Reva Joy (Hurwitz) Cullen (1915-1989) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree

Reva Joy Cullen formerly Hurwitz

Born 19 Oct 1915 in Denver, Colorado, United States

Daughter of Joseph Mendel Hurwitz and Ella Muriel (Rachofsky) Hurwitz

Sister of Garvin Lewis Hurwitz and David Yudel Hurwitz

Wife of Paul Thomas Cullen — married 24 Mar 1948 in Baltimore, Maryland, United States

[children unknown]

Died 26 Jul 1989 at age 73 in Aurora, Arapahoe, Colorado, United States

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Profile last modified 21 Jan 2024 | Created 18 May 2021

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Biography

Reva was born in 1915. She passed away in 1989.

Name Reva Joy Hurwitz
Age 4
Birth Year 1916
Birthplace Colorado
Home in 1920 Denver, Denver, Colorado
Street Clayton
Residence Date 1920
Race White
Gender Female
Relation to Head of House Daughter
Marital Status Single
Father's Name Joseph M Hurwitz
Father's Birthplace Russia
Mother's Name Ella Hurwitz
Mother's Birthplace Poland
Able to Speak English Yes
Occupation None
Members in Household
Joseph M Hurwitz (38 yrs)
Ella Hurwitz (38 yrs)
Stanley Hurwitz (14 yrs)
Garwin L Hurwitz (12 yrs)
David J Hurwitz (6 yrs)^[1]

Name Reva Jay Hurwitz
Birth Year 1916
Gender Female
Race White
Age in 1930 14
Birthplace Colorado
Marital Status Single
Relation to Head of House Daughter
Home in 1930 Laramie, Albany, Wyoming, USA
Street Address Twelfth Street
Ward of City Part of Ward 2
House Number 309
Dwelling Number 1
Family Number 1
Attended School Yes
Able to Read and Write Yes
Father's Birthplace Poland
Mother's Birthplace Poland
Able to Speak English Yes
Members in Household
Ella R Hurwitz (48 yrs)
Joseph M Hurwitz (47 yrs)
Garvin L Hurwitz (22 yrs)
David Y Hurwitz (17 yrs)^[2]

Name Reva Joy Hurwitz
Age 23
Estimated Birth Year 1917
Gender Female
Race White
Birthplace Colorado
Marital Status Single
Relation to Head of House Daughter
Home in 1940 Laramie, Albany, Wyoming
Street 12th Street
House Number 309
Inferred Residence in 1935 Laramie, Albany, Wyoming
Residence in 1935 Laramie
Sheet Number 1A
Attended School or College No
Highest Grade Completed College, 4th year
Weeks Worked in 1939 0
Income 0
Income Other Sources 0
Members in Household
J M Hurwitz (58 yrs)
Ella R Hurwitz (58 yrs)
Garvin Hurwitz (32 yrs)
David Hurwitz (26 yrs)^[3]

Name Reva Joy Hurwitz [Reva Joy Cullen] [Reva Cullen]
Gender Female
Race White
Birth Date 19 Oct 1915
Birth Place Denver Denve, Colorado [Denver Colorado]
Death Date 26 Jul 1989
Father Joseph M Hurwitz
Mother Ella M Rachofsky
SSN 521227301
Notes
Mar 1940: Name listed as REVA JOY HURWITZ; Oct 1954: Name listed as REVA JOY CULLEN; 14 Aug 1989: Name listed as REVA J CULLEN^[4]

Her brother David getting married^[5]

Name: Reva J Hurwitz
Port of Departure: Seattle, Washington
Departure Date: 5 Jan 1945
Port of Arrival: Honolulu, Hawaii
Arrival Date: 6 Jan 1945^[6]

Name: Reva J Hurwitz
Ship: Matsonia
Port of Arrival: Honolulu, Hawaii
Arrival Date: 6 Jan 1945^[7]

The nicest airport companion on Oahu - Mr. Burroughs.
~ Reva J. Hurwitz - American Red Cross - 309 S. 12th St. - Laramie, Wyo^[8]

During the tests, one of the few women allowed on the Atoll was a Red Cross worker named Reva Hurwitz. She assisted in evacuating natives from Bikini Island for the nuclear testing program.

Before conducting the tests, the government relocated Micronesian families who lived on the Bikini Atoll. They were moved to Rongerik Atoll, which was uninhabited because of its limited food and water, and because the Micronesians believed it was haunted by evil spirits.

Some of the original residents of the Bikini Atoll tried to move back to their home in 1974. Four years later they were shown to have dangerous levels of radiation in their bodies from eating food on the island and were again evacuated. There are currently no residents on the Bikini Atoll.

The Reva Hurwitz papers at the UW American Heritage Center contains letters and accounts of her time on the Bikini Atoll.^[9]

Reva as former University of Texas student then Cheyenne reporter and Red Cross overseas 18 months prior to April 1946 (since Nov 1944 in Hawaii). In March 1946 she went to Bikini from Honolulu with a Red Cross supervisor laying out recreation program and facilities for enlisted men at scene of atom bomb test.^[10]

Name Reva J Cullen
Age 30
Birth Date abt 1920
Gender Female
Race White
Birth Place Colorado
Marital Status Married
Relation to Head of House Wife
Residence Date 1950
Home in 1950 Bossier, Louisiana, USA
Street Name Avenue A West
House Number 200
Dwelling Number 54
Farm No
Acres No
Occupation Category Keeping House
Worked Last Week No
Seeking Work No
Employment Status No
Institution Name Barksdale Air Force Base
Institution Type Military Installation
Household Members (Name) Age Relationship
Paul T Cullen 49 Head
Reva J Cullen 30 Wife^[11]

Colonel Carl C Hughes wrote to Paul Cullen and told him to straighten out his marital affairs^[12]

Mrs. Reva Cullen, services director for Utah Girl Scout Council worked as reporter who traveled the world getting the stories for her papers.

