Winter 2021
News from Rosie the Riveter Trust supporting the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Park
Thank You to… All of our generous 2021 Annual Dinner sponsors BETTY THE BOILERMAKER $100,000+ International Brotherhood of Boilermakers AGNES THE ARCHITECT $50,000 Kaiser Permanente DONNA THE DIRECTOR $20,000 The Marguerite Fund ROSIE THE RIVETER $10,000 Accenture Bank of Labor The Chevron Richmond Refinery WENDY THE WELDER $5,000 California State Pipe Trades Council Deloitte The Honorable Barry Goode Microsoft Northern California Carpenters Regional Council Stephen Lockhart and Karen Bals Family Fund ELLIE THE ELECTRICIAN $3,000 Dennis Mar Marathon Petroleum IBEW Local 302 IBEW Local Union 595 BELLE THE BURNER $2,000 EBMUD Warren and Cheryl Harber Holland & Knight, LLP Interactive Resources Mechanics Bank Plumbers & Steamfitters, Local 159 Stanford University Nicholas Targ and Elise Feldman
NELLIE THE NURSE $1,000 Ron Bachman MD and Sue Bachman Jane and Richard Bartke Cheryl Buscaglia Carpet & Linoleum Layers Local 12 Alide Chase Columbia Sportswear Contra Costa Building & Construction Trades Council Rosemary Corbin Dignity Memorial Fenwick Aaron Gershenberg and Julia Massa Diane M. Hedler Mary Hentges IBEW Local 6 International Union of Elevator Constructors Local No. 8 Judy Jentzen Mike Kappus Kazan McClain Partners’ Foundation Levin Richmond Terminal Corp Miller Starr Regalia Letitia D. Moore Ann and John Nutt Oliver & Company OPEIU Local 30 Plumbers, Steamfitters & Refrigeration Fitters UA 393 Republic Services Richert Lumber Company Sheet Metal Workers Local 104 Teamsters Local 315 Travis Credit Union Wareham Development Kyle Wichelmann Phil Young and Jennifer Scafe
The committee who made it all happen The co-chairs Tammy Brumley and Ann Nutt, ably assisted by Dee Amaden, Michelle Fadelli, and Debra Mipos.
Everyone involved who made this event possible With special thanks to our in-kind donors, volunteers, Carl Bidleman, the Craneway, Assemble, Little Village Foundation, Sonic Image, Pacific Auction Company, Savant Garde Events, the National Park Service, and Betty Reid Soskin’s family.
Year-End Gifts of Stock Making a donation of shares of stock can be a great way to support the work of Rosie the Riveter Trust. With a gift of stock, you put an asset that has increased in value to work for a cause you believe in, while avoiding capital gains tax. This might come as a surprise, but by donating stock, you don’t have to pay capital gains tax. A capital gain is the difference in the price you paid for your shares and the price they’re valued at now. When those shares are donated directly to the Trust, you don’t have to pay tax on the increased value. You are eligible for an income tax deduction for the full, fair market value of your contribution. You have the satisfaction of supporting Rosie the Riveter Trust in a tax-savvy way. To learn more, please contact Sarah Pritchard, Executive Director, at sarah@rosietheriveter.org or visit our website.
