PROSPECTIVE WAVES -- Yesterday was the opening day of a three-day drive in Davenport by the navy to recruit enlistees for the WAVES and the SPARS. The office of the naval recruiting station was crowded all afternoon with prospective candidate for these two branches or service. Yeoman Ethelbelle Vessy is in the city from Des Moines heading the drive and is shown with three of her candidates. The young ladies are, left to right, Miss Mary Marshall, 3001 Fair avenue, who has completed her papers and will leave Saturday for Des Moines to take her physical; Miss Ella Jannan, East Moline and Miss Helen Zuber, 1825 West Fourth street. Miss Zuber is employed by Zoller Brewing Co., and expects to leave next week for her physical examination. The two navy recruiters are Frank Vereettt and N.O. Dalhun.
Source: The Daily Times, Davenport IA - March 5, 1943 (group photo included)
Leave Saturday to Serve in WAVES
Miss Helen Zuber and Miss Kathleen West were accepted by the WAVES on March 18 and will leave Saturday for Hunter college in New York.
Miss Zuber, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest B. Zuber, sr., of 1825 West Fourth street, Davenport, attended Marycrest college and has been employed in the office of Zoller Brewing Co.
Miss West, whose parents are Mr. and Mrs. Harold T. West of Jersey Ridge road, has been a cosmetologist at the Petersen-Harned-Von Maur store.
Source: The Daily Times, Davenport, Iowa, April 15, 1943 (photo included)
Kathleen West (left) daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H.T. West, R.R. No. 1 Davenport, and Helen Zuber, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E.V. Zuber, 1825 West Fourth street, were school girl chums but drifted apart as they grew older. Miss West enlisted in the WAVES and went to Des Moines for her physical examination. There she found Miss Zuber. They were sent together to Hunter College in New York for their basic training and graduated May 15. From there the two were sent to Atlanta, Ga., to the link instrument training school for instructors and came out specialists T, third class.
Good luck still clung to the Davenport girls and they were sent together to their naval air base at Clinton, Okla., where they are now stationed., They are now both home on a 15-day furlough. Before entering the service Miss West was employed Petersen, Harned, Von Maur and Miss Zuber worked for the Zoller Brewing Co. It is rare that two girls from the same city in the same branch of service are allowed to remain together.
Source: The Daily Times, November 17, 1943 (photo included)
'Letter to a Boy in Service' column by John O'Donnell
A couple of cousins have a good word to say about women's part in the war. They should know for they are in two branches of service. Corp. Arline Tichenor has been seeing the country via the WACs. She was sworn in at Ft. Des Moines after which she attended the Army radio school at Kansas City and learned so well that her officers have seen fit to send her to Ft. Oglethorpe, Boise, Colorado Springs and Salinas, Kans. After completing her 15 day furlough she will return to Salinas. I asked the comely young lady why they chose radio. Her reply, while confusing, was interesting. "Well you see I used to ride a bicycle, which acquainted me with transportation. So I wound up in radio." You figure that one out.
Her cousin, Spl. 3/c Helen Zuber, chose the WAVES when she joined last April. After completing her work at Hunter college, she went to Atlanta for special training and the reported to Clinton, Oklahoma, as a link trainer instructor. As an indication that women have a place in this war, let it be known that Helen's pupils are men, not women.
Corp. Arline has a brother, Cpl. Arno Tichenor in the Army. He is now recovering from wounds suffered in the New Georgia campaign at a hospital in Auckland, New Zealand. Spl. (3/c) Helen has two brothers in service, Sergt. Arvind at Camp Rucker, Ala. and S 2/c Ernest, somewhere across the ocean with the Seabees. She has seen one Davenporter along the way. Kathleen West, while Corp. Arline has visited with Corp, Fleming of this city.
Source: Quad City Times, November 28, 1943 (photo of the cousins included)
DAVENPORT GIRL MAKES RECORD AS NAVY WAVE
Helen Zuber Becomes Special Instructor in Celestial Navigation
Helen Louise Zuber is just 22 but she's a WAVE pioneer. Helen Louise is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E.V. Zuber, 1825 West Fourth street and was one of the first from this city to become a girl-gob.
When someone proposed creation of a women's reserve in 1942 one congressional opponent proclaimed: "This is no time to put butterflies in the navy."
Helen Louise and other early volunteers soon proved to the doubting that the WAVES are about as butterflighty as a 21 gun salute and still have lost none of their femininity.
They helped dissolve the old salt's opinion that the navy is no place for anyone wearing a skirt. And they changed the belief of the sewing circle crew who allowed that WAVES looked mighty pert in their chic blue outfits but that they'd never so much as touch a typewriter for fear of soiling their spotless white gloves.
ENLISTED IN 1943
Helen enlisted in the WAVES in March 1943 and was sent to Hunter college, Bronx, New York in April for her "boot" training. Graduating in May, she was next sent to the naval air station, Atlanta, Ga.,for two months training as a "link trainer" instructor. Upon completion of her course she was sent to the naval air station, Clinton, Okla., and there as a petty third class she taught naval aviation cadets to fly by instruments.
Her outstanding record at Clinton soon earned her a promotion to petty officer, second class, and also the honor of being selected as a woman's reserve representative for the Celestial Navigation school at Quonset Point, Rhode Island. From January through March this year she learned that the ancient business of "star gazing" is far more technical than we know and that many a wayward pilot must depend on the celestial bodies to bring him back safely to port.
Having completed her course at Quonset Point, Petty Officer Zuber was transferred to the naval air station, Edenton, N.C., where she is serving the navy as a celestial navigation instructor.
Miss Zuber is more than enthusiastic about the WAVES and says: "I'll never for a minute regret joining the WAVES," and that's just a starter when she continues with "I feel like I'm learning more than I'm giving back to the navy."
Helen Louise is a graduate of the Davenport high school and attended Marycrest college before enlisting in the navy. She has two brothers in service. Arvid is a technical sergeant serving the army in Hawaii, and Ernest Jr., is a seaman, first class, in the navy's seabee unit on the Marianna islands.
Source: Quad City Times, April 29, 1945 (photo included)
To Wed in Sacred Heart Cathedral
Mr. and Mrs. Ernest V. Zuber, 1825 West Fourth street, Davenport, announced the engagement and approaching marriage of their eldest daughter, Miss Helen Louise Zuber, to Joseph S. McVey, jr., Jefferson City, Mo., son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph S. McVey, sr., Sedalia, Mo. The wedding will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, at Sacred Heart Cathedral with the Rev. J. M. Shipman, chaplain of Marycrest college, officiating.
Miss Zuber was graduated from Davenport high school and is now attending Marycrest college. She served in the WAVES for 32 months. Mr. McVey, who was graduated from the Sedalia schools and attended St. Ambrose college,served in the army for five years. He is vice president of the Jefferson City Printing Co., Jefferson City.
Source: The Daily Times, November 2, 1946 (photo included)