World Was Beat for Woman First at Many Experiences by Judy Rollins Assistant Women's Editor

Miss Reva Cullen has some doubts about herself. Not about her work for the Rocky Mountain News or the Denver Post or her present job as services director the Utah Girl Scout Council. But she tends to doubt she was the first white woman on Bikini even though the natives said so. Mrs. Cullen an Air Force Widow, worked in Hawaii on Red Cross public relations when she was invited to take part in evacuating Bikini natives before atomic testing after WWII. "I just can't believe that when there were Congregational missionaries on the island they didn't have some wives along. It's a flattering thought, but..." Broke Barrier Although she disclaimed her statue on Bikini, she talked about breaking the sound barrier. "I was working for the Denver Post. As an Air Force widow I knew of the problems involved with training men who might later drop out of flight school. By going through their intensive preparation for flight, the Air Force hoped I might be able to explain procedures to wives and mothers. The Air Force also was doing some testing on the effects of high altitude flights." Mrs. Cullen went to a base in Indiana. Base personnel knew a woman had been assigned and scrounged around for heir smallest jump boots. What they didn't realize was that I have enormous feet so finding proper equipment really wasn't a problem. I went through their training, had all their equipment and finally we were taxiing down the runway. The pilot was ordered to stop. A mechanic came running out to the plane with a box of tissue, I was wearing lipstick and was ordered to wipe it off because of the fire hazard. "I learned all kinds of things and then wrote about them and gave talks to wives about how they could help their husbands. Proper diet is so important. Some foods cause real problems for fliers. I could have captioned my stories and Speech "The Care and Feeding of Husbands." Military Reporter Mrs. Cullen's assignment at the Post was an unusual one - military reporter. She traveled with a photographer to installations around the world. "Usually when I got there they were totally unprepared for a woman. After the initial embarrassment, they wanted me to talk to the volunteers in the base hospital or nursery. It was difficult to convince them I was interested in hard news. "I'd always been interested in war stories. Not the blood and guts, but the tactics and strategy of battles. That's fascinating." Mrs. Cullen was the first woman to fly over the U.S.'s most northern radar base. "I'm pretty sure about that. We flew over Thule over a radar site north of the magnetic north pole." The toughest part of being a woman in a man's world is often the "conveniences" or lack of them. For example, she drew a spot in a tank over the choice of standing in a trench to watch a nuclear test in Nevada. "But there's a problem being confined in a tank with men for long periods of time. So I gave up my spot and stood in the trench. There was one facility for newsmen. I ended up having to have someone stand guard at the door." Mrs. Cullen said as a woman she was given preferential treatment in her work. Many of her best assignments were the ones for which she volunteered. Bomb Explosion "One night a bomb exploded on a plane out of Denver. If I'd been a man, they would have sent me to the crash site. But I was a woman and was sent to the airlines office where they were contacting passengers' families. But it worked out well. I was the only person to get an interview with the wife of the man who planted the bomb. The man was found guilty and executed quickly. I went to the funeral." Being in the right place at the time almost proved disastrous for Mrs. Cullen. On one assignment outside Denver she and a photographer were stopped on the highway because of a forest fire. She borrowed some clothes and tramped off into the woods with the photographer. "All of a sudden the fire crowned and we couldn't see. It felt my lungs were on fire each time I took a breath. I knew we were stupid to be in that predicament. We knew the danger. All I could tell myself was 'You darn fool. You darn fool.' Sometimes I think you try too hard not to be a millstone when you're a woman working in a man's world." The person she most admired and found most interesting to interview was Harry S. Truman after he'd left office. "He was so aware. So alert. He's the most interesting man I've ever met. He knew my name and had found out a little bit about me and Denver so I felt special. He told me the secret to his happiness was that every night when he went to bed he's reassure himself that he's done the best he could that day." Eleanor Roosevelt was impressive too. "The more we talked, the more attractive Mrs. Roosevelt became. She showed such concern for people. She really cared."^[13]

Name: Paul Thomas Cullen
Birth Date: 10 May 1901
Death Date: 23 Mar 1951
Age at Death: 50
Burial Plot: 11-21-XX
Burial Place: Denver, Colorado, United States
Other Surnames: Hurwitz
Comments: Brig. Gen. US Air Force WWII; In memory Reva Joy HURWITZ CULLEN 19-Oct-1915 -- 26-Jul-1989
Cemetery: Emanuel at Fairmount
Cemetery Address: 430 South Quebec Street
Cemetery Burials: 4164
Cemetery Comments: Cemetery administered by Temple Emanuel contact Janet Burnitsky 303 388-4013^[14]

Name Reva J Cullen Age 30 Birth Date abt 1920 Gender Female Race White Birth Place Colorado Marital Status Married Relation to Head of House Wife Residence Date 1950 Home in 1950 Bossier, Louisiana, USA Street Name Avenue A West House Number 200 Dwelling Number 54 Farm No Acres No Occupation Category Keeping House Worked Last Week No Seeking Work No Employment Status No Institution Name Barksdale Air Force Base Institution Type Military Installation Household Members (Name) Age Relationship Paul T Cullen 49 Head Reva J Cullen 30 Wife^[15]