Jane Barton

Jane Barton was born Jane Greenberg in New York, New York, on April 3, 1918, to Abraham and Matilda (Gries) Greenberg. In 1938 she earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Hunter College, and worked as a journalist on and off throughout her life; shortly before graduating she became interested in doing publicity and promotion for radio entertainers. From 1937 to 1939, she worked for Radio Guide, ghostwriting columns and writing radio scripts. Sometime in the summer or early fall of 1939, she legally changed her name to Jane Barton. After serving as Associate Editor at Cleaning and Laundry World (1939-1940), Barton founded her own business (1940) and took on clients among the singers, actors, and announcers in the fields of radio and theater.

In the fall of 1942, Barton was accepted as a candidate for officer training in the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), the women's branch of the United States Naval Reserves created during World War II. She was sent to training camp at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, with the first class of officers to be trained there (the fourth class trained overall), and the first class to receive midshipman, or "boot," training. She was then stationed in Washington, D.C., at the Potomac River Naval Command (PRNC). At the PRNC, Barton served as the Assistant to the District Director of the WAVES, as Women's Reserve Representative, and as Assistant Public Relations Officer. In this last capacity, she also served as the editor of two newsletters for WAVES personnel, The Havelock (for officers) and Scuttlebutt (for enlisted women); the two publications merged in November 1943. In 1944, Barton was appointed the Public Relations Officer for the U.S. Naval Barracks (she continued to hold her title at the PRNC). In 1945, she was also Officer-in-Charge of WAVES Officer Quarters at Tabard Inn in Washington, D.C. During her WAVES service, Barton rose in rank from an Ensign to a Lieutenant.

After being de-commissioned in January 1946, Barton returned to New York and again worked as a freelance publicist for radio and theater personalities. She wrote radio news columns for a few New Jersey newspapers. In 1947, she initiated and planned a national reunion for WAVES personnel; she also helped to organize the second reunion the following year. In 1948, when the Navy allowed women to become peace-time members of the Navy, Barton was offered a commission. Although she turned it down in order to take a job working for the state of New York, she did join the U.S. Naval Reserves (USNR).

As an officer in the USNR, Barton trained WAVES (as women recruits continued to be called for some time) in the Albany (New York) Naval Reserve Training Center, and was Public Affairs Officer for the Center. She also served as Albany Naval Reserve representative for the commandant of the Third Naval District. She spent her active duty training WAVES at "boot camps," and doing public relations work for individual training commands and bases, as well as working on national recruiting and publicity campaigns. Barton was made a Lieutenant Commander in 1952, and in 1965 was named a Commander. She retired from the USNR in 1968.

From 1948 to 1973 Barton was a Program Director in the Radio-Television-Motion Picture Bureau of the New York State Department of Commerce. She wrote and produced public service-oriented radio and television programs for distribution to stations around the state, and handled all publicity for the bureau and its programs. She was active in several professional organizations, including American Women in Radio and Television.

In 1954, Barton received a master's degree in Public Administration degree from New York University. In 1955, she bought a farm in Esperance, New York, with Edythe Meserand, a pioneering radio producer. Barton served on the planning board of the town of Charleston, New York, from 1968 to 1972. She contributed articles to the Schenectady Union-Star beginning in 1968, and to Variety after her retirement. Jane Barton died on April 1, 2005, in Esperance, New York.

From the guide to the Papers, 1935-1993 (inclusive), 1940-1968 (bulk), (Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute)