Gene Grabeel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gene Grabeel
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| Born | June 5, 1920 |
| Died | January 30, 2015 (aged 94) |
| Citizenship | American |
| Alma mater | Mars Hill College Farmville State Teachers College |
| Known for | The Venona project |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics Cryptanalysis |
| Institutions | Signal Intelligence Service |
Gene Grabeel (born June 5, 1920 – died January 30, 2015) was an American mathematician. She was also a cryptanalyst, which means she was a code-breaker. Gene Grabeel started a very important secret project called the Venona project.
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Early Life and Education
Gene Grabeel was born on June 5, 1920, in a place called Rose Hill, Lee County, Virginia. She grew up there. Her family lived on a farm where her mother raised chickens and her father grew tobacco.
Gene went to college at Mars Hill College and then Farmville State Teachers College. After finishing her studies, she became a high school teacher. She taught home economics to teenage girls in Madison Heights.
Starting a Secret Career
In 1942, Gene Grabeel got a special opportunity. A friend suggested she join the Signal Intelligence Service. This was a secret government group that worked with codes.
On December 28, 1942, Gene started her new job. Her task was to work on secret messages from the Soviet Union. Her father gave her permission, thinking she would just "push some papers around." This was the start of her 36-year career as a code-breaker.
The Venona Project
On February 1, 1943, Gene Grabeel started the Venona project. This was a top-secret program. Its goal was to break the codes of Soviet communications.
Gene and her team spent many months working on these messages. They looked at old and new Soviet telegrams. They tried to figure out what the secret messages meant. This project was very important for national security.
A writer named Stephen Budiansky wrote about how Gene got this job. She was teaching high school and wanted a new challenge. She met an Army officer who was looking for college graduates. He couldn't say much about the job, but it was near Washington, D.C. Gene's father told her to go for six months and "shuffle papers." She quickly found someone to take over her teaching job and moved to the capital.
Gene Grabeel worked on the Venona project for many years. She retired from her service in 1978. This was around the same time the Venona project officially ended.
Later Life and Recognition
Gene Grabeel was a member of her local church. She also enjoyed watching University of Virginia basketball games. She lived a long life dedicated to her secret work.
Gene Grabeel passed away on January 30, 2015. She was 94 years old. She died in Blackstone, Virginia.
After 1995, the Venona project was no longer a secret. The public learned about the amazing work Gene and her team did. The Central Intelligence Agency honored her. They called her an "American Hero" for her important contributions. A special highway marker was placed in Virginia to remember her and Frank Rowlett.
