Having fun and preserving Rosie's legacy with the American Rosie the Riveter Association (ARRA)
March 21, 2019 is on track to be declared National Rosie the Riveter Day! This will be the third year in a row that Congress has honored the women workers of WWII with their own special day. The purpose of the day, which will take place during Women’s History Month, is to acknowledge the important role… Continue reading National Rosie the Riveter Day – The Full Story!
How and When did the “We Can Do It!” Poster Become Famous? Although many sites and sources describe J. Howard Miller’s famous WWII-era “We Can Do It!” poster as government propaganda exhorting women to join the industrial workforce, seen by Americans everywhere, it was in fact neither. This poster was actually seen by very few… Continue reading “We Can Do It!” – The Making of an Icon
I'm a proud member of the American Rosie the Riveter Association, a national organization founded in 1992 to provide fellowship for and preserve the legacy of the original WWII Rosies. Our Annual Convention draws World War II Rosies and their descendants and friends from just about every state. This year the convention was held in… Continue reading New Orleans, Here Come the Rosies!
[UPDATE Naomi Parker Fraley passed away in January of 2018. We miss her so much.] What if I told you the "real" Rosie the Riveter was alive and well and living in California? Meet Naomi Parker Fraley, over 90 years young! She is the real inspiration behind the famous "We Can Do It!" WWII poster.… Continue reading Naomi Parker Fraley, The Original “We Can Do It!” Gal
One of my favorite people that I've never met, Elinor Otto, celebrated her 94th birthday last Saturday, while at the same time, on the other side of the country, we were meeting and talking with real Willow Run Rosies at the Arsenal of Democracy Conference and Willow Run Open House. Mrs. Otto has been recently… Continue reading Real Rosie Elinor Otto Celebrates Birthday, Still Riveting at 94
Holy cow, I got to be a fly on the wall while real WWII Rosie the Riveters met and chatted about the Willow Run Bomber Plant. The first thing they asked each other was, what section were you in? The answers were rapid-fire... "9-24," said Vivian. "9-46," said Frances. And this would not be the… Continue reading Two Real Rosie the Riveters Meet!
We were delighted to discover real, elderly Rosie the Riveter Frances attending the Open House at the Willow Run Bomber Plant that followed the Arsenal of Democracy Conference. Frances, who is 91, worked at the plant during WWII, making B-24 Liberator bombers on the assembly line. She lived in Detroit at the time, and… Continue reading A Real Rosie the Riveter
It's always a special pleasure to meet a real, live Rosie the Riveter, and we were delighted to discover Margaret attending the Arsenal of Democracy Conference. Margaret, who will be 89 this November, worked in the blueprints department of the Willow Run Bomber Plant during World War II. She told us that she had… Continue reading Real Rosie the Riveter Has B-24 Blueprint
A wonderful group of people got together to help the Willow Run Rosies make this video. Rosie Jane Vass was the producer and choreographer, and featured in the video are several of Yankee Air Museum's "Tribute" Rosies. The star of the video is Original WWII "Rosie" Ruth Pierson-Webb of Wayne, MI who worked at the… Continue reading Willow Run Rosies Make a Video
Diary of a Rosie 