BANGOR – Colonel Hazel Elizabeth Benn, USMCR, retired, passed away 4:30 p.m., Dec. 16, 2004. She was the daughter of the late Melvin and Edith (Warman) Benn of Smyrna. Col. Benn was born March 2, 1919, at the Madigan Memorial Hospital in Houlton. She grew up and attended school in Smyrna. She graduated from Merrill High School, Merrill, in 1935. She attended the Maine School of Commerce (later, Husson College) in Bangor, earning a teacher’s certificate in 1939. She taught high school business courses at Hodgdon and Fort Fairfield. In 1941, Col. Benn moved to Washington, D.C., where she was hired as a civilian education specialist with the Marine Corps. On March 29, 1943, she entered the Marine Corps as an officer candidate and trained at Mount Holyoke College in North Hadley, Mass. She served on active duty as a reserve officer until March 8, 1946. She remained in the reserves while she returned to her civilian job and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from the George Washington University. Col. Benn was recalled to active duty during the Korean War in 1951. She served continuously on active duty until her retirement in 1975. In 1968, Col. Benn was one of the first four women Marines on active duty selected for the permanent rank of colonel, pursuant to an act of Congress. She became head of the educational services branch of the Marine Corps and “helped to develop the concept that removed the traditional barrier in the area of residency, transfer of credit by examination, and acceptance of service schools and service experience for academic credit, thereby easing the road to college degrees for countless Marines.” (A History of the Women Marines, 1946-1977). Upon her retirement, Col. Benn was awarded the Legion of Merit, the only woman other than the Directors of the Women Marines to receive the medal at that time. After her retirement from the Marine Corps, Col. Benn joined the staff of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (ACCRAO), as associate, and later, acting executive director. From 1990-1994, she chaired the Secretary of Veterans Affairs’ Educational Advisory Committee. In 1994, she served on the committee for the selection of the undersecretary for Veterans Benefits. She was active in the Maine State Society, where she was instrumental in establishing the Society’s Foundation, which provides scholarships to outstanding students attending Maine colleges and universities. She also served as treasurer of the Foundation for several years. In 1995, Col. Benn was awarded an honorary doctorate in Public Administration by her alma mater, Husson College. In her last years, Col. Benn suffered from dementia. In February 2000, she moved to assisted living at the Hermitage of Northern Virginia in Alexandria. Col. Benn is survived by her sister, Greta (Mrs. David) Baldwin of McLean, Va.; three nieces, Jeanne (Mrs. Stephen) Young of Silver Spring, Md., Brittany (Mrs. Richard) Storie, of Highgate Center, Vt., and Elizabeth (Mrs. James) Bieler of Edgewater, Md.; a great-niece, Elaine Elderkin of Oakland Park, Fla.; three great-nephews, David and Jay Storie of Highgate Center, Vt., and Jimmy Bieler of Edgewater, Md.; and one great-great-niece, Amaya Otazo of Oakland Park, Fla. She also leaves many friends and Marine Corps colleagues. She was predeceased by her older brother, Kenneth Benn. Services will be held 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2005, at the Ft. Myer Chapel, Arlington, Va. Interment will follow in the Columbarium of Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. Those wishing to do so may make contributions to the Maine State Society of Washington, D.C. Foundation, 1121 Kensington Road, McLean, VA 22101. Arrangements by Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home, Fairfax, Va.
COLONEL HAZEL BENN
