The Rosies Gathered in Atlanta, and Did They Make a Splash!

     Each year, the American Rosie the Riveter Association has a Convention/Reunion somewhere in the U. S., and this summer it was in Atlanta, GA. Twenty original Rosies gathered (aren't they beautiful?), along with three times that many Rosebuds (female descendants), Rivets (male descendants), friends, and guests to represent 21 states. 

     What a treasure these ladies are!

     Besides hearing some great stories shared by the Rosies--and Rosebuds whose Rosies couldn't be present--we toured the Atlanta History Center, who gave a reception so Rosies could mingle with their members.

  

We loved how many children
were there, even dressed as Rosie
and ready to roll, like this cutie who posed with GranFran.

Five of the Rosies, including GranFran,
rocked a packed auditorium with their panel
discussion at the Atlanta History Center.
Rosies are really very funny ladies!

Back at the Convention, professional storyteller Carol Cain (right), pictured here with my daughter, Sarah Branum Law, gave us a fabulous one-woman Rosie show! It was the SAME performance that Carol presented at Roosevelt's Little White House in Warm Springs, GA in 1997 (and every year since then, BTW) -- the one that helped inspire GranFran to found the American Rosie the Riveter Association in 1998. And P. S. Sarah was a little girl when she saw that performance for the first time - she's been a Rosie enthusiast ever since!

Several presenters told us about historical happenings,
including Sgt. Major (Ret.) Scarlett Williams,
who gave us an update on the USO,
a subject dear to every Rosie's heart.

We heard some great '40's music
by the Freedom Belles trio
as well as our own members.

Follow this link to see more pics from the Convention at our Shutterfly site! 

    OK, friends, next year's convention will be in June, 2017 in Kansas City, MO. Why don't YOU make plans to join us there and hang out with some Rosies? Watch the American Rosie the Riveter Association website for details as they unfold, or get in touch with me, Nell Branum, for more info!

Rosies and Speaking and TV, Oh May!. . . er . . .Oh My!

May was a really busy month for GranFran and me -- here's what we were up to!

First, we were on the Talk of Alabama show
on our local ABC 33/40 station
to publicize the upcoming Rosie Rally
at the Southern Museum of Flight.
Here is the link if you want to see the segment
with Nicole Allshouse.

Then we had a ball with students at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School
in Birmingham as part of their Ultimate Authors Day.
What awesome students we met! Many thanks to
Cindy Westbrook, the teacher who coordinated the day,
and all the others who made us feel so welcome!

There was an interview of GranFran and two other Birmingham Rosies
to be included in a video for the Southern Museum of Flight's
Mary Alice Beatty Scholarship for women in aviation technology.

And then came the day of the actual Rosie Rally at the Southern Museum of Flight!
What an extraordinary day!!! Six Rosies from our Birmingham Chapter
of the American Rosie the Riveter Association,
plus another Rosie from Georgia, sat on a panel and answered questions.
And were they a hit!

Here's our whole group of Rosies, Rosebuds, and Rivets
from the Birmingham Chapter who were on hand
for the Rosie Rally. We were only a part of more than 650 people--including lots
of children and teens, how about that!--who were there for the many activities of this fun day.
A major highlight was seeing the "Fifi," one of only twoB-29 bombers still flying.
B-29's were made in Birmingham during WW II.

And when Elizabeth Grady, the museum's coordinator for the event, found out
that GranFran's 94th birthday was on the Rosie Rally day --well, next thing you know,
there was a ginormous birthday cake and cupcakes and party hats and horns!
What a special birthday! Many thanks, Liz!
Click here to see our local ABC 33/40 station's coverage of the event.

Isn't this a fun picture from the day --
GranFran and I are with the very talented Louise Barbour (left),
our favorite illustrator who drew the wonderful illustrations
for R is for Rosie the Riveter.
Note that she is holding her "left-handed wrench!"
(If you don't know what that is, see the "L" page in R is for Rosie!)

But May wasn't over yet! We so enjoyed speaking to the Senior Adult group
at Shades Crest Baptist Church in Birmingham.
Many thanks to Senior Adult Pastor Mark Johnson for inviting us.
We reconnected with many old friends, including Dr. Sigurd Bryan,
long-time Professor of Religion at Samford University,
and his lovely wife, Sara.

We topped off May with a tremendous honor for GranFran -
She was selected to receive a national "Women in American History" Award
from the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Here she is pictured with Susan Moore (left), Chapter Regent for
Birmingham's Lily of the Cahaba DAR Chapter,
who nominated GranFran for the award, and LeeAnn Metzger, who coordinated
the celebration at Brookdale Village, where GranFran lives.

The celebration was a part of Brookdale's gala Memorial Day event
for all their residents.
What a perfect way to end the month of May!

Power UP! for Girls Interested in Construction Careers

Power UP! It's a Mother-Daughter Thing!

     Oh my goodness! When GranFran and I arrived at the Alabama Workforce Training Center in Birmingham on Tuesday evening, we weren't exactly sure what we would find. After all, the Power UP: It's a Mother Daughter Thing event we were attending was the first of its kind for central Alabama.

Note the hands-on bricklaying
being prepared for the girls
in the background -
they loved it!

     But what we found was teams of moms and middle-school/high-school daughters from three counties -- LOTS of them! -- pumped about exploring careers in construction.

A special treat for the girls
was hearing from
 Kayleen McCabe,
host of the popular
"Rescue Renovation"
show on the
DIY Network.
(Note her "Rosie"
lunchbox/purse - how
fun is that!)

