on 7 march 1917 and while the us was "on the brink" of entering the war - they declared war just under a month later on 2 april 1917 - the nlws established a training program for female wireless operators at hunter college in new york. the course director was edna owen (generally credited under her husband's name, mrs herbert sumner owen) who was also chairman of the nlws's wireless division and founder of the women's radio corps, a branch of the us army signal corps.