Fairport's ‘Rosie the Riveter' awarded Congressional Medal of Honor
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Saturday marked a special return for a local woman with a long history. Fairport's own 'Rosie the Riveter' was recently honored at the National World War II Museum, and bestowed the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Mary Masciangelo made the trip back from New Orleans on Saturday and was given a warm welcome home at the Rochester airport.
She, along with more than a dozen other 'Rosies,' was honored during Friday's Congressional Medal Commemoration Ceremony, which is one of the highest honors a civilian can receive. She spoke with News 8 about how her trip went, and all the other powerful women she met along the way.
'They were super friendly, kind of miss them now [she laughs],' Mary told News 8 on Saturday. 'Treated like a queen, oh my gosh, they couldn't do it enough for us.'
When you hear the term 'Rosie the Riveter,' many will of course think of the iconic poster by Norman Rockwell, depicting a woman in a work shirt and bandana, flexing her biceps. Well, she represented a movement during World War II where these 'Rosies' did things no one thought possible, building machines, working in factories, and stepping in where needed.
Mary and her guardian left for the trip on Thursday when News 8's Adam Chodak first featured the World War II hero.
He met with her once more on Saturday, visiting the airport to congratulate her.
Local 'Rosie the Riveter' to be honored a week before turning 100
Another sweet highlight: Mary will celebrate her 100th birthday this week. Happy early birthday from all of us here at News 8, Mary!
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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