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Note: The youngest of the five John and Martha McMenamin children: Joe, Bob, Vic, Barbara, Martha Claire. 1941 - Graduate of DeKalb Township High School, DeKalb, IL. 1941 - Enrolled as a freshman at Saint Mary Of The Woods College in Indiana in September, majoring in commerce and finance. 1942? - Learned to fly airplanes (bi-planes?) sometime in the late 30's/early 40's. In early to mid-1945, she once delivered badly needed medicine by airplane for her brother Joe's infant son, Kevin, to Joe who was living in LaSalle-Peru, IL, at the time, arranging to land in an open field of Joe's choosing which he described to her by telephone back in DeKalb. Where she acquired an airplane is unknown. The open field landing was successful, medicine exchanged, and back to DeKalb she flew, literally. 1944 - After successfully passing a series of tests over a period of several months she was accepted and assigned into the August 1944 class for a Women's Air Services (WAS) pilot training program which was a branch of the "Ferry Command". However, a few weeks after she had received her assignment the program was cancelled, thus cancelling her Orders and resulting in her subsequent application for and acceptance into the WACS. 1944 - Accepted into the Womens Army Corps (WACS) on October 2 and started Basic Training on October 18, 1944, at Fort Des Moines, Iowa. She was recommended for aerial photography as a result of previous experience in photography and flying. Shown on her service record is her civilian occupation: "skilled in building of aircraft, n.e.c." 1944-46 - She served as a photographer in the WACS, stateside (DeKalb, IL - Interstate Aircraft?). The WACS was the second service she was in during WWII as her first one was limited (see above). 1949 - She received a BA from Photographic/Art Center, College of Design, Los Angeles, CA. 19XX-XX - Managed the West Coast office of Frank Gianninoto Design. 19XX-XX - Account executive for Saul Bass and Associates. 1963-64 - She and another designer broke away and formed a new design agency, naming the company after the two of them, "MIHO MCMENAMIN", which lasted a short time, ending in "MIHO" leaving due to contrasts of design philosophies. She held the position of Vice President until the break up. 1965 - Became President of her own design company, renaming it "M.C. McMenamin, Inc.", in 1965*, until 1972, working closely with June Snyder. They had a studio team of 14 designers. She once explained to her nephew, Bill Montgomery, that the slight naming difference between the first company and the reconfigured company allowed for perceived corporate continuity because her name was remaining in the name of the "new" company and kept existing clients "in the fold". MIHO McMenamin / M.C. McMenamin, Inc. clients included: AT&T, Blue Plate Foods, Bostitch Staplers, Bristol Myers, Champion Papers, Container Corporation of America, Creative Playthings, Inc., Crown Zellerbach Paper, DuPont Chemical, Fuller Paint Co., General Mills, Hawaiian Pineapple Co., Hunts Food Products, Lawry's Foods, Moore Business Forms, National Bohemian Beer, Ohio Match Co., Plymouth division of Chrysler Motor Co., Scott Paper Co., Wesson Oil, Zippo Mfg. Co., Frito-Lay, Inc., Ball Bros. (Jelly Jars), Stone Container Corp., Packaging Associates Corp., Spice Islands, Bel-Air Foods, Inc., Laura Scudders Foods, Dixie Chicken 'n Things, Inc., Mar-Kes Foods, Blaisdell Mfg., and others. 1968 - Recipient of a Los Angeles Advertising Women's Club LULU Award for "Women's Achievement", the Award being presented by Gail Patrick Jackson, film actress turned television producer. 1970 - Awarded a Los Angeles Advertising Women's Club LULU Award for "Corporate Identity". The Award was presented by Debbie Reynolds in place of actress and business executive Polly Bergen, who was ill that night. She never married. Her close companions were XXXX and June Snyder between 195X and 1993. 1972-1993 - Lived with partner June Snyder in Isle de Mallorca, Spain, from 1972 until her death there in 1993. As of 11-17-2019: RE: M.C. McMenamin, Inc. *Articles of Incorporation in the State of California no longer active. The corporate entity was filed on Tuesday, January 5, 1965, according to public records filed with the California Secretary of State. Her company was therefore active with her at the helm from 1965 to 1972.
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