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Private Second Class Judith Elaine Russell Allen

Picture of a grave with a cross and the name Judith E. Allen.
  • Unit: 7001st Service Unit of the Women’s Army Corps
  • Date of Birth: July 28, 1934
  • Entered the Military: August 13, 1954
  • Date of Death: March 24, 2012
  • Hometown: Staten Island, New York
  • Place of Death: Winfield, Kansas
  • Award(s): National Defense Service Medal
  • Cemetery: Section 8, Row 29, Site 0632. Kansas Veterans’ Cemetery, Winfield, Kansas
Contributed by Olivia Baltz, Declan Burget, Christina Chan, Damien Dyer, Leo Farquhar, Sophia Florio, Cameron Glover, Carolyn Hooks, Jane Kangas, Liam Korbe, John Lewis, Tyler McClelland, JoJo Mendoza, Maddox Morrow, Deklin Nighswonger, Trevor Phelps, Will Phillips, Hank Powell, Pete Schieber
Mentored by Dr. Angie Gumm
St. Mary's Parish Catholic School
2024/2025

Early Life

Judith Elaine Russell was born on July 28, 1934, in New York, New York, three years after her older brother, John. Her mother, Erna, emigrated from Norway when she was 13, and her father, Earl, was born in Ohio and was of German descent. The family mainly ate Norwegian and German food and drank hot tea.  

The family moved to San Diego and lived in an apartment when she was a small child. Her father, Earl, worked there as a fire control mechanic for the U.S. Navy.  Later, they moved back to New York, and Judith attended high school on Staten Island. She enjoyed eating lunch at the Trinity Church Cemetery, located near Wall Street. Judith loved the movie Joan of Arc with Ingrid Bergman. She was exceptionally intelligent and graduated from high school at the age of 16.  

The following fall, she started college in New York, where she studied English literature for three years before joining the U.S. Army at the age of 19. 

Excerpt of 1950 census from New York City with demographic information concerning the Russell family.
Judith Russell’s family lived on both the East and West coasts during her childhood. The 1950 census shows the family living in New York City, where she graduated from high school. National Archives and Records Administration.
Picture of a multistory brick building with cars parked in the foreground.
This building, located at 4117 Georgia St in San Diego, CA, housed the apartment where Judith Russell lived as a young child. Google Earth.
Closeup photograph of a cemetery with a monument, several graves, and a few trees.
In high school, Judith Russell often ate lunch at the Trinity Church Cemetery near Wall Street. Trinity Church.

Homefront

During the Korean War, New York City underwent significant transformation, becoming the city it is today. The population grew rapidly, creating a buzz and vibrancy in the city.

New York City was renowned for its baked goods, and during the 1950s, approximately 22,000 New Yorkers worked in the industry. New York’s fashion and finance industries were booming as well. In the arts world, the New York jazz and theater scenes were also growing. Additionally, the United Nations headquarters and Times Square were both built in this period.

New York was also a hub for the war effort on the home front. New York was home to the Liberty Industrial Finishing site, which manufactured airplane parts and provided metal finishing services for the military during the Korean War. In the 1950s, New York was one of the largest manufacturing centers in the country, and its ports handled one-third of America’s trade due to its strategic location. The Brooklyn Navy Yard’s size and importance decreased immediately following World War II, but the Korean War led to a doubling of the Yard’s employee count to 20,000. 

Black and White photo of many people standing atop the Empire State Building.
The 1950s were a time of celebration for the heights of human achievement in areas such as architecture. The Empire State Building, the top of which is shown here, is a prime example, 1953. New York Public Library Digital Collections (5652572).
A playbill for the Broadway musical, Wonderful Town.
The arts flourished in New York City during the 1950s. Library of Congress (2008677289).
A photograph of Willie Mays playing stickball on the street with a car and a crowd of kids watching in the background.
Sports were incredibly popular in New York City, especially baseball, with stars like Willie Mays, shown here playing stickball in the 1950s. Sports History Weekly.

Military Experience

Judith Russell Allen joined the military in New York, New York, on August 13, 1954, as a private and eventually rose to the rank of private second class. She trained at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, and was assigned to the 7001st Service Unit of the Women’s Army Corps, where she served as a personnel manager. 

Even though the war had been over for about a year, personnel managers were crucial in ensuring that Veterans received their benefits and all the necessary paperwork to transition to either another part of the Army or civilian life. For her service, Allen earned a National Defense Medal. 

In the Army, Russell met and married Harlan E. Allen, who was also in the military. 

When Allen became pregnant, due to military policy at the time, she was discharged on February 11, 1955, at Fort Myer in Virginia. 

Photo of a large building labeled "Finance Center" with an American Flag in the foreground.
The U.S. Army Finance Center at Fort Benjamin Harrison in 1959, a few years after Allen received her military training for Personnel Management. Flickr.
Photo of a machine with a man standing in front feeding envelopes.
In 1953, Fort Benjamin Harrison, where Allen would train in personnel management the following year, opened the U.S. Army Finance Center, which featured machines that automated envelope sealing for check payments to soldiers’ dependents. Indianapolis Star.
Judith Allen’s DD-214 detailing her military service, February 11, 1955. Parts have been redacted for privacy reasons. National Archives and Records Administration.

Veteran Experience

Allen continued to serve her family and her country by relocating her family to various locations over the next two decades, while her husband served in the military as a chief warrant officer. The Allens had two children, a daughter, Laurie, and a son, Mark. 

