MELIN, Jean (Horner) 1907-2002

MELIN, HORNER, COLE

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 2/5/2009 at 13:44:12

#1:

Jean Horner Melin, age 95, of Osage, died on Thursday, June 20, 2002, at the Faith Lutheran Home in Osage.

Graveside inurnment services were held at 1:30 p.m., on Wednesday, June 26, in the Oak Grove Cemetery in Mitchell. Reverent Jerry Newland officiated. There was no visitation.

Jean Horner Melin, was born on March 9, 1907 in Charles City, to Daniel and Beulah (Cole) Horner. She spent her first nine and one-half years in the Mitchell School and graduated from the Osage High School in 1925. She attended Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls from 1926 to 1928.

Melin was in the first contingent to go to the first WAAC training center at Ft. Des Moines. As a new officer she spent time in New York City and New Jersey recruiting. In January, she and 15 other WAAC's were selected to go to the Command and General Staff School in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. Fifteen women were first lieutenants, the 16th, a captain. Never in the history of the school had any male officer qualified under the grade of major and never before had women attended, thereby breaking Army tradition. Jean spent time in the Pentagon selecting women for various assignments, both stateside and overseas. In September she was taken into the regular Army. The WAAC was an auxiliary to the Army, the second "A" was eliminated. The WAC became "The Women's Army Corps." At that time she was promoted to Captain and subsequently assigned to the Army ground forces replacement school command in Birmingham, Alabama, where she was the staff director reporting to the commanding general on women's affairs. Twelve detachments of women across the lower half of the United States replaced men for active duty. She was promoted to major in 1944.

After 22 months in Birmingham she was assigned to Purdue University at West Lafayette, Indiana, to assist in establishing a school for WAC officers. At the end of WW II she returned to civilian status and worked in the War Assets Administration and in the Pentagon only to be recalled to service as staff director of WAC's in the First Service Command at Governor's Island, New York. She left the Army for the second time in 1948. Later she worked on government contracts for various companies in Buffalo, New York, Phoenix, Arizona and Los Angeles, California. Prior to the military, Jean worked in Davenport and Chicago, Illinois. She moved back to Iowa in 1990.

Jean was preceded in death by her parents; and one sister, Josephine Schmarzo.

Survivors include two nephews, Gordon Schmarzo and his wife, Donna of Manning and Kenneth Schmarzo of Charles City.

The Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home in Osage, was in charge of the services.

[ Mitchell County Press - June 26, 2002 ]

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#2:

JEAN HORNER MELIN

OSAGE - Jean Horner Melin, 95, died Thursday (June 20, 2002) at Faith Lutheran Home in Osage.

Graveside inurnment services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at Oak Grove Cemetery in Mitchell with the Rev. Jerry Newland officiating.

There will be no visitation. Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home in Osage is in charge of services.

She was born March 9, 1907, in Charles City to Daniel and Beulah (Cole) Horner. She spent her first nine and one-half years in the Mitchell school and then graduated from Osage High School in 1925. She attended Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls from 1926 to 1928.

She was in the first contingent to go to the first WAAC training center at Fort Des Moines in 1942. As a new officer, she spent time in New York City and New Jersey recruiting. Then, she and 15 other WAACs were selected to go to Command and General Staff School in Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Fifteen women were first lieutenants; the 16th, a captain. They broke Army tradition as never before had any women attended the school, and never before had any male officer under the grade of major qualified.

Jean spent time in the Pentagon, selecting women for various assignments both stateside and overseas.

She then was taken into the regular Army. The WAACs had been an auxiliary to the Army, and the second "A" was eliminated as the WAC became The Women's Army Corps. At that time, she was promoted to captain and subsequently was assigned to the Army Ground Forces Replacement School command in Birmingham, Ala., where she was staff director, reporting to the commanding general on women's affairs. Twelve detachments of women across the lower half of the United States replaced men for active duty. She was promoted to major in 1944.

After 22 months in Birmingham, she was assigned to Purdue University at West Lafayette, Ind., to assist in establishing a school for WAC officers. At the end of World War II, she returned to a civilian status and worked in War Assets Administration and in the Pentagon, only to be recalled to service as staff director of WACs in the First Service Command at Governor's Island, N.Y.

She left the Army for the second time in 1948. Later she worked on government contracts for various companies in Buffalo, N.Y., Phoenix and Los Angeles.

Prior to her work in the military, Jean worked in Davenport and Chicago. She moved back to Iowa in 1990.

Jean is survived by two nephews, Gordan Schmarzo and his wife, Donna, of Manning, and Kenneth Schmarzo of Charles City.

She was preceded in death by her parents and one sister, Josephine Schmarzo.

Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home, (641)-732-3706.

[ Globe Gazette, June 22, 2002 ]