Fran McKee (September 13, 1926 – March 3, 2002) was the first female line officer to hold the rank of Rear Admiral in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. She was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral (Lower Half) on June 1, 1976 and earned her second star in November 1978. Rear Admiral McKee was one of the first two women selected to attend the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associ ...

, and was the first woman to command an activity of the Naval Security Group Command. Rear Admiral McKee retired from the Navy in 1981, and died on March 3, 2002, aged 75, after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage; she was buried with full military honors at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

on April 8, 2002. A reception was held in the

Women in Military Service for America Memorial The Women In Military Service For America Memorial, also known as Military Women's Memorial, is a memorial established by the U.S. federal government which honors women who have served in the United States Armed Forces. The memorial is located at ...

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county ...

. She was inducted into the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame in 2007.

Military biography

McKee was born in Florence, Alabama. She was commissioned as

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

on December 4, 1950, and spent the next four years in the Office of Naval Research as Assistant to the Director, Physical Science Division, and then as Administrative Aide to the Chief of Naval Research. In May 1954 she became Women Procurement Officer at Navy Recruiting Station and Office of Naval Officer Procurement in Boston, Massachusetts. After attending the General Line School, U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, in September 1957 she was appointed Personnel Officer at

Naval Air Station Port Lyautey Naval Air Station Port Lyautey is a former United States Navy Naval Air Station in Morocco, about north-northwest of Kenitra and about northeast of Casablanca. The Naval Air Station was turned over to the Royal Moroccan Air Force and the last o ...

, Morocco. From September 1958 she was Training Coordinator at the Damage Control School,

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure no ...

, San Francisco, California. McKee then served as Classification/Mobilization Officer on the Staff of the Chief of Naval Air Reserve Training from January 1962; as Officer-in-Charge of the Naval Women Officers School, Newport, Rhode Island, from June 1965; and as Personnel Officer at

Naval Station Rota Naval Station Rota, also known as NAVSTA Rota ( es, Base Naval de Rota, links=no), is a Spanish-American naval base commanded by a Spanish Rear Admiral. Located in Rota in the Province of Cádiz, NAVSTA Rota is the largest American military c ...

, Spain, from October 1967. In August 1969 McKee reported to the

in Newport, Rhode Island, as one of the first two women selected to attend the regular curriculum, graduating in June 1970. She was then appointed Head of the Special Inquiries and Publication Section, Officer Distribution Division of the Bureau of Naval Personnel in June 1970, and served as Deputy Assistant Chief of Naval Personnel for Human Goals from September 1972. From September 1973 to May 1976, with the rank of captain, McKee commanded the Naval Security Group Activity at

Fort George G. Meade Fort George G. Meade is a United States Army installation located in Maryland, that includes the Defense Information School, the Defense Media Activity, the United States military bands#Army Field Band, United States Army Field Band, and the head ...

, Maryland. She was the first woman assigned to head an activity of the Naval Security Group Command. In February 1976, McKee became the first woman line officer to be selected for

flag rank A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which the officer exercises command. The term is used differently in different countries: *In many countries ...

. From June 1, 1976, with the rank of rear admiral (lower half), she was Director of Naval Education Development at the Naval Education and Training Command, Pensacola, Florida, and from June 1, 1978, Assistant Chief of Naval Personnel for Human Resource Management with additional duty as Assistant Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Human Resource Management). She received promotion to rear admiral (upper half) in November 1978. McKee retired from the Navy in 1981.

Education

McKee graduated with a degree in chemistry from the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

in 1950. She graduated from the Naval Line Officer's School, the Naval Postgraduate School and the

. McKee earned a master's degree in International Affairs from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in 1970. McKee also received an honorary doctorate in public administration from the

Massachusetts Maritime Academy Massachusetts Maritime Academy (Mass Maritime) is a public university in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, focused on maritime-related fields. It was established in 1891 and is the second oldest state maritime academy in the United States. Originall ...

References

Arlington National CemeteryAn Act to name the bridge spanning Duck River on U.S. Highway 43 in Maury County, Tennessee in honor of the late Rear Admiral Fran McKee, United States Navy (Retired)
* ttp://www.awhf.org/mckee.htm Alabama Women's Hall of Fame {{DEFAULTSORT:McKee, Fran 1926 births 2002 deaths People from Florence, Alabama United States Navy rear admirals (upper half) University of Alabama alumni Recipients of the Legion of Merit Naval Postgraduate School alumni Female admirals of the United States Navy People from Annandale, Virginia Burials at Arlington National Cemetery 20th-century American women 20th-century American people

Military biography

Education

See also

References