Fox 6 anchors Ronda Robinson
and Janice Rogers were
on hand to cheer on
the girls!

    And when I say exploring, I mean having hands-on experiences with bricklaying, virtual welding, driving nails, and more. I mean hearing from and talking with successful executive women in construction from around the country who flew in to share their expertise. I mean interacting with 20 contractors about possibilities, as well as representatives from construction-related businesses and organizations. I mean chatting with reps from several universities about training in construction careers.
     All in a girly-girl atmosphere, complete with hot pink, lime green,and purple balloons, not to mention the pink swirly-top raspberry-filled cupcakes. It was awesome!
     Click here to see CBS Channel 42's coverage of the event.

Girls got to meet successful women in 
construction, like Lucy Thompson Marsh 
from Thompson Tractor and Caterpillar.

     GranFran had a table in the hands-on room, where she explained informally the historical Rosie the Riveter perspective, and encouraged the girls and moms to look for a WW II Rosie in their family tree and (of course!) join the American Rosie the Riveter Assocation. Over and often, we find how women's construction groups have embraced the Rosie legacy, since Rosies opened the door for women to fill roles in the work force that were traditionally filled by men. And judging by the number of girls and moms --  and men! -- who lined up to have their picture made with GranFran, the new generation is catching the point of Rosie's part in the process.
    The event was organized by Mittie Cannon of Robins & Morton construction and engineering company, Antiqua Cleggett of the Central Six Development Council, and the folks at Girl's Inc. of Central Albama.
     GREAT JOB!!! to all who put together this extraordinary event. Thanks for letting us be a part of it!

Rock On, Birmingham Rosies!

   

      Our Birmingham Chapter of the American Rosie the Riveter Association had a great time (as always!) this past Saturday when we met at the historic Irondale Cafe for our quarterly meeting. The gentleman speaking in this picture is Mark Akerman, Director of Education for Vulcan Park and Museum. If you've ever driven through Birmingham, you have probably seen the colossal Vulcan statue high atop Red Mountain, and Mark knew all the great history and fun tidbits to share with us -- we love all kinds of history!

Some of our Birmingham Rosies

    Our Birmngham Chapter has such a great group of Rosies, Rosebuds (female descendants), and Rivets (male descendants) -- they regularly collect toiletry items for Three Hots and a Cot, a local shelter for homeless veterans, and they are preparing to gather and share with visitors on May 21 when the Southern Museum of Flight hosts the "Fifi," the last B-29 airplane still flying, and several other vintage aircraft from the Air Power History Tour.
     And we are gearing up to welcome to the Southeast Rosies from across the country, along with their family members and guests, when the American Rosie the Riveter Association has their national convention in Atlanta, June 10-12, 2016.
     And by the way, you are welcome to join us at any of these gatherings! See convention registration information on the ARRA website here, and join us for our next Birmingham Chapter meeting at Irondale Cafe on June 4, 2016!
     Rock on, Rosies!
   

Wrapping up the 70th Anniversary of the end of World War II

Victor Jorgensen's
"Kissing the War Goodbye"
(public domain)

     When it was announced in August, 1945 that Japan had surrendered and WW II was over, unbelievable jubilation broke out! Though the official signing of the surrender would not happen until September 2, 1945, most who were living during that time remember August 14-15 as the time of celebration --click here to see a Newsreel video about it.

Isn't this a great picture? My mother and my daughter,
Sarah, both with the Rosie spirit! Sarah had just won the
Southern Museum of Flight's "Why Are You
a Modern-Day Rosie?" Facebook contest.

It has been 70 years since the end of the war. The fall edition of the American Rosie the Riveter Association's newsletter, Rosie's Mail Call, tells of the varied ways that families, ARRA Chapters, communities, and historic places around the country celebrated -- see that issue here. We owe a debt of gratitude to the veterans and Rosies who kept our country intact and--well, still our country--during that time.



And here's a pictorial recap of how some of us commemorated the anniversary through the summer, into the fall, and on through Veterans Day, in and around Birmingham:

ARRA's National Project for the 70th Anniversary was "Rosies Rally 'Round the Troops!" -- a campaign to
write letters to currently deployed troops. Thousands of letters from 21 states came through our box and
we sent them on to Operation Gratitude to send to Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen overseas. And it's not too late -- if you'd like to participate, send cards or letters simply expressing your thanks to:
Rosies Rally 'Round the Troops,  P. O. Box #1, Fultondale, AL  35068.

Even 18-month-old granddaughters can get in on the letter-writing fun--
I told the Soldiers she drew fireworks for them!

In August, we set up a letter-writing table at an Honor Flight reunion.

Of course, GranFran didn't wait for people to come to us -- she went table to table recruiting people
to write letters on the spot! And how nice that they were glad to oblige.

Here's GranFran with Bessie Coleman
(aka Nikki Johnson of the Bessemer Airport Authority)
at the Southern Museum of Flight's Bombers and Bombshells Ball.

We also had a letter-writing table at the Bombers and Bombshells Ball. . . 

. . . as well as a letter-writing event at the Gardendale Public Library. With us are Mabel Myrick, a Rosie who helped host the event, Lisa who is the Adult Services Librarian, and my sweet husband, Jim.

We attended the Spirit of '45's commemorative program at the Alabama National Cemetery in Montevallo, AL,
along with our friend, Ralph Jones, who is a WW II veteran and an ARRA Rivet.

All of these ladies are real-live Rosies in our Birmingham ARRA Chapter,
celebrating the 70th Anniversary at our quarterly meeting. We meet at the historic Irondale Cafe,
which inspired Fannie Flagg's Fried Green Tomatoes  