Corise Patricia (Tossie) Varn

August 27, 1942

LOCAL WOMAN AMONG FIRST TO JOIN THE WAVES

Corise Patricia Yarn Takes Oath at Charleston Last Week

Miss CORISE PATRICIA VARN, daughter of C. G. Varn of Bunnell and Flagler Beach, who is familiarly known to her school mates in Flagler County as “Tossie,” was a member of the first group of midshipmen to be sworn into the WAVES in the Sixth Naval District.. She took her oath at Charleston, S. C. on August 19.

Miss Varn, together with two young women of Jacksonville will be sent to Smith College at Northampton, Mass, for special training. After successfully passing the training course she will be commissioned an ensign in the Women’s Reserve of the United States Naval Reserve.

Miss Varn spent most of her life in Bunnell. She is a graduate of Bunnell high school and Florida State College for Women at Tallahassee. After graduating from Florida State she taught commercial subjects at Williston High School, leaving the teaching profession to enter the finance and accounting division of the state office of the Florida State Welfare Board.

FLAGLER COUNTY GIRL JOINS WAVES (Cutline of Tossie and Friends)

Members of the first group of midshipmen in the Sixth Naval District to be sworn into the WAVES, these three young Florida women will be commissioned as ensigns in the Women’s Reserve of the U.S. Navy Reserve upon completing a course of training at Smith College, Northampton, Mass. From left to right, Miss Helen V. Milam and Miss Grave Elizabeth White of Jacksonville and MISS CORISE PATRICIA VARN of Bunnell (Official US Navy Photo)

October 8, 1942

TOSSIE VARN left this week for officers training in the WAVES at Smith College, Northampton, Mass. It could be that Tossie will have in (and under) her command some old school chums from Bunnell.

January 21, 1943

Another Bunnell girl who is moving along in the nation's armed forces is CORISE VARN who holds a commission as Ensign in the Navy's WAVES. Ensign Varn recently reported for active duty to the personnel officer at Charleston, South Carolina. She recently spent ten days in St. Augustine and Bunnell visiting with members of her family.

February 25, 1943

We got a letter from Ensign CORISE (TOSSIE) VARN of the WAVES. She is stationed at Charleston, S. C. We saw Tossie a couple of times when she was home before going to Charleston. She certainly looked nice in that Navy Blue.

December 30, 1943

Christmas greetings received his week included cards from: Capt. and Mrs. J. R. West (Dr. Richard West), formerly of Bunnell, who is stationed at the base hospital at Boca Raton, Fla.; Ensign CORISE VARN in the Waves at Charleston, S. C.; Chief and Mrs. Johnny Stanish of San Bruno, California; Lt. and Mrs. Joe Norfleet of Seattle, Wash.; Capt. and Mrs. Gilbert Tucker of Camp Davis, N. C.; Pvt. John F. Clements who is with the Marines at San Diego, Calif.; Cpl. Leonard Moody of Camp Haan, Calif.

Also a unique V-Mail greeting from Cpl. Richard Tucker who has served with the Marines in the Southwest Pacific area for the past year and a half.

These greetings and letters are very deeply appreciated by both Fuller and I. I am planning to make up a scrap book of them one of these days (when I can find time) and it will be something that probably all of us as well as the coming generation will enjoy reading.

June 21, 1945

First off this week, we understand that Lt. (jg) CORISE VARN, formerly of Bunnell whose parents live at St. Augustine now, recently reported for duty in the Hawaiian Islands.

Before entering the Waves in October 1942, she worked as accounting clerk in the Florida Welfare Board, Jacksonville. Her brother, Sgt. Wilfred Varn, was stationed in Australia at last accounts.

December 27, 1945

Naval Lieutenant CORISE (TOSSIE) VARN has arrived back in the States and has received her discharge. She was a lieutenant, senior grade, in the Waves.