Latest news with #RosietheRiveter
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pittsford students celebrate 100th birthday of real-life Rosie the Riveter
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Pittsford students helped celebrate the 100th birthday of a real-life Rosie the Riveter! Mary Masciangelo, a Fairport resident and recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal, visited Calkins Road Middle School on Wednesday to meet students and share her story. The students also gave her birthday cards, which they had made in class. During World War 2, Masciangelo helped produce supplies for soldiers fighting overseas. She was a teenager when she took a job manufacturing pins for parchutes and goggles for the Air Force. She worked at Shuron Optical Defense Plant here in Rochester while her brother and future husband served. 'We were thrilled to celebrate Mrs. Masciangelo's 100th birthday and give students the chance to learn firsthand about this remarkable period in history,' said Superintendent Michael Pero in a statement. 'Her story was an inspiration to us all.' Masciangelo was given the Congressional Gold Medal on March 21. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
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.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
18 Surviving Rosie the Riveters Visit the National WWII Museum
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — In 1942, Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb wrote the song titled 'Rosie the Riveter.' The song's name would be the identity of an estimated six million women who took wartime jobs in factories across the United States of America. Recently, 18 surviving women were honored at the National World War Two Museum. The Gary Sinise Foundation, an organization that honors first defenders, veterans and the like, organized the honor. The day started with members of several local New Orleans High Schools, Gary Sinise Foundation Members and World War II museum staff welcoming the women with applause. The women watched a film about their contributions to the war effort and were then led on personalized tours through the museum, along with a luncheon and reception. Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office job fair offering law enforcement opportunities, more Cristin Kampsnider is with the Gary Sinise Foundation, and says 'They are quite the wild bunch. We have a woman here who raised her hand to serve when she was 15 years old. She was so small that they put her inside the wings of the aircraft. These women paved the way. We are pleased to honor them.' One of the Rosie the Riveters that visited was originally a nursing student, who would go on to work a factory that produced B26 airplanes. Her name is Roberta Jane Tidmore and she is 103 years of age. She worked the factory for six months before she became one of the first women to join the Marine Corps, Jan. 4, 1944. By Sept. 2, 1945, World War II was over and Tidmore was in San Diego when the news broke. 'So I went to the pie shop and I brought it back to the barracks and we had banana cream pie for dessert. It was our slice of celebratory American pie.' Dog's life claimed in damaging 9th Ward housefire, other pets, couple safe Over the years, Tidmore has lived in Baja California, has taken up an interest in dancing and was a flight attendant for United Airlines. She hopes to continue living the good life and driving around the country to see museums. 'I've had a really good life. The history of this country is more interesting to me now that it was when I was in school.'LSU's Aneesah Morrow and Flau'Jae Johnson foreshadow strong returns in their March Madness opener 18 Surviving Rosie the Riveters Visit the National WWII Museum Columbia agrees to Trump administration's demands after funding cut Major changes could be on the way for the Social Security Administration Lawmakers speak out about dismantling the U.S. Agency for Global Media Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Meet the real Rosie the Riveter, who was unknown until a yearslong investigation revealed her identity
Rosie the Riveter is one of the most iconic images in pop culture history. For 30 years, Geraldine Hoff Doyle was believed to be the inspiration for Rosie the Riveter. An investigation in the 2000s found that another worker, Naomi Parker Fraley, inspired the image. Rosie the Riveter is one of the most famous symbols of the feminist movement, but it took years to accurately identify the worker who inspired the iconic image of a woman flexing her bicep. For three decades, Geraldine Hoff Doyle was widely acknowledged as the inspiration behind Rosie the Riveter. However, an investigation conducted in the 2000s revealed that Naomi Parker Fraley, who worked at the Naval Air Station in Alameda, California, was the true inspiration behind the image. This International Women's Day, here's the story of the real-life Rosie the Riveter and how her identity was eventually uncovered. During World War II, women assisted in manufacturing wartime products like gas masks. Before the war, women were in traditionally "female" fields such as nursing and teaching. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, women joined the armed forces at remarkable rates. By 1943, over 310,000 women were employed in the US aircraft industry, comprising 65% of the industry's workforce, a stark contrast to the mere 1% representation before the outbreak of war, per the Defense Logistics Agency. Forbes reported that between 1940 and 1945, female participation in the US workforce increased from 27% to nearly 37%. By 1945, a quarter of married women worked in jobs outside the home. Many women working in military factories were photographed wearing bandanas to tie back their hair. One photo, taken in 1942 by a photographer touring the Naval Air Station to show what life was like for women working in the aircraft industry, appeared to catch the attention of a Pittsburgh artist named J. Howard Miller. The New York Times reported that Miller created a 1943 poster for the Westinghouse Electric Corporation that became one of the most iconic images in history. The woman in Miller's poster soon came to be known as Rosie the Riveter. The image featured a "Rosie," as female factory workers were known at the time, flexing her bicep, wearing a red polka-dot bandana and a riveter's uniform. Above her were the inspiring words "We Can Do It!" The woman in Miller's poster soon came to be known as "Rosie the Riveter" after musicians Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb released a popular song with the same title in 1943. The New York Times reported that the poster was initially only displayed in the Westinghouse Electric Corporation plant to deter women from not showing