Killeen in Bell County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Oveta Culp Hobby and the Women's Army Corps

Photographed by James Hulse, November 18, 2025

1. Oveta Culp Hobby and the Women's Army Corps Marker

Inscription. Oveta Culp Hobby served as the director of the Women's Army Corps (WAC) during World War II. Her organizational skills and leadership helped make the WAC a respected part of the American military and opened new possibilities for women in U.S. postwar society.

Born in Killeen on January 19, 1905, Oveta was the second of seven children of Isaac W. and Emma Elizabeth (Hoover) Culp. A good student, she developed an interest in law and state government from her father, a state representative. She gained skills as a legislative parliamentarian and as a reporter for the Austin Statesman before moving to Houston. There she renewed a family friendship with former Governor William P. Hobby, president of the Houston Post-Dispatch. They were married on February 23, 1931.

In May 1942, with America at war, Oveta Culp Hobby was appointed director of the newly organized Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC). Under Colonel Hobby's leadership the WAAC provided American women the opportunity to help in the war effort. The first WAAC officers graduated in August 1942. Less than a year later, the WAAC became part of the U.S. Army as the WAC. By the end of the war, more than 99,000 members of the WAC served with Army commands in all theaters of the war. Colonel Hobby resigned in June 1945 and returned to Houston, she remained

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there and continued her service to the city, and from 1953 to 1955 served as the first U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare during Pres. Dwight Eisenhower's administration. A decorated World War II officer and respected business and civic leader, Oveta Culp Hobby died in Houston on August 16, 1995. Texas in World War II - 2007

Erected 2007 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 13776.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: War, World II • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is January 19, 1905.

Location. 31° 7.253′ N, 97° 44′ W. Marker is in Killeen, Texas, in Bell County. It is at the intersection of North College Street and 761st Tank Battalion Ave, on the left when traveling north on North College Street. The marker is located at the south side of the Killeen City Hall building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 101 N College St, Killeen TX 76541, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Texas.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

and one of the Confederate States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Avenue D School (within shouting distance of this marker); Killeen's First Brick School (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); James H. "Screwdriver" Arnold (approx. ¼ mile away); Santa Fe Depot (approx.

Photographed by James Hulse, November 18, 2025

2. Oveta Culp Hobby and the Women's Army Corps Marker

¼ mile away); First National Bank of Killeen (approx. 0.4 miles away); Bethel Primitive Baptist Church (approx. half a mile away); Wednesday Review Club (approx. one mile away); City of Killeen (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Killeen.

Also see . . .
1. Oveta Culp Hobby: Pioneer of Women's Leadership and Public Service. Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)

Oveta Culp Hobby, first secretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, first commanding officer of the Women's Army Corps, and chairman of the board of the Houston Post, second of seven children of Ike W. and Emma Elizabeth (Hoover) Culp, was born in Killeen, Texas, on January 19, 1905. Her father was a lawyer and state legislator. Oveta attended the public schools of Killeen and learned from her family the tradition of service to the community, to neighbors, to the state, and to the nation. Her mother, for instance, collected food, clothing, and money for the poor and sent her to deliver baskets of goods to neighbors who were going through hard times. She was only five or six when a temperance campaign swept Killeen, and at Sunday
Photographed by James Hulse, November 18, 2025

3. The view of the reverse side of the marker at the south entrance to the building
school all the small children were invited to sign the pledge and receive a Woman's Christian Temperance Union white ribbon to wear. Oveta thought it over and refused. She had no particular desire to drink liquor, she granted, but she might wish to when she grew up and thought it best not to give her word unless she was sure she was prepared to keep it. From her father she acquired an early love for the law, horses, and the intricate workings of government. She stopped in his office every afternoon on her way home from school to listen to the talk and to read books far beyond her years or vocabulary. By age ten she had read the Congressional Record. At thirteen she had read the Bible three times. In the sixth grade she won a Bible as the best speller in her class. When Culp was elected to the state legislature in 1919, he took the fourteen-year-old Oveta with him to Austin, and she became a serious and interested observer of each day's sessions. Even though she missed many school days during her father's term in Austin, she graduated from Temple High School high in her class. In this period she took up elocution and recited "Alaska, the Brave Cowgirl" so dramatically that a visiting Chautauqua manager offered her a touring contract. Disappointed when her parents refused to consider the glittering offer, she turned her surplus energies to organizing the "Jolly Entertainers," a group
Public Domain - US Army - Wikipedia, 1942

4. Oveta Culp Hobby, first director of the Women's Army Corps
of half a dozen teenage musicians. They toured neighboring towns and gave benefit performances to raise money to buy church organs.

(Submitted on November 18, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

2. Women's Army Corps. Wikipedia

The Women's Army Corps (WAC) was the women's branch of the United States Army. It was created as an auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), on 15 May 1942, and converted to an active duty status in the Army of the United States as the WAC on 1 July 1943. Its first director was Colonel Oveta Culp Hobby. The WAC was disbanded on 20 October 1978, and all WAC units were integrated with male units.

(Submitted on November 18, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Credits. This page was last revised on November 18, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 18, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 82 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 18, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.