruction, counseling, and administration. It is often conferred for educators advancing in...
. She then became the Assistant Director of Naval Personnel for the 12th Naval District; the area of the US comprising Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, and Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
. In 1953 she was promoted to Commander
Commander (United States)
In the United States, commander is a military rank that is also sometimes used as a military title, depending on the branch of service. It is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the military, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Naval rank:In the United States...
; one of only two female Commanders in the entire US Navy. Between 1953 and 1956, Collins was Personnel Director of the 12th Naval District, and commanded 350 Navy personnel. This was the highest post ever held by a female Officer in the Navy.
Her next post was to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
as Senior Assistant to the Commander in Chief of Naval Forces (Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean). Returning to the United States in the summer of 1957 she was appointed Chief of Naval Personnel for Women and promoted to the rank of Captain. She was the only female Captain, making her the most senior women in the Navy, until she retired from service on August 31, 1962.
Later life and death
Upon retirement of from the navy, Collins became the first female director of the Military Officers Association of AmericaMilitary Officers Association of America
The Military Officers Association of America, or MOAA, is an association of 370,000 military officers, including active duty, retired, National Guard, Reserve, and former officers and their families. It is an independent, nonprofit, and politically nonpartisan organization...
in 1964, and the first female National Vice President of the Navy League of the United States
Navy League of the United States
The Navy League of the United States, commonly referred to as The Navy League, is a national association made up of former members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, the United States Coast Guard and the United States Merchant Marine, and civilians interested in supporting the...
in 1965, and was later the Director. The Navy League have an award named after her; the Captain Winifred Quick Collins Award. In 1977, she was elected as the first female director of Corn Products International
Corn Products International
Corn Products International, Inc. is an Illinois-based refiner and processor of corn-based food additives and sweeteners. It operates factories in 15 countries.- Company :...
, a global consumer food products operation. Further Navy related roles she filled include; the first female trustee
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
of the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
Foundation, in 1977; the first women named in the Navy League's Hall of Fame in 1990.
Collins died at the Hospice of Northern Virginia on May 5, 1999 after suffering from spinal cancer. She was buried on May 25, 1999, in section 3 of the Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
.
Personal life
Collins was married twice. She was married after she graduated from college to Roy T. Quick. Their marriage lasted from 1937 to 1941 when they divorced. In 1961, she married Rear AdmiralRear admiral (United States)
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. The uniformed services of the United States are unique in having two grades of rear admirals.- Rear admiral :...
Howard Lyman Collins. From her second marriage she had two step-sons; Howard Lyman Collins, Jr., and John Collins. Her second husband died in 1984 and is buried in Arlington Cemetery.
The Captain Winifred Quick Collins award
This award is awarded by the Navy League in honour of Collins. It has been presented since 1973 to one female officer and one female enlisted member of the United States Navy, per year. The Captain Winifred Quick Collins Award:
is awarded to a woman officer and an enlisted woman whose exceptional leadership and performance in their military duties have been accomplished by outstanding contributions that have brought them recognition and reflected credit on women in the naval service.