Category: Biography

(2 April 1889 – 24 May 1975)

Group 2

Operator Marjorie Thomas was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1889, the eldest daughter of Emmet and Nellie (Hodgsdon) Thomas. She was educated, along with her sister, Evelyn, at St. Patrick’s Academy. Following high school, she lived with her parents in their lavish home on Michigan Avenue.

Marjorie enlisted alongside her sister, Evelyn Thomas, in US Army Signal Corps. They shipped together on the Carmania as part of the Second Group. Likely, the sisters were split up during their time in France, to minimize any potential tragedy to the family.

In July of 1919, they were discharged together and she lived again with her parents and siblings. In 1920, she married Ensign Robert Twyman, who served in the US Navy during World War I. They married in Chicago and then lived in South America where he worked in the electrical industry. Following more Navy service during World War II, Robert went to work for Marjorie’s father, as an executive at Thomas Hoists.

The couple had two children together. They split their time between their homes in Chicago and Palm Beach, Florida. Marjorie Thomas Twyman died in Palm Beach in 1975. She is buried near her sister, parents and husband in Rosehill Cemetery.

(23 July 1893 – 23 October 1984)

Group 2

Operator Mary Evelyn Thomas was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1893, one of three daughters of Emmet and Nellie (Hodgsdon) Thomas. She went by “Eveyln” as an adult. She does not appear to have used Mary during or after the war.

Evelyn’s father, Mr. Emmet Thomas, was a wealthy business owner, the founder of Thomas Hoist Company. She attended the St. Patrick’s Academy in Chicago with her sister, Marjorie. Following high school, she does not appear to have attended college or had an occupation.

The sisters, Evelyn and Marjorie, were one of eleven pairs of sisters to join the US Army Signal Corps. They were among the first women to be accepted. Trained in Chicago at the Bell Telephone offices there, they shipped to France as part of the Second Group. She arrived in France aboard the Carmania. They were both discharged in July of 1919, serving several months past the Armistice.

Upon her return to the United Sates, Evelyn again took up residence with her family. She lived with them in Chicago and occasionally spent time in a large family home in Florida. They seem to have been spared during the Great Depression, as her father’s company continued to prosper.

Evelyn remained living in her mother’s household following her father’s death in 1942, as well as in Palm Beach. She was an active member of Chicago’s Women’s Athletic Club until her death in 1984. Mary Evelyn Thomas is buried in Rosehill Cemetery, near her parents.

Born: 19 Nov 1898

Died April 1977

Seventh Group

Operator Marguerite Monnet Wolf was born in the winter of 1898 in New York City, the daughter of Caesar and Catherine (Wespiser) Monnet. The Monnets had both immigrated from the Alsace region, which historically has shifted between French and German control. They both were French by nationality and language, and Marguerite grew up speaking French in her home.

The family moved to Chicago before 1910, and Marguerite studied both French and music in school. She was an accomplished singer and musician. Her brother, Henry, served in an Artillery unit.

As part of the Seventh Group, Marguerite was ready to deploy when the Armistice canceled her deployment. She returned to her mother’s home in Chicago and worked as a clerk in an office. In the early 1920s, she moved with her sister, Ernestine, to Los Angeles. There, in 1922, she married Chicago-native, William J. Wolf, Jr.

The couple lived in Chicago and had at least two sons. One of their children served in World War II and wore his mother’s identification bracelet (with his name added to the reverse). Following her husband’s death in 1948, Marguerite ran an oil wholesale business, along side her son, Donald.

Marguerite Monnet Wolf died in the spring of 1977 in California, where she had apparently been living for several years. She was returned to Chicago and is buried next to her husband in Saint Boniface Catholic Cemetery.

(27 August 1885 – 18 September 1972)

Group 7

Records differ about the birthplace of Operator Alisse Lambert. Her Army records state that she was born in Paris, while various census records claim French Canada was her birthplace. She was the youngest child of Pierre Lambert and Virginie Baillargeon and grew up speaking French at home.

The family lived for a short time in Minnesota, where Alisse attended school. They then moved to Chicago and Alisse attended the University of Chicago. In 1918, she was teaching music and living with her sister in Chicago. From there, she applied to be a part of the Signal Corps Telephone Operators. She had no telephone experience

 prior to her training. She was recorded as being “unusually bright” with an “active mind.” Alisse was appointed as an operator in April of that year. It is unclear why she did not ship earlier, however, she was scheduled to go with the Seventh Group. The Armistice canceled their deployment.

Few records exist to tell the story of her life following the war. Alisse likely worked again as a teacher, and then later as a librarian.

She died in September of 1972 and is buried in Evergreen Park in Cook County, Illinois.

Note that her name is sometimes recorded as “Alice Lambert.”

(31 July 1898 – August 1966)

Group 7

Operator Yvonne Regina Haas was born in 1898 in Wauconda, Illinois, the daughter of Joseph and Regina (Copie) Haas. Her mother passed away when she was young. Yvonne was sent to France to be educated and live with her father’s mother, Marie (Milla) Haas. In 1917, following her grandmother’s death, Yvonne returned to Illinois and finished high school at Wauconda Township High School.