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Thank you! With the dedication and support of our volunteers, members, sponsors, and you, we succeeded in keeping Rosie the Riveter Trust programs on track through the last year and a half. I see this as a testament to the commitment and value people see in the work of the Trust. I am honored and incredibly grateful that you are part of the Park and Rosie community and I hope the work that we do continues to inspire you. The Trust’s gala was a celebratory success, and I am thankful to our volunteers for pulling the hybrid in-person and virtual event together. Another recent highlight was the Red Oak Victory
Ship’s Sunday pancake breakfast where blue skies, era-costumed sailors and Rosies, the Rossmoor big band and WWII enthusiasts really brought a smile to everyone's face. It has been wonderful to start meeting people in person versus online! As the end of the year approaches, I want to thank you for being part of this wonderful community of people who care about sharing the home front history and the myriad social innovations that still resonate today. To continue support for the National Park and our youth programs, I hope I can count on you to make a year-end gift. Any amount is appreciated, and I look forward to hearing from you! — Sarah Pritchard
Volunteer Spotlight: Tammy Brumley
T
he Riveter spoke with Tammy Brumley, informally known as the “Rosie Wrangler,” because she coordinates the schedules and transportation for our Rosie Ambassadors’ public appearances. How did you get started in this role of supporting the Rosie Ambassadors? My husband and I are really interested in the WWII period. When I heard the Visitor Education Center was opening and looking for docents, I decided to take the training. When I learned that living Rosies were involved with the Park, I knew I wanted to work with them. Soon I was overseeing the Rosie presentations at the Park, and my passion became letting the community know that we still have people with us who lived the WWII home front history. You’ve traveled a lot with the Rosies, from local appearances to some memorable trips farther away. Tell us about some of the experiences you’ve shared with them. As these ladies became ambassadors for the Rosie story locally, opportunities to speak to wider audiences came with a trip to the White House in 2014 and to the 75th commemoration of Pearl Harbor in 2016. We wouldn’t have dreamed of trying to go to the 75th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion, but a lady named Celine from France really wanted to bring the Rosies there. Her grandfather had been a French resistance fighter and took Celine to their reunions, where she encountered the gratitude and appreciation for the Allies who helped liberate France. Celine wowed the Rosies when she visited them at the Park, saying, “If not for you, I’d either be speaking German or I wouldn’t have been born.” When Marian Wynn said that her brother was buried there, and that no one in the family had been able to visit the grave, Celine said, “You must come for the 75th!” Celine raised money in France while we raised money here in the U.S. Five Rosies—Phyllis Gould, Mae Krier, Agnes Moore, Marian Sousa, and Marian Wynn—made
Tammy Brumley at the 2015 Annual Dinner with (from left) Rosies Agnes Moore, Priscilla Elder, and Kay Morrison. Courtesy of Tammy Brumley
the trip in 2019. They were warmly welcomed at the ceremonies in Normandy, where their attendance underscored their contributions to the invasion through their work on the ships, planes, vehicles, and ammunition needed for this pivotal battle. What gives you the most satisfaction? Seeing the impact that the Rosies stories have on people at the Park and at other events. I especially enjoy watching younger girls listening to their stories. I hope what they hear will continue to resonate with them when they’re older, as a touchstone memory. I’m motivated to help more people understand the flesh and blood of this chapter of history, what it meant for the home front workers. They didn’t have a crystal ball. Times were uncertain—who knew what was going to happen? Many had family members in the military to worry about. After the war, even a lot of the Rosies’ kids or grandkids didn’t know what these women accomplished. Their stories are not just a dry page in a history book, and I’m determined to keep this chapter of history alive.
Representing the Rosies at Pearl Harbor Rosie Park Ambassador Marian Wynn, along with Rosie Mae Krier of Pennsylvania and Rosie Wrangler Tammy Brumley, will represent all Rosie the Riveters at the 80th observance of the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7. Tom Leatherman, former Superintendent of the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park, will be on hand to greet them in his role as the new Superintendent of Pearl Harbor National Memorial. We hope you will ‘tune in’ and watch the Rosies participate in the ceremonies by following us on social media via our pages on Facebook at RosietheRiveterTrust and Instagram at rosie_the_riveter_trust.
Events at the Visitor Center We're so thrilled to announce that after 18 months, a number of events at the Visitor Center have resumed. We look forward to welcoming you back, and stay tuned for more! Virtual Talk with Betty Reid Soskin Most Thursdays at 2:00 pm Pacific time, you can join NPS staff and ranger Betty Reid Soskin for a virtual (live, but online) conversation. Go to the Park website for details on how to join: nps.gov/RORI Rosie Fridays The Rosie Ambassadors are once again sharing stories with visitors every Friday at 10:30 am and 11:30 am outside in front of the Visitor Center (weather and Rosie health permitting). Masks required. We suggest calling the Visitor Center in the morning to confirm that the program is on at 510-232-5050 Ext. 0. Blossoms and Thorns At this weekly program on Fridays at 2:00 pm in the Visitor Center theater, Flora Ninomiya, Jim Oshima, and Ben Takeshita will rotate presenting the film Blossoms and Thorns and speaking afterward with the audience.
