August 23, 2017 at 4:26 p.m.
WAVES uniforms donated to Rhinelander Historical Society Museum
WAVES uniforms donated to Rhinelander Historical Society Museum
By Kayla Thomason-
Thomas O'Malley recently donated three of his mother's World War II Navy WAVES (Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service) uniforms to the museum.
Three mint condition uniforms, one white, one blue and one seersucker, complete with the hats, dark blue leather handbag and patches, arrived Aug. 14.
Mary (Burkhart) O'Malley was born in Rhinelander in 1924 to John Donald and Verna V. Burkhart.
"Her father and his three brothers were part of the Burkhart farm (George) in Pine Lake that is now or has been used for (the Hodag Country Festival)," Thomas O'Malley said.
She graduated from Rhinelander High School in 1941 and enrolled into WAVES in 1944. According to her son, she went to basic training at Hunter College in Bronx, N.Y., Section 22 of company 48. She then served in Washington, D.C., in Naval intelligence on Constitution Avenue.
She left as an ensign and married O'Malley's father, Thomas in 1946-47. Despite having left WAVES, she attended all Navy WAVES conventions in the 1990s and early 2000s, according to her son.
O'Malley's father opened Rhinelander Flower Shop with his cousin, running it for five years before the family moved to Ogden, Utah.
Burkhart died in Athens, Ohio, in 2009, but before she passed away she made a request.
"She had asked me to donate (the uniforms) locally to the historical society but they were clueless about the WAVES and poorly organized," he said.
O'Malley decided to donate his mother's uniforms to the Rhinelander Historical Society Museum, where his family has strong ties.
"I think it would be very special to her and our family (that the uniforms be on display in Rhinelander)," he said. "The O'Malleys and Burkharts are a big part of the history of the town and my relatives the Vickmans and the Miazgas were also part of the story."
Bill Vancos, vice president of the Rhinelander Historical Society, was excited to receive the uniforms.
"They are in extremely good condition, considering they are over 70 years old," he said. "Mary and her son, Tom, did an excellent job of preserving them."
This donation is a first for the museum, he added.
"At present all of the uniforms, pictures and memorabilia are related to men who served in the armed forces," Vancos explained. "This will be a great reminder that women as well made sacrifices and served their country in the military."
Vancos is grateful that O'Malley decided to display his mother's uniforms in Rhinelander.
"We feel honored that the O'Malley family has entrusted the Rhinelander Historical Society with these personal items," he said.
The Rhinelander Historical Society's mission is to display and preserve items of local and historical significance.
"This is exactly what we like to display, historical items with a direct tie to a Rhinelander resident," Vancos said.
The museum is typically open Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Tours are available by appointment.
If the attendance at the museum remains strong, organizers may extend the hours into September.
For more information about the museum, call (715) 369-3833.
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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