The way she was then

Yes, Len will tell you who it is in a moment. But first I must explain that both Walt and Len are on assignment. [About time someone around here found some gainful employment! Ed.]

Ed. will be checking Walt's e-mailbox and generally keeping his eyes open, and we'll try to get items of interest posted here on WWW as usual... [whatever "usual" is. Ed.]

So... Agent 6 sent along this picture, which at first we thought was a mug shot. Note the height scale in the background. But then check out the insignia on the subject's lapels. What is it? Hmmm... USMC: the United States Marine Corps.

This is an ID photo taken sometime between 1943 and 1945. It's Staff Sergeant Bernice Frankel, who was first a typist at Marine HQ in Washington DC, and later transferred to air stations in VA and NC.

You would know SSgt. Frankel better as "Bea Arthur", who played "Maude" in Maude [duhhh! Ed.] and "Dorothy" in Golden Girls. Wasn't she a fine-looking woman, back in the day? Bernice/Bea died in 2009 at the age of 87.