Julia Ward

Summary

Julia Ward (December 1900 – June 18, 1962) was the founder of the central reference division of the National Security Agency (NSA). She was inducted into the Cryptologic Hall of Honor in 2002.[1][2][3]

Education edit

Ward received her A.B. from Bryn Mawr College in 1923 and her Ph.D from Bryn Mawr College in 1940.[4]

World War II edit

Ward joined the cryptologic service during WWII and worked for the Signal Security Agency (the Army's cryptologic organization). She also worked as a librarian and eventually built a collection of classified and unclassified materials for use by analysts. In 1945, she became the deputy chief of the reference section. Within a few years, she turned the section from one that was known as poorly organized, into a section that was widely recognized and highly respected.[5]

In 1949, Ward was named head of the Collateral Branch, thereby becoming the only female branch head in the Office of Operations. In 1955, Ward was promoted to deputy chief of NSA's Liaison and Foreign Operations Section.[1]

Cryptologic Hall of Honor edit

Ward was inducted into the NSA's Cryptologic Hall of Honor in June 2002 at the National Cryptologic Museum in Baltimore, MD. Bryn Mawr College has a plaque to commemorate her placement in the Hall of Honor.[1][6]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Dr. Julia Ward (1900 - 1962) 2002 Inductee". www.nsa.gov. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  2. ^ Sabar, Ariel (July 14, 2002). "NSA belatedly recognizes six 'silent sentinels'". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
  3. ^ "The Link". Cryptologic Foundation.
  4. ^ "History". Bryn Mawr College. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  5. ^ Mundy, Liza (2017-10-10). Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II. Hachette Books. ISBN 9780316352550.
  6. ^ "FOIA". CIA. Archived from the original on August 14, 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-14.