Shirley Lumae Hedin (nee Armstrong)
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Not Available
HEDIN (nee Armstrong), Shirley Lumae
Shirley Lumae [Armstrong] Hedin was born on December 13th 1925 in Duluth, Minnesota.
Shirley was a 17-year-old recent graduate of Duluth Central High School when she joined the Women’s Land Army (WLA) to help harvest America’s crops. She and eight other Duluth women were working on farms in the Fairmont, Minnesota area when a LIFE magazine photographer took her picture. This led to her photo appearing on the cover of that widely circulated magazine in September 1943.
The Women’s Land Army was one of two federal programs that asked young women to help replace the millions of young men who left American farms to fight in World War II. About 50,000 of them joined the Women’s Land Army, and 300,000 were part of Victory Farm Volunteers.
Her appearance on the cover of LIFE magazine made Shirley Armstrong an instant celebrity. Many young soldiers and sailors made her cover a “pinup” and began writing to her. Shirley responded to many of the letters, and some of her pen pals continued to write even after the war ended. Many of her letters are archived in the Albert J. Amatuzio Research Center within the Veterans Memorial Hall Program.
For years, Shirley and her husband, and WWII Veteran, Max Winfred Hedin operated the resort The Blue Max on Fish Lake just north of Duluth.
Ms. Hedin died at age 84 on November 3rd 2010, in Duluth, Minnesota.
Shirley is spotlighted on the Salute to Servicewomen traveling exhibit produced by the St. Louis County Historical Society.
Source(s): unknown; Duluth Budgeteer, November 5, 2010.
Albert J. Amatuzio Research Center | Veterans Memorial Hall (vets-hall.org)
Shirley Lumae Hedin in Social Security Death Index - Fold3
