Mildred H. McAfee

Mildred Helen McAfee Horton (May 12, 1900 – September 2, 1994) was an American academic who served during World War II as first director of the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) in the United States Navy. She was the first woman commissioned in the U.S. Naval Reserve and the first woman to receive the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.

In addition to her distinguished military service, Mildred H. McAfee was also the 7th president of Wellesley College. She was a U.S. delegate to the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and was co-chair of President John F. Kennedy's Women's Committee for Civil Rights.

As a pioneer for women's roles in the mid 20th Century, Mildred H. McAfee was the first woman to serve on the boards of New York Life Insurance, the New York Public Library, and RCA. She was the first woman chair of the Board of Trustees of the University of New Hampshire. As all of her work was compelled by her faith, she was first woman president of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions and the first woman vice-president of the Federal Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches.

Mildred H. McAfee was born in Parkville, Missouri, the daughter of the Rev. Cleland Boyd McAfee and Harriet Brown. Her Presbyterian family emphasized and helped to nurture a strong faith and a high expectation of achievement. She graduated from Vassar College and received her master's degree in sociology from the University of Chicago. She was dean of women at Centre College and then dean of women at Oberlin College. In 1936 she became president of Wellesley College at the age of 36, making her one of the country's youngest college presidents.

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