1LT US Air Force, Mary Coon Walters

Born: January 29, 1922
Died: April 5, 2001

Mary Coon Walters joined the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) in 1943.¹ She was stationed at Newcastle Air Base in Wilmington, Delaware.¹ Walters was assigned to several flights across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.¹ When interviewed later in life, she said that “any woman who volunteered for service in World War II would gladly have gone to combat.”¹ Following her stint with the WASPs, Walters served as a 1^st Lieutenant in the Air Force Reserves.² In 1951, she returned to active duty during the Korean War and served as a personnel and recruited officer.^1,2 Walters left the Air Force in 1955 in order to become a mother.²

Mary Coon was born in Baraga, Michigan on January 29, 1922 to Marvin L and Nancy Conway Coon.³ In 1952, she married Asa Lane Walters and had one child, Mark.³ At the age of 40, Walters graduated from the University of New Mexico’s Law School.² She was admitted to the New Mexico State Bar the same year (1962) and worked as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice David W. Carmody.^{4, 5}  During her successful law career, Walter served both as a district judge and appeals court judge.⁵ In 1984, she became the first woman to sit on the New Mexico Supreme Court.⁵ The New Mexico Women’s Hall of Fame included her as one of the first five inductees in 1986.²

Images & Documents

“Supreme Court, 4-year term Mary Coon Walters.”

The Santa Fe New Mexican, November 4, 1984. Newspapers.com

Notes: 

1. Rebecca Casares. “SF woman flew during World War II.” The New Mexican, June 18, 1979, 11. Newspapers.com  
2. “Walter’s Zest for Life, Justice Inspired Many.” The Albuquerque Journal, April 9, 2001. Newspapers.com
3. “WALTERS.” The Albuquerque Journal, April 7, 2001. Newspapers.com
4. “21 Lawyers Admitted to State Bar.” Clovis News Journal, August 16, 1962. Newspapers.com
5. “Supreme Court, 4-year term Mary Coon Walters.” The Santa Fe New Mexican, November 4, 1984. Newspapers.com

Featured Image:  
Mary Coon Walters (1922-2001). Find a Grave. Accessed June 23, 2023. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8028739/mary-margaret-walters

Prepared by Allegra E Hernandez, Ph.D.

DVA, Veterans Legacy Memorial