Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
NameRudolph Libeck 
BirthLatvia
Spouses
Birth3 August 1920
Memo(SSDI)
Death10 July 1996
Memo(SSDI)
FatherMyron Yager (1877-1932)
MotherGertrude Rhodenbaugh (1885-)
My Comments notes for Shirley (Spouse 1)
Bucknell University Obituaries Class of 1942. Shirley Yager Libeck. Died at Northumberland 10 Jul 1996. She received a master's degree in special education from Shippensburg University in 1976, served as a lieutenant in the Navy Reserves during WWII and retired from the U.S. Army Petroleum Field Activity, Fort Belvoir, Va., in 1988. She taught chemistry in Turkey and mathematics at Shikellamy Middle School and worked as a mental health intake worker for Northumberland County. Preceded in death by two children, she is survived by two sons and one sister.
Defense Distribution Center keeps Women's History Month in the Family (Photographic Exhibit)
One of the women in the photographs is Shirley Yager, mother of Mark Libeck, a customer support representative in DDC's Logistics Operations Directorate. Yager broke new ground for women in many ways, according to her son.
"She was considered a trail-blazer in terms of what women hadn't pursued before," Libeck said. "She was among the first group of commissioned WAVES, or Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, officers to be sworn in from Pennsylvania."
She received a master's degree in chemistry from Bucknell University, in Lewisburg, Pa., and then accepted a commission in the U.S. Naval Reserves. Neither career choice was considered an appropriate one for a woman in those days. In fact, Libeck says his mother originally applied to Lehigh University and was denied admission merely because she was a woman.
“She used to show us the letter," Libeck explained. His mother attained the rank of lieutenant, and while in the reserves, was assigned to Washington, D.C., in the Ordnance Department, part of what was then the Navy Department. Her duties included ensuring quality control standards were met, a job that was not generally considered one for a woman.
His mother was never one to accept established societal roles. Libeck explained that while looking for opportunities to better herself, his mother would often search the classified ads, which at that time were divided into jobs for men and jobs for women. 'She would always pursue the jobs that were listed for men, and never took no for an answer," Libeck said.
After her Navy career she continued to work in non-traditional jobs. Her career included professorships at several institutes of higher learning, including Drexel University and Trinity College. She worked as a chemist with the U.S. Army Petroleum Center at Fort Belvoir, Va., until she retired.
She passed away in 1996, but many of her personal effects from her naval career were donated to the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., and are periodically on display there. Libeck says his mother has inspired him in many ways, including career decisions. "Her service in the Navy inspired me to enlist," said Libeck who served as a radioman on USS Nimitz from May 1974 through September 1978.
Defense Distribution Center keeps Women's History Month in the Family (Photographic Exhibit)
One of the women in the photographs is Shirley Yager, mother of Mark Libeck, a customer support representative in DDC's Logistics Operations Directorate. Yager broke new ground for women in many ways, according to her son.
"She was considered a trail-blazer in terms of what women hadn't pursued before," Libeck said. "She was among the first group of commissioned WAVES, or Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, officers to be sworn in from Pennsylvania."
She received a master's degree in chemistry from Bucknell University, in Lewisburg, Pa., and then accepted a commission in the U.S. Naval Reserves. Neither career choice was considered an appropriate one for a woman in those days. In fact, Libeck says his mother originally applied to Lehigh University and was denied admission merely because she was a woman.
“She used to show us the letter," Libeck explained. His mother attained the rank of lieutenant, and while in the reserves, was assigned to Washington, D.C., in the Ordnance Department, part of what was then the Navy Department. Her duties included ensuring quality control standards were met, a job that was not generally considered one for a woman.
His mother was never one to accept established societal roles. Libeck explained that while looking for opportunities to better herself, his mother would often search the classified ads, which at that time were divided into jobs for men and jobs for women. 'She would always pursue the jobs that were listed for men, and never took no for an answer," Libeck said.
After her Navy career she continued to work in non-traditional jobs. Her career included professorships at several institutes of higher learning, including Drexel University and Trinity College. She worked as a chemist with the U.S. Army Petroleum Center at Fort Belvoir, Va., until she retired.
She passed away in 1996, but many of her personal effects from her naval career were donated to the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., and are periodically on display there. Libeck says his mother has inspired him in many ways, including career decisions. "Her service in the Navy inspired me to enlist," said Libeck who served as a radioman on USS Nimitz from May 1974 through September 1978.