Fran McKee
Fran McKee | |
|---|---|
 Rear Admiral Fran McKee | |
| Born | September 13, 1926 Florence, Alabama,U.S. |
| Died | March 3, 2002(aged 75) Annandale, Virginia,U.S. |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1950 - 1981 |
| Rank |  Rear Admiral |
| Unit | Assistant Chief of Naval Personnel for Human Resource Management |
| Awards | Legion of Merit(2) Meritorious Service Medal National Defense Service MedalwithBronze Star Expert Pistol Medal Sharpshooter Rifle Ribbon |
| Other work | Member of the Armed Services YMCA of USA National Committee, Chair of the Legislative and Employment Committee of the VA Women's Advisory Committee for Veterans Affairs, member of the National Advisory Committee for theWomen in Military Service for America MemorialFoundation |
Fran McKee(September 13, 1926 – March 3, 2002) was the first female line officer to hold the rank ofRear Admiralin theUnited States Navy.She was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral (Lower Half) on June 1, 1976 and earned her second star in November 1978. Rear Admiral McKee was one of the first two women selected to attend theNaval War College,and was the first woman to command an activity of the Naval Security Group Command.
Rear Admiral McKee retired from the Navy in 1981, and died on March 3, 2002, aged 75, after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage; she was buried with full military honors atArlington National Cemeteryon April 8, 2002. A reception was held in theWomen in Military Service for America MemorialatArlington, Virginia.She was inducted into theAlabama Women's Hall of Famein 2007.[1]
Military biography
[edit]McKee was born inFlorence, Alabama.She was commissioned asensignon December 4, 1950, and spent the next four years in theOffice of Naval Researchas Assistant to the Director, Physical Science Division, and then as Administrative Aide to the Chief of Naval Research. In May 1954 she became Women Procurement Officer at Navy Recruiting Station and Office of Naval Officer Procurement in Boston, Massachusetts.
After attending the General Line School, U.S.Naval Postgraduate School,Monterey, California, in September 1957 she was appointed Personnel Officer atNaval Air Station Port Lyautey,Morocco. From September 1958 she was Training Coordinator at the Damage Control School,Treasure Island,San Francisco, California.
McKee then served as Classification/Mobilization Officer on the Staff of the Chief of Naval Air Reserve Training from January 1962; as Officer-in-Charge of the Naval Women Officers School, Newport, Rhode Island, from June 1965; and as Personnel Officer atNaval Station Rota,Spain, from October 1967.
In August 1969 McKee reported to theNaval War Collegein Newport, Rhode Island, as one of the first two women selected to attend the regular curriculum, graduating in June 1970.
She was then appointed Head of the Special Inquiries and Publication Section, Officer Distribution Division of theBureau of Naval Personnelin June 1970, and served as Deputy Assistant Chief of Naval Personnel for Human Goals from September 1972.
From September 1973 to May 1976, with the rank of captain, McKee commanded the Naval Security Group Activity atFort George G. Meade,Maryland. She was the first woman assigned to head an activity of the Naval Security Group Command.
In February 1976, McKee became the first woman line officer to be selected forflag rank.From June 1, 1976, with the rank of rear admiral (lower half), she was Director of Naval Education Development at the Naval Education and Training Command, Pensacola, Florida, and from June 1, 1978, Assistant Chief of Naval Personnel for Human Resource Management with additional duty as Assistant Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Human Resource Management). She received promotion to rear admiral (upper half) in November 1978.
McKee retired from the Navy in 1981.
Education
[edit]McKee graduated with a degree in chemistry from theUniversity of Alabamain 1950. She graduated from the Naval Line Officer's School, theNaval Postgraduate Schooland theNaval War College.McKee earned a master's degree in International Affairs fromGeorge Washington University,Washington, D.C.in 1970. McKee also received an honorary doctorate in public administration from theMassachusetts Maritime Academy.
See also
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References
[edit]- ^"Inductees".Alabama Women's Hall of Fame.State of Alabama.RetrievedFebruary 20,2012.
- Arlington National Cemetery
- An Act to name the bridge spanning Duck River on U.S. Highway 43 in Maury County, Tennessee in honor of the late Rear Admiral Fran McKee, United States Navy (Retired)
- Biographical sketch prepared for induction into the Alabama Academy of HonorArchived2007-08-10 at theWayback Machine
- Alabama Women's Hall of Fame
- 1926 births
- 2002 deaths
- People from Florence, Alabama
- United States Navy rear admirals (upper half)
- University of Alabama alumni
- Recipients of the Legion of Merit
- Naval Postgraduate School alumni
- Female admirals of the United States Navy
- People from Annandale, Virginia
- Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
- 20th-century American women
- 20th-century American people