Naval History and Heritage Command

Finding aid (Word)

Biographical Note

Pauline Mesaros was born on 25 January 1914 in Raritan, New Jersey, to Mr. and Mrs. Stephan Mesaros. She received a Bachelor of Science in history and geography from Trenton State Teachers College, and taught at Washington Junior School for eight years before joining the WAVES. Mesaros enlisted on 22 January 1944 and completed the eight week Naval Reserve Midshipman's School located at Smith College, after which she entered the U.S. Naval Reserve on 2 May 1944 as an Ensign.

After her commissioning, Mesaros went to Naval Air Technical Training Center in Jacksonville, Florida for training in radio communications. She completed the Aviation Radioman course on 9 September 1944, and in October 1944 had a further two weeks of instruction on aircraft communications. She then reported to Lake City, Florida where she was the assistant communications training officer in VB2, Operational Training Unit #2. On January 4, 1946, she was ordered to the Naval Air Station in Banana River, Florida as assistant communications officer.

Mesaros was released from active duty on 11 March 1946. On 6 April 1946, she received the temporary rank of Lieutenant (jg), which was made permanent on 6 October 1950. No longer able to participate in the Reserves to the required degree, she was placed on inactive status in October 1952. She was honorably discharged in 1955.

Scope and Content Note

This collection contains papers, photographs, publications, and training materials used by Pauline Mesaros during her Navy career. The collection is organized in four series.

Series I, Personal, contains awards Mesaros received, correspondence, her orders and Officer’s Qualification Record Jacket, and general information about the Navy and the WAVES. This series is arranged alphabetically.

The second series, Photographs, consists of photographs of Mesaros, her class at the Naval Reserve Midshipman’s School, courses she taught as a communications instructor, and the aircraft that she acquired. The photographs are foldered by subject and arranged alphabetically.

Series III, Publications, holds copies of Going Back to Civilian Life, an informational booklet given to service members being discharged, and Peevee, the newsletter of Lake City Naval Air Station.

The final series, Training, contains material used by Mesaros while she was a communications instructor. Included are two copies of Communications Handbook from 1944 and 1945, a list of code groups to be used for practice sending messages and three vinyl records used for training in receiving messages.

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as the Papers of Lieutenant Pauline D. Mesaros, Archives Branch, Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, D.C.

Subject Headings (LCSH)

United States. Navy--Women.
Communications, Military--Study and Teaching--United States.
United States. Navy--Officers.