Alene Duerk
Alene B. Duerk | |
---|---|
United States of America | |
Service/ | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1943–1946 1951–1975 |
Rank | Rear Admiral |
Commands held | Director, Nurse Corps |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Legion of Merit Distinguished Alumni Award |
Other work | Director of United Services Life Insurance Company Director of the Visiting Nurses Association and Foundation for Central Florida |
Alene Bertha Duerk (March 29, 1920 – July 21, 2018) became the first female admiral in the U.S. Navy in 1972.
Early life and education
Duerk was born in Defiance, Ohio, on March 29, 1920, to Albert and Emma Duerk.[3] She had nursing training at Toledo Hospital School of Nursing, from which she received her diploma in 1941.[4]
Career
On January 23, 1943, she was appointed as an
She attended the
Ordered to return to active naval service, she reported in June 1951, as a ward nurse at the Naval Hospital,
During the period May 1963 to June 1965 she was the Senior Nurse Corps Officer at the Naval Station Dispensary,
Advancing progressively in rank, she attained that of captain on July 1, 1967. She became the first female admiral in the Navy in 1972.[1][2]
Duerk retired in 1975. She died in Central Florida on July 21, 2018, at the age of 98.[5]
Awards and decorations
- Legion of Merit[3]
- Naval Reserve Medal
- American Campaign Medal
- Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medalwith bronze star
- World War II Victory Medal
- Navy Occupation Service Medal, Asia Clasp
- National Defense Service Medal with bronze star[4]
Duerk received the following honorary degrees:
- Doctor of Human Relations from Bowling Green University, 1973
- Doctor of Humanities from Arlington, Virginia, 1974
- Doctor of Science from Iowa Wesleyan College, 1975
- Doctor of Science from Medical College of Ohio, 1976.[3]
Tributes
In 2013 the University of Central Florida College of Nursing unveiled a bronze statue of Duerk, and it was put on display there.[6] That university also offers the Rear Admiral Alene Duerk VNA Endowed Nursing Scholarship.[7]
Personal life and retirement
Having heard of her promotion to rear admiral on the radio in her car, a toll booth operator was the first person Duerk spoke to about it. But by the time she had gotten home, family was already calling and the press was waiting for her.[5] From that time on, she felt that she was not only an admiral, she was a spokeswoman for all the women in the Navy. In that role, she frequently made appearances and statements in support of her Navy women, fighting for increases in pay, better conditions and recruiting nurses.[5] Shortly after her promotion, she appeared on the game show To Tell the Truth[8]
After retirement, she joined the board of the Visiting Nurse Association in the early 1990s, which later became the Visiting Nurse Foundation in 1997, serving on the board for nearly 25 years. The board established the Admiral Alene Duerk Endowed Scholarship Fund at University of Central Florida in her honor.[5]
Although she was very close to her family, Duerk never married or had children of her own.[5]
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4128-2353-1.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-57958-278-4.
- ^ a b c Defiance County Veterans Directory[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c d e f Official U S Navy Biography, Navy Office of Information, Biographies Branch (OI-O111), June 7, 1972
- ^ a b c d e "Rear Adm. Alene Duerk, Navy's first woman to achieve flag rank, dies at 98". Orlando Sentinel. July 25, 2018.
- ^ "Navy Nurse Trailblazer Honored With Statue". UCF News – University of Central Florida Articles – Orlando, FL News. February 12, 2013.
- ^ "Undergraduate Scholarships". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: First Female US Navy Admiral Alene Duerk on "To Tell the Truth" ca. 1972. YouTube.
Further reading
- Sterner, Doris M. (1997). In and Out of Harm's Way: A history of the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps. ISBN 0-89716-706-6.
- Godson, Susan H. (2001). Serving Proudly: A history of Women in the U.S. Navy. ISBN 1-55750-317-6.
- McDoniel, Estelle (2003). Registered Nurse to Rear Admiral. Eakin Press. ISBN 978-1-57168-766-1.
- Registered Nurse to Rear Admiral (updated 2021) ISBN 978-1-73294-640-8
External links
- Nurses and the U.S. Navy – Overview and Special Image Selection Naval Historical Center
- Biography at military.com