Juanita Pauline Marotta Collection

Junaita Pauline Marotta was born on September 27, 1917 in Trade Lake, Wisconsin. The township is now known as Frederic, located in the northwestern section of the state. Marotta's maiden name was Dahlberg. She was born into a family of teachers, both her mother and father were in the educational occupation. She attended school beginning in 1923. Her family moved to Grantsburg in 1927, but moved back to Trade Lake (Frederic) due to impacts from the Great Depression a few years later. THe was the oldest of six children, five girls and one boy. Marotta's father developed Parkinson's Disease, and her mother took over the family farm. Marotta attended university Gustavus Adolphus College beginning in 1936 and worked under the National Youth Administration program (part of the Work's Progress Administration of the New Deal). She graduated with a major in History, Public School Music, and teaching minors in Frencg, English, and Biology.

She began her career as a teacher and remained in her career until 1943 when she moved to Chicago, Illinois to work alongisde her cousin selling lumber for the Hines Lumber Company. When she saw a film that featured WAAC women marching. She enlisted into the WAAC and became one of the first WAAC women in the first Illinois Company on October, 16, 1943. Marotta attended basic training in Daytona Beach, Florida. After excelling in her Military Correspondence Course, Marotta was trasnferred to Washington, D.C. to work at the Pentagon in Military Intelligence. She worked in Japanese intelligenceas a research assistant. Her work was kept secret, even her discharge papers labelled her as a Technical Sergeant. Inher work, she identified names of Japanese ships in naval communications.

While she was in Washington D.C., she met her future husband, Ernest Marotta at the steps of Lincoln Memorial. He served in the 8th Air Force in Supplies. She kept in contact with Ernest over mail and eventually married him on September 6, 1945, after the war ended.

Marotta was discharged from the United States military due to her husband's discharge; his unit had been disbanded. She moved to Boston, Massachusetts, then later to Minneaspolis, Minnesota. She was an active founder and president of the League of Women Voters and served on the State Board for the organization. She later took up horticulture and floral arranging. She returned to school to earn her master's degree in botany at the University of Minneasota. She published several books including "Minnesota Wild Flowers of Forest, Field And Wetland", "Swedish Pioneer: the Life and Times of A. O. Dahlberg", "Brunet Falls on the Chippewa", "Wildflowers of the St. Croix Valley" and with her daughter "Easy Guide to Decorating Gourds". Her husband worked for the post office. They had two children, a daughter and two sons. She passed away on Febrary, 12, 2014 at the age of 96 in Green Valley, Arizona.