Graynella Packer was an American woman best known for being the first female wireless operator serving on a nautical vessel.
Graynella Packer | |
|---|---|
 Packer aboard the U.S.S. Mohawk | |
| Born | Philadelphia, PA |
| Employer | Clyde Line Steamship Company |
Early Life
editPacker was born around the year 1888 in Philadelphia, PA. In her teens, her family moved to Jacksonville, FL, and, while attending school there, she learned Continental code and Morse code[1] as a way of talking to her friends. Packer’s decision to go into telegraphy was influenced by her poor eyesight, as the telegraph machine was more auditory based.[2]
Early Career
editPacker obtained a degree in telegraphy from Sutherland College. Then, at the age of 20, she was appointed to a managing position at the Sanford, FL, postal telegraph office. During this period, she took a trip on the Clyde Line steamship Comanche, where she became interested in the field of wireless telegraphs. This interest was also affected by the actions of telegraph operator Jack Binns aboard the Republic, and came to see him as a model for how she would respond to crises.[2]
Time Aboard the Mohawk
editAfter working as manager at the Stanford office for two years, Packer was hired by the Clyde Line Steamship Company to serve aboard the Mohawk. The company hired her as a trial attempt for female workers, as some captains had become dissatisfied with their male workers. On November 30, 1910, the Mohawk set off for Charleston, SC, with Packer on board, officially making her the first female wireless operator on a sea vessel.[3] She served aboard the vessel from November 1910 to April 1911.
Her time in the position was short lived due to her male co-workers feeling threatened by her presence and launching a coordinated campaign to kick her out of her position. Although Packer argued that her gender should not be considered when it came to how well she could do her job, after seventeen trips between Florida and New York, Packer eventually left her job due to the harassment in April, 1911.[4]
Later Life and Legacy
editNot much is known about Packer after she left the Mohawk. She had reported that she wanted to eventually become a concert or church singer, and she was just using radio to support that dream.[5]
Packer's legacy can be found most directly in the suffragist movement, who used her time aboard the Mohawk as an example that women were just as capable as men.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b Stillings, Marie (23 June 1912). "Women Who Count". Washington Post. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- ^ a b "Girl Wireless operator". St. Petersburg Independent. 3 January 1911. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- ^ "Girl Wireless Operator". The Daily Admoreite. 1 December 1910. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- ^ Barslaag, Karl (1938). S.O.S to the Rescue. Oxford University Press. p. 251.
- ^ "Woman Breaks into Wireless Field". Baltimore Sun. 30 November 1910. Retrieved 1 May 2019.