Yvonne enlisted in the US Army Signal Corps, knowing that her fluency in French would be of assistance. Her brother, Paul, served in the U. S. Navy. As part of the Seventh Group, Yvonne did not deploy to France.

Following her discharge, she returned to her father’s home for a short time before marrying Wilson T. Herren. The couple lived in Barrington, Illinois and raised four children.

Yvonne R. Haas Herren died in the summer of 1966. She is buried in Evergreen Cemetery near her husband.

(18 July 1895 – 8 December 1952)

Group 7

Operator Elsa Freeman was born in Manhattan, New York, the eldest child of John and Mary (Billups Freeman. In the early 1900s, the family moved to Chicago, where Mr. Freeman was a representative of the American Hard Rubber Company.

Elsa attended Hyde Park High School and then the University of Chicago and studied in French in both schools. She entered training for the US Army Signal Corps in April of 1918, having no previous telephone experience. As part of the Seventh Group, Ms. Freeman had her bags packed and was ready to go when the Armistice was signed. She was discharged in December of 1918.

Shortly after her return to Illinois, Elsa Freeman married John Helfrich, who ran a chemistry laboratory. They had four children together, two sons and two daughters. Mr. Helfrich died young, in 1939. Mrs. Elsa Freeman Helfrich passed away in 1952. She is buried near her husband in Wheaton Cemetery in Wheaton, DuPage County, Illinois.

(31 July 1882 – November 1967)

Group 7

Marguerite Derlis Schulze was born in 1882 in France, the child of Joseph Derlis of Avignon. Her father had overseen the Telephone and Telegraph in Avignon, although she had not worked as a telephone operator prior to joining the US Signal Corps. She attended Avignon College in France. When she immigrated to the US in May of 1905, Marguerite was employed as a governess.

She worked for three years in the household of Mrs. O. G. Jones and later managed the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house at the University of Chicago.

When she enlisted in March of 1918, Marguerite placed her nine-year-old son, Paul Derlis, in the Holy Family Academy convent at Beaverville, Illinois so that she could serve. His father, Gustave Weyer, had been dead for many years. As part of the Seventh Group, Marguerite did not deploy to France, as their ship was set to sail when the Armistice was signed. Following her discharge, she returned to Chicago and worked as a milliner.

In the summer of 1934, she married Robert Schulze, a police officer. She gained two step-children through this marriage and likely became a full-time homemaker following this marriage.

Marguerite Derlis Schulze died in November of 1967 and is buried at St. Adalbert Catholic Cemetery in Niles, Illinois.  

Chief Operator Renee Messelin was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 12, 1890. She was the daughter of Mack and Mamie (Park) Caldwell, a prominent African American couple. Mr. Caldwell was born in North Carolina, and married Mamie Park in Texas, which is where she had been born. Their third child, Ellarane Yvonne Caldwell (her birth name), grew up in Chicago and attended Hyde Park High School. She graduated in 1909 and began work as a teacher.

Ellarane had a brief marriage to Mr. Arthur Brehm in Ohio, although she was soon back in Chicago, living with her parents. She then married Maurice Messelin in 1913 at Grace Presbyterian Church. Since Maurice was a French citizen, she lost her American citizenship under the 1907 Expatriation Act. About this time, Ellarene took the name “Renee” and likely began passing as white. {During the time of Jim Crow, light-skinned African Americans would sometimes make the difficult decision to step away from their community and craft a new, white identity.) The couple lived in Spokane for a short time, near his mother, brother and sister-in-law. By 1916, they were in California and their marriage ended in divorce.

When she applied to join the Army, Ms. Messelin was living in San Francisco. She claimed French birth, likely knowing that had she admitted that she was African American, she would not have been allowed to join the unit.

Ms. Messelin was assigned as a supervisor, being a proficient operator and an accomplished linguist. Assigned initially to Paris, Ms. Messelin was later assigned as Chief Operator in Brest, likely to help to organize the redeployment of troops after the Armistice. She returned to the States in September of 1919. She then married Sergeant Major Edward Van Gundy, a fellow soldier. This marriage returned her American citizenship. The couple moved to Denver, Colorado, although this third marriage also failed.

Her fourth and final marriage was to Mr. Robert S. Arthur in 1927. Over the years, she continued to maintain that she had been born in France, specifically in Marseilles. Mrs. Arthur took to the stage, starring in several movies. As “Renee Rodier,” she also performed in various radio plays. When the couple moved to Florida, Renee retired from acting. They stayed together until Robert’s death in 1969.

Ellarene Yvonne Caldwell Brehm Messelin Van Gundy Arthur, also known as Renee Rodier, passed away in Florida in 1977. The myth of her French birth followed her to the grave, and her true heritage was discovered in 2024.

By claiming a French heritage, she was able to serve in the US Army and to perform on stage. This new life likely exacted a price. She may have never seen her birth family again. Renee took control of her story and of her life, in a time when African American women had few options. She is the first documented African American woman to serve overseas in the U. S. Army.

Her cenotaph (“In Memory Of” marker) was installed at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery near her hometown of Chicago in 2025.

(c) 2026, Diane Boettcher