Joy Bright Hancock | New Jersey Women's History

Image courtesy of the Special Collections & University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries, New Brunswick, NJ

Joy Bright Hancock (1898-1986), a native of Wildwood, NJ, was on temporary duty in the United States Navy during World War I.

Hancock joined WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) during World War II, becoming one of its first officers. In 1946, she was appointed the director of WAVES and successfully lobbied to have women accepted into the regular US Naval Reserves.