up to work and strikes among female workers. However, once the poster was published and gained national exposure in the early 1980s, it evolved into an emblem of the feminist movement and emerged as one of the most iconic images in pop culture. The inspiration for the iconic Rosie the Riveter image was initially believed to be Geraldine Hoff Doyle, a Michigan factory worker. Geraldine Hoff Doyle, who worked in a Navy plant in Michigan, was long considered to be the inspiration behind the iconic image. The New York Times reported that Doyle came forward in the 1980s and claimed to be the woman in a photo believed to have inspired Miller's famous poster. Doyle had seen the photo, which was published without its original caption and the correct names of the women in the photograph. She mistakenly identified herself as the woman in the photo, and since she bore a striking resemblance to the woman, she was widely accepted as the real-life Rosie the Riveter. The true inspiration for Rosie the Riveter was later identified as Naomi Parker Fraley, a waitress from California who worked at the Naval Air Station in Alameda. In 2009, during a reunion of war-era Rosies, 88-year-old Naomi Parker Fraley (pictured) attended a reunion of war-era Rosies, where she spied a photo of herself working at the Naval Air Station in Alameda, California, in a historical display — and saw another woman's name listed underneath the image as the inspiration for Miller's famous "We Can Do It!" poster. The photo in question showed a then-20-year-old Naomi Parker Fraley wearing a red-and-white-polka-dot bandana and working on a turret lathe. "I couldn't believe it because it was me in the photo, but there was somebody else's name in the caption: Geraldine," Parker Fraley told People in 2016. "I was amazed." After learning another woman had been misidentified as her for over 30 years, Naomi Parker Fraley tried to set the record straight. People reported that Parker Fraley contacted the World War II Home Front National Historical Park with her saved newspaper clipping, which included the original caption that listed her as the woman in the photo. "I just wanted my own identity," she said. "I didn't want fame or fortune, but I did want my own identity." However, Parker Fraley, then 95, would not be able to correct the record for another six years. In 2015, she was approached by Seton Hall University professor James J. Kimble, who had been on a quest to discover Rosie the Riveter's true identity for six years. After Parker Fraley showed Kimble the evidence that she had been Miller's inspiration, he published an article in an academic journal, "Rosie's Secret Identity," in 2016. People then published a feature about the discovery, and Parker Fraley was finally recognized by the media at large as the inspiration behind Rosie the Riveter. "She had been robbed of her part of history," Kimble told People. "It's so hurtful to be misidentified like that. It's like the train has left the station and you're standing there and there's nothing you can do because you're 95 and no one listens to your story." Rosie the Riveter is now considered an icon of the feminist movement. Parker Fraley told People that after she was identified as the inspiration for Rosie the Riveter, she began receiving fan mail. Miller's illustration of Rosie the Riveter has come to embody the tenacity and strength of women. "The women of this country these days need some icons," Parker Fraley told People. "If they think I'm one, I'm happy about that." Naomi Parker Fraley died on January 20, 2018, at the age of 96. Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
She Built This City teaches women construction, repair skills
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — More than 80 years ago, Rosie the Riveter became a cultural icon, inspiring women to fill the jobs left by men as they went off to fight in World War II. Now, a new generation of Rosies is teaching young women to fill more jobs traditionally held by men. They're learning the ins and outs of construction and home repair with an organization called She Built This City, and it's with support from the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro. Check out the difference Community Foundations are making here in the Piedmont Triad The whir of saw blades and the pounding of a hammer with women building something more than just a wall or shelf. She Built This City started in Charlotte and expanded into Greensboro. The nonprofit helps women learn trades such as carpentry, plumbing, painting and electrical work. But safety is always first. 'First they learn basic safety and they learn about OSHA. They get an OSHA 10 certification through us as well. Then they learn tools. They learn how to use them properly,' says Shamilya Mitchell-Goss, the program manager for the Greensboro chapter. She believes in having all people learn a trade. 'Honestly, anyone that applies that wants a career in the skilled trades and is serious about it can get into the program,' says Mitchell-Goss, 'but again, we target women.' The nine-week program covers a lot of information and includes hands-on experience. Every student builds one of these three-by-three mini walls. Learning how to frame joists, install plumbing, and wire an electrical outlet. By the time they are done, they have applied the basics of all the trades to this one little wall. 'I'm able to do plumbing in my own house. I'm able to install. I have holes from the kids. I'm able to be able to fix those holes, patch them up,' says Carolyn Boston. She learned from the program that construction is much more than hammering a wall or cutting boards. She's learned skills she wants to pass down to her children. 'It's easier to just call somebody to come and do everything for me,' she says. 'But initially I would like to be able to do it for myself, being as though I have boys. I wanted to be able to show them how they can use their hands.' Like Boston, many of the women who take part in the program are trying to better themselves and their families. Mitchell-Goss says construction work is perfect because it offers long-term job security. 'Skilled trades are the only jobs that can't be done by robots,' she says. 'They can't be automated, and you can start as an electrician making the low 6 figures, meaning if we train a woman properly and she goes into the electrical field, we can pull her and her family out of generational poverty in four years.' Like Rosie the Riveter decades ago, the 'we can do it' attitude still lives strong for women willing to get their hands dirty in a male-dominated field. Carolyn Boston says she would tell other women 'to have an open mind and be ready to work with your hands.' You can get more information on . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
