During World War II, women in the United States played a vital role in contributing to the war effort. Nancy Lynch Castellano '44, '51 M.A. was among thousands of young college-aged women who served their country by joining a division of the United States Navy called the WAVES (Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service).

As a student at Montclair State Teachers College, Castellano remembers how difficult it was to watch classmates get sent off to war. She recalls sitting in the cafeteria and listening to Dr. Edna McEachern, a music professor, sing patriotic songs like "God Bless America" and "Over There" for students being shipped out.

After receiving special permission from Montclair State President Harry Sprague, Castellano and good friend Marian Weppler Russell '44 enlisted in the WAVES. In April 1944, Castellano and Russell received orders to report to Hunter College in the Bronx, which had been designated as the U.S. Naval Training School for the WAVES. The facility was used to train more than 90,000 volunteers. Castellano served in the Navy for almost two years.

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