(Clockwise from above) Rosies Marian Sousa, Marian Wynn, and Mary Torres; Dee Amaden, Committee volunteer; Betty Reid Soskin; Kelli English, Chief of Interpretation and Education, RORI; and Letitia Moore, Board Chair. Photos by Lisa Foote
2021 Annual Dinner Highlights Thanks to you, Making History Together! was a huge success. We raised over $250,000 to fund our youth programs, historical preservation projects, advocacy work to include more women in the trades, and the sharing of WWII home front stories in our goal to inspire our younger generation of trailblazers. We could not have raised the funds that we did without you! On behalf of the Board, volunteers and staff, thank you for sponsoring Rosie the Riveter Trust!
We Can Do It…Today! NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 1580 Oakland, CA Board of Directors Letitia D. Moore President Kyle Wichelmann Vice President Warren R. Harber Treasurer Michelle Fadelli Secretary
Rosie the Riveter Trust Staff Sarah Pritchard Executive Director Sarah Jo James Development Associate Lisa Foote Marketing and Public Relations Manager
Rosie the Riveter Trust P.O. Box 71126 Richmond, CA 94807-1126 Address Service Requested
Martha Henderson Communications and Development Specialist
Jane Bartke Tom Butt Mark Cameron Cathy Durfee Diane M. Hedler Lynne Horiuchi Nicholas Targ
Amy Tanner Donor Engagement Officer
Board Support Philip B. Young Pro Bono Legal Counsel
info@rosietheriveter.org • 510-507-2276 rosietheriveter.org RORI National Park Visitor Education Center Open EVERY DAY 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (Closed Thanksgiving, December 25, & New Years Day) 1414 Harbour Way South, Ste. 3000 (Oil House) Richmond, CA 94804 • 510-232-5050 Maritime Child Development Center 1014 Florida Ave, Richmond, CA 94804 Craneway Pavilion 1414 Harbour Way South, Richmond, CA 94804 Rosie the Riveter Memorial Marina Bay Park, Richmond, CA 94804
News from Rosie the Riveter Trust supporting the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Park • Winter 2021
F R O M T H E PA R K S U P E R I N T E N D E N T
Rosie the Riveter Trust is the nonprofit membership organization dedicated to building a community to preserve Park historic sites and to honor the women and men of all backgrounds who labored on the Home Front, inspiring some of the most profound social changes in our history. 510-507-2276 rosietheriveter.org
The Rosie the Riveter/ WWII Home Front National Historical Park was established in 2000 as the flagship Park to tell the World War II Home Front story. 510-232-5050 ext 0 nps.gov/rori
OUR PUBLIC AGENCY PARTNER The National Park Service was created in 1916 to preserve America’s natural, cultural and scenic treasures and to provide for their enjoyment by future generations. Newsletter design by Spokewise. Layout by Mark Briggs Design. Printing by Autumn Press with soy-based inks on recycled paper. Historical and Park Superintendent photos courtesy of NPS/RORI.
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Hang a “Rosie” on your holiday tree! Let Rosie the Riveter help you celebrate the holidays with a handblown, glass ornament with the iconic We Can Do It! Rosie on one side and the logo for the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park on the other. Purchase at the park Visitor Center or visit our online store at rosietheriveter.org.
It’s with great pleasure that I return to Rosie the Riveter/ WWII Homefront National Historical Park (Rosie) as the Acting Superintendent. My history with Rosie began in 2006 when I served as a community outreach ranger in Richmond. Working with Betty Reid Soskin, we initiated a focused community engagement effort to unveil and broaden the stories of Rosie. Together, we initiated bus tours throughout the community, visiting the sites associated with the home front effort, learning much from the participants. My favorite event was a dance in partnership with the East Bay Center for Performing Arts. In short, the sites and stories of “Rosie” are familiar and dear to me. Much has happened at the Park since then, and I look forward to learning more about current projects and programs, and more importantly, the goals and aspirations of the Park and its partners. To share a bit about myself, my career spans 30 years with the National Park Service. I have served over 12 years as Superintendent of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, which runs near three of the four National Parks in the East Bay. You may have seen the Anza Trail Sign on I-80 as you travel through Richmond. In 2008, I served for one year as the Chief of Interpretation in the four National Parks in the East Bay. It was a short, but wonderful tenure! I have always held a particular interest in connecting communities with their National Parks, and Rosie is a wonderful park in which to express that interest. — Naomi Torres