WAVES Top 2,000 Mark
The 2,000th WAVE enlisted in the Iowa-Nebraska area, a former hat saleswoman, gets a navy hat fitting from the recruiter while the 2001st recruit holds a mirror. The recruiter is Rita Mardsen, seaman, second class of Galena, Ill., and the new WAVES are Irene Mahurin (seated) 26, of 1351 1/2 Twenty-eighth st and Andrene Pederson, 21, Iowa City, Ia. Mrs. Mahurin is the widow of Howard E. Mahurin, who died four years ago while on active duty with the army. She has a brother in the army, one in the navy and one in the marine corps. Miss Pederson has two brothers in the army and one in the navy.
Source: The DesMoines Register, April 24, 1944 (photo included)
Des Moines -- The 2000th WAVE recruited in the Iowa-Nebraska area welcomes the 2,001st WAVE recruited into the service at Des Moines Saturday.
Mrs. Irene Peterson Mahurin, 26, Des Moines, widow of a private first class in the regular army is the 2,000th WAVE. She was on deck Saturday when Andrene Pederson, Iowa City, took her oath as the 2,001st WAVE.
Mrs. Mahurin, the widow of Howard E. Mahurin, who died 4 years ago while on active duty with the army, has 3 brothers in the services, one each in the army, navy and marine corps.
Mrs. Mahurin, a graduate of East High school in Des Moines, is at present employed at Elston Millinery Store. She will continue working until she goes to Hunter college sometime in May to begin her training in the WAVES.
Asked why she enlisted in the WAVES, Mrs. Mahurin said "because I wanted to get into some kind of work to help win the war, and the WAVES appealed to me the most."
Miss Andrene Pederson, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John F. Pederson and attended the University of Iowa. Before her enlistment, she was employed in a secretarial position at the University of Iowa hospital. She has 2 brothers in the army and one in the navy.
Source: Globe-Gazette, Mason City, IA - April 24, 1944
Andrene Pederson Wennergren was born June 22, 1922 to John F. and Hannah H. Rolfson Pederson. She died May 7, 2011 and is buried in Fort Logan National Cemetery, Denver, Co.
Petty Officer Pederson served in World War II with the U.S. Navy WAVES. She was married to E. Earl Wennergren who served in World War II with the U.S. Army Air Corps.
Source: ancestry.com
