Yesterday, a friend sent me a link to this article which appeared in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Janice Martin (Benario) was a 1942 initiate of the Pi Beta Phi chapter at Goucher College. As a student, one of her professors recommended her for a government program. She was an excellent student and graduated in 1943 as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She joined the WAVES and was sent to Smith College for officers training where she went through cryptology training.
Although she never spoke about it until the 1990s when the specifics became known, she and her fellow WAVES worked on the Enigma Program. This top secret program tried to decode the messages the Germans used in communications with their U-boats. They were on duty 24/7 and lived and worked together in Washington, DC.
Janice Martin
The Arrow, December 1943
According to an article in The Arrow, she worked for two years in the communications center. After V-J Day she went to the Bureau of Medicine. In anticipation of the holiday season, Vice Admiral Ross T. McIntire, Surgeon General of the U.S. Navy, asked the WAVES in the office to write a greeting for possible use. Janice Martin’s was chosen and sent to those in the Naval hospitals:
After fours years of conflict, we are observing the season once again in a peaceful world. At this time, therefor, I wish to thank all of you for your unbroken faith and cooperation in working through dark days. Many changes have take place, however, and along with our great rejoicing, we must extend our sincere sympathy to those who have suffered and are still suffering loss and hardship.
Another era is dawning with the new year, so let us take this opportunity to build a firm foundation for everlasting ‘Peace on earth, good will toward men.’
After her service was over, she earned a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University, married Herbert Benario and had two sons. She taught at Georgia State University.
When I posted the Atlanta Journal Constitution article on the Focus on Fraternity History facebook page yesterday, this comment by Ginger Hicks Smith added another dimension to the story.
Dr. Janice Martin Benario died on December 3, 2020 at the age of 97.
