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Bessie Hall Dempsey (October 5, 1914-September 16, 1971) was a vaudeville dancer and actress who became Boeing’s first female engineer in 1948.

Early Life

Bessie Hall Dempsey was born on October 5th, 1914, in Arkansas. After her parents divorced, she moved to Montana with her mother. After another failed marriage, the family moved once again to Seattle, Washington. There, Dempsey studied dance at the Cornish School of Fine Arts.

Vaudeville Career

As the Great Depression ended, Bessie and her sister Irma performed together in Vaudeville theaters in the Northwest. Bessie soon decided to pursue a solo career in California. She performed in Los Angeles and San Francisco with the stage name Yvonne St. Clair. In 1935, during her time performing, she married Lee Dempsey, a former New York Giants player. A year later, in 1936, the couple had a son, Herbert Lee (Mark) Dempsey.

Boeing Career

Bessie continued her education even as she performed, earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Aerodynamics from the University of Southern California. To avoid discrimination due to her gender while looking for a job in the engineering field, she changed her name to B.M. Dempsey. In 1948, she was hired by the Boeing Company as a Junior Engineer Class B. She was the first female engineer hired by Boeing. She moved back to Seattle and worked for Boeing for 24 years. In that time, she received several promotions. In 1951, she was the first woman to be elected to Tau Beta Pi, the honorary engineering society. During her time at Boeing, Bessie continued to take part in amateur dance performances in the Seattle area. Her marriage ended in 1949, and she and her son Mark lived together on a houseboat. Bessie Hall Dempsey died on September 16th, 1971, at the age of 57 after battling an illness.