Judith Allen was a kind and indulgent mother who let her children help her in the kitchen and sneak extra treats. She loved the works of Shakespeare, and her favorite books were Jane Eyre and The Imitation of Christ. She was also very artistic. She could paint and draw very well, and her artwork decorated the walls of their home. She also painted vases, molded clay, and collected glass objects. 

The family lived all over, and one of Allen’s favorite places was Panama, where they swam in the ocean and saw exotic animals, like sloths and iguanas. Due to her affection for Panama, her husband arranged for them to be stationed there twice. Her primary focus after leaving the military was raising her family and managing the household. She only worked outside the home on rare occasions to earn money for the holidays. 

The family eventually settled in Winfield, Kansas, where she attended Holy Name Catholic Church. In addition to church, she enjoyed spending time with friends and reading.

Commemoration

Judith Allen moved to the Kansas Veterans Home in 2004 and remained there until her death on March 24, 2012.  She is buried at the Kansas Veterans’ Cemetery in Winfield, Kansas.

A large sign labeled, "Kansas Veterans Home" with a smaller sign underneath stating, "A Piece of Home."
In her later years until her death, Judith Allen lived at the Kansas Veterans Home in Winfield, Kansas, 2025. The National Association of State Veterans Homes.
Picture of a grave with a cross and the name Judith E. Allen.
Judith E. Allen is buried at the Kansas Veterans Cemetery in Winfield, Kansas. Find a Grave.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Allen, Laurie. Email exchange with the authors. December 11, 2024.

Allen, Laurie. Email exchange with the authors. February 17, 2025.

Allen, Laurie.  Email exchange with the authors. March 29, 2025.

California. San Diego County. 1940 U.S. Census. Digital images. http://ancestryclasroom.com.

Judith E. Allen. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Judith Elaine Russell, DD-214, Department of the Army. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Judith Elaine Russell, Official Military Personnel File (partial, reconstructed), Department of the Army. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Judith E. Russell. New York, New York, U.S. Birth Index, 1910-1965. Digital images. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

“New York.” Census of Agriculture Historical Archive, United States Department of Agriculture. 1954. Accessed November 29, 2024. https://agcensus.library.cornell.edu/census_parts/1954-new-york/.   

 New York. Richmond County. 1950  U.S. Census. Digital images.  https://ancestryclassroom.com.

Rosalind Russell in the new musical comedy Wonderful Town. Theatrical Poster. 1953. Library of Congress (2008677289). https://www.loc.gov/item/2008677289/.

Secondary Sources

“4117 Georgia St.” Redfin. Accessed April 17, 2025. https://www.redfin.com/CA/San-Diego/4117-Georgia-St-92104/home/5301791.

Dresslar, Serena. “A Time Travel Guide to 1950s New York.” Blog. April 18, 2022. New York Public Library. https://www.nypl.org/blog/2022/04/18/time-travel-guide-1950s-new-york.

Florio, John, and Ousie Shapiro. “Revisiting Jackie Robinson’s Major-League Début, Seventy Years Later.” The New Yorker [New York, NY], April 15, 2017. https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/revisiting-jackie-robinsons-major-league-debut-seventy-years-later.

Gornail, Joseph A. and Steven D. Garcia, “1945-1950 NYC: Post-War Transition, Mid-Century Revival & Community Redevelopment.” History 101, NYC. Accessed November 29, 2014. https://www.history101.nyc/nyc-history-from-1945-to-1950.

“Judith Elaine Allen.” Veterans Legacy Memorial, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Accessed November 19, 2024. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/JUDITHELAINEALLEN/8302c1.

“Judith Elaine Russell Allen.” Find a Grave. Updated March 26, 2012. Accessed November 19, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/87385892/judith-elaine-allen. 

“Kansas Veterans Home.” National Association of State Veterans Homes. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://nasvh.org/veterans-homes/kansas-veterans-home/.

“National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Brooklyn Navy Yard.” United States Department of the Interior National Park Service. April 17, 2014. Accessed November 29, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20210706034315/https://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/pdfs/14000261.pdf.  

Perell, David. “David vs. Goliath: A History of New York Trade.” Medium, September 18, 2017. https://medium.com/@david_perell/david-vs-goliath-a-history-of-new-york-1909de029a0b.

“Retro Indy: Fort Benjamin Harrison.” Indy Star, September 30, 2014. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://www.indystar.com/picture-gallery/news/history/retroindy/2014/09/30/retro-indy-fort-benjamin-harrison/16476759/.

Santlofer, Joy. “Food City: Four Centuries of Food-Making in New York.” New York Food Story. Accessed November 29, 2024. https://www.nyfoodstory.com/articles/food-city-four-centuries-of-food-making-in-new-york/.  

“Stickball, Death of a Street Culture.” Sports Weekly History. Modified June 18, 2023. Accessed April 17, 2025. https://www.sportshistoryweekly.com/stories/baseball-willie-mays-stickball-new-york-mets,1153.

“Superfund Site: Liberty Industrial Finishing, Farmingdale, NY Cleanup Activities.” United States Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed November 29, 2024. https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/SiteProfiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=second.cleanup&id=0201184.

Vaccaro, Mike. “Decade rankings of top 10 faces in New York sports starting in 1950s.” The New York Post [New York, NY], May 3, 2020. https://nypost.com/2020/05/03/decade-rankings-of-top-10-faces-in-new-york-sports-starting-in-1950s/.

“Uptown Manhattan Trinity Cemetery & Mausoleum.” Trinity Church. Accessed April 17, 2025. https://trinitychurchnyc.org/cemetery-mausoleum.

“US Army Finance Center, Ft Ben Harrison IN.” Flickr. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://www.flickr.com/photos/vic-and-becky/5868182272.

This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.