Tyler also did some volunteer work at thehospital, stretching old used bandages to make newones. But she says she did not find the work veryfulfilling.

"I felt they weren't using my abilities totheir fullest potential," Tyler says.

Sheehan volunteered with French naval officersin the burn ward at Massachusetts GeneralHospital.

"We were making up for the lack of help at thehospital," she says. "One of my duties was to gotalk to them because my French was fairly goodthen."

"They didn't talk much about the war," Sheehanrecalls. "They talked about their families andbooks. They just wanted to talk in French."

The Radcliffe women had to balance theirvolunteer efforts with their academicrequirements.

"There was some feeling of should [we] be goingto college or not," Sheehan remambers. "Theadministration kept assuring us that it would bemore valuable if we finished our work."

Sheehan says the administration encouraged thewomen to study science in order to help nationaldefense.

"They pushed people toward science programs,"she says. "There was a sense that if you werecapable, you really should major in science."

To assist in the war effort, "many Radcliffestudents took practical classes such as motormechanics, first aid or cryptography," accordingto Wolf.

Women in Uniform

Phyllis Freeman Calese '45-'49 used herchemistry studies in her two years with theWomen's Army Crops (WAC).

"One of the factors was that the GI Bill hadbeen enacted, and I had to leave school because Ididn't have any money," Calese says. "I thoughtthis would be a way of finishing up."

Claese says she had intended to go into theArmy Medical upon joining the WAC.

"It was a recruiting gimic," she remembers."You were supposed to be able to choose what youwanted to do."