Frances S. Suddeth Josephson Frances S. Suddeth Josephson’s statue was the first of leading world figures who have contributed to our freedom unveiled in the Frances S. Suddeth Josephson Liberty Garden at Pinewood Preparatory School in Summerville, S.C. January 24, 2010. Following Josephson will be Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, and Albert Einstein.

In 1942, Josephson began her training to become a WWII code breaker at Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland. After graduation, she accepted a Navy commission to the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services).

Josephson never told anyone she was a WWII code breaker from 1942– 45, not even her husband or her son. She was told if she said anything to anyone, she would be shot. She took that command seriously.

Captain James Ken- ney of the Military Order of the World Wars helped break the silence when he unsuccessfully tried to gain recognition for the code breakers. Josephson told Kenney her team had broken the Japanese code giving forces information to find and shoot down the airplane carrying Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the man who orchestrated the Pearl Harbor attack.

The statue of Frances S. Suddeth Josephson was dedicated January 24, 2010. Photo by Betsy Porter After the war, Josephson moved to Summerville with her first husband, James Suddeth. They had two children, James Jr. ( Jed) and Toy. Jed is co–owner of First Carolina Insurance with offices in Columbia and Charleston. Toy predeceased her mother. Josephson’s two grandchildren are James Suddeth III and Meghan A. Suddeth. Her great grandchildren are James Suddeth IV and Constance Leigh Suddeth. All grew up in Columbia.

Josephson lived a full life as a WAVE, Navy wife, mother, a fashion model, and as an accomplished artist. She maintained interest in the Citadel Navy cadet program, designed the Summerville War Memorial, was a patriot who cherished freedom, worked with the Gibbes Women's Council and was a member of St. Paul’s Church in Summerville.