Grace Banker
| Grace Banker | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
October 25, 1892 Passaic, New Jersey, United States |
| Died | September 17, 1960 (aged 67) Scarsdale, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Civilian mobile operator |
| Known for | U.S. Army Signal Corps as a civilian telephone operator of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Medal |
Grace D. Banker (October 25, 1892 – September 17, 1960) was a telephone operator who served during World War I (1917–1918) as Chief Operator of mobile for the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. She led thirty-three women telephone operators known popularity as Hello Girls. They were assigned in New York to travel to France to operate telephone switch boards at the war front in Paris, and at Chaumont, Haute-Marne. They also operated the telephone switch boards at First Army headquarters at Ligny-en-Barrois, about 5 miles (8.0 km) to the south of Saint-Mihiel, and later during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. After her return to civilian life, Banker and her team members were treated as citizen volunteers and initially not given recognition as members of the military. In 1919, Banker was honoured with the Distinguished Service Medal for her services with the First Army headquarters during the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne Offensives, with a commendation.
Banker was born at Passaic, New Jersey on 25 October 1892. After graduating from Barnard College she joined American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) where she worked as a switchboards instructor. During World War I Banker was chosen to head a team of thirty-three telephone operators of Telephone Unit No. 1 assigned to war duty in France for telephone operations. This was the first group of women who were given the popular name Hello Girls.
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