Commander Beatrice Vivian Ball, A Coastguardsman's Story

 

Commander Beatrice Vivian Ball, A Coastguardsman's Story

Commander Beatrice Vivian Ball

Born December 2, 1902 - Died October 21, 1963

Commander Beatrice Vivian Ball was born in Garden Valley, Idaho, on December 2, 1902. Her family relocated to Vici, Oklahoma, where she graduated from high school and played basketball for the high school team. 

She was a talented singer and poet. She was also an accomplished horseback rider and basketball player. Commander Beatrice Ball would coach and participate in community basketball leagues throughout her life and regularly published poems in local periodicals.

While at college at Northwestern Oklahoma University, Commander Ball taught literature at the Wiley Consolidated Schools and was a member of the Alpha Sigma Alpha Sorority and the Phi Kappa Delta Fraternity. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1929.

Beatrice Vivian Ball was born on December 2, 1902, in Garden Valley, Idaho. During her childhood, her family relocated to Vici, Oklahoma, a move that shaped much of her early education and community life. She graduated from Vici High School, where she played basketball and distinguished herself as both an athlete and a leader.

Beyond athletics, Commander Ball was a gifted singer and poet. She was an accomplished horseback rider and maintained a lifelong connection to sports, coaching, and participating in community basketball leagues well into adulthood. Her poetry appeared regularly in local newspapers and periodicals, reflecting a reflective and literary side that remained with her throughout her life.

While attending Northwestern Oklahoma University, Ball balanced her studies with teaching literature at Wiley Consolidated Schools. She was active in campus life as a member of Alpha Sigma Alpha Sorority and Phi Kappa Delta Fraternity and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1929.

Shortly after graduation, she accepted a position with the YWCA in Grand Junction, Colorado. There, she founded athletic clubs and organized swimming programs, reinforcing her belief that discipline, education, and physical strength were essential tools for both personal growth and civic responsibility.

In 1931, Ball accepted an appointment with the United States Capitol Police, becoming one of the earliest women to serve within the National Police. She was assigned to cases involving crimes against women and children and worked undercover throughout the National Mall to identify and apprehend men engaged in solicitation or assault. Her work placed her in situations that demanded both courage and discretion at a time when women in law enforcement were rare.

While serving with the Capitol Police, Ball continued her education at Columbia University’s School of Criminology, earning a law degree in 1939. Her legal training further strengthened her role in public service and investigative work.

At the outset of World War II, Commander Ball enlisted as an active-duty member of the U.S. Coast Guard SPARS, the newly formed women’s reserve. She was assigned to intelligence roles in Washington, D.C., Miami, and Alaska, and later undertook recruiting duties in New York. Her service placed her at the crossroads of wartime intelligence, logistics, and personnel development during a period of rapid expansion for the Coast Guard.

After leaving active duty in 1946, Ball pursued formal artistic training, studying first in San Francisco and later in Denver, Colorado. She graduated from art school in 1949, continuing her lifelong pattern of learning and reinvention. In 1951, she returned to active service with the U.S. Coast Guard.

Commander Beatrice Vivian Ball served in the Division of Special Services at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C., until her retirement in 1961. Her career spanned World War II, the Korean War, and the Cold War,  decades defined by transformation, global conflict, and expanding roles for women in uniform.

She died on October 21, 1963, following a battle with cancer. Commander Ball is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Her life reflects a steady commitment to service: intellectual, physical, creative, and moral. From classrooms and courtrooms to intelligence offices and athletic fields, Commander Beatrice Vivian Ball followed a course marked by humility, courage, and selfless dedication.

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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life

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