Dorothy L. Starbuck (October 17, 1917 - July 19, 1996) was an American Women's Army Corps (WAC) officer during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

who went on to work for the

Veterans Administration The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers and ...

(VA). Starbuck served overseas with the WAC and as a VA

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

, she became the first woman to hold several important positions in that department.

Biography

Starbuck was born into a large family in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, on October 17, 1917, where she had 11 siblings. Starbuck graduated from

Loretto Heights College Colorado Heights University was a private university in Denver, Colorado. It was part of the Teikyo University Group. In July, 2009 it changed its name from Teikyo Loretto Heights University to Colorado Heights University. It opened in 1989 on the ...

with a bachelor's degree in

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...

and went on to do graduate work at the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...

. She taught

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

for two years. In 1942, Starbuck joined the Women's Army Corps (WAC) and earned her commission from the Army Corps Officers' Candidate School as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in 1942. Her first duty station was at

Lowry Army Airfield Lowry may refer to: People * Calvin Lowry (born 1983), American football player * Dave Lowry (born 1965), Canadian ice hockey player * Desiree Lowry (born 1972), Puerto Rican beauty pageant titleholder * Hiram Harrison Lowry (1843–1924), Ameri ...

as a commander of a group of photo analysts. Starbuck later served overseas during

and achieved the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. In Europe, during the war, she served at General Dwight D. Eisenhower's London Headquarters, where she held a top secret clearance. She left the service in December 1945. In 1946, she became a clerk at the Chicago Regional Office of the

(VA). In 1962, she was named the assistant director of the

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

VA Regional Office, making her the first woman to earn a senior manager position in the VA. By 1963, she was director of the

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Regional VA Office. In 1977, Starbuck was named the chief

benefits Benefit or benefits may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Benefit'' (album), by Jethro Tull, 1970 * "Benefits" (''How I Met Your Mother''), a 2009 TV episode * '' The Benefit'', a 2012 Egyptian action film Businesses and organisatio ...

director of the VA, becoming the first woman to hold that position. That same year, she argued that

Women Air Force Service Pilots The Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) (also Women's Army Service Pilots or Women's Auxiliary Service Pilots) was a civilian women pilots' organization, whose members were United States federal civil service employees. Members of WASP became t ...

(WASP) were not entitled to veterans' benefits since they had been a

civilian Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not "combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant, b ...

program. In 1980, she received the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service. Starbuck retired from the VA in 1985. She died on July 19, 1996, and was buried at

Fort Logan National Cemetery Fort Logan National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado. Fort Logan, a former U.S. Army installation, was named after Union General John A. Logan, commander of US Volunteer forces during the American Civil War. It co ...

References

Sources

External links

Dorothy Starbuck on Find A Grave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Starbuck, Dorothy L. 1917 births 1996 deaths American civil servants 20th-century American women civil servants United States Army personnel of World War II People from Denver University of Denver people Burials at Fort Logan National Cemetery Recipients of the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service