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 Marcia Elizabeth Beach
Marcia Elizabeth Beach was born on September 28, 1923, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to Inez Eleanor Kimball, age 36, and Harold Virgil Beach, age 36. She had two sisters Ruth and Helen. In Rye her lived at Highland Hall and they were members of the Church of the Resurrection. Marcia enlisted and served in the Hospital Corps of the WAVES during World War II.
Marcia was a graduate of Williamsport Dickinson, Junior College, class of 1942, and before her enlistment In the Hospital Corps of the WAVES, attended the Nursing School of Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York. During the war she was stationed at the U. S. Naval Air Station Dispensary, Patuxent River, MD.
Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service “WAVES” was the US Naval Reserve Women’s branch established on July 21, 1942. The branch was established to replace men stationed ashore to provide more sea duty sailors and officers. By the end of 1942, there were 770 WAVES Officers and 3,109 enlisted.
In 1945 these numbers had grown to 8,475 officers and 73,816 enlisted. Following the War, many WAVES were demobilized, however the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act in 1948 was signed into law allowing women to serve in the regular Navy.
Marcia married William Mount Perrine in Rye, New York, on January 29, 1945, when she was 21 years old. They had two children during their marriage. They were divorced in 1952 in Dade City, Florida, after 8 years of marriage. She was 29 years old.
Marcia would settle in Florida and later remarry. She was a noted speaker at Veterans Day events.
Marcia Elizabeth Beach died on July 27, 1998, at the age of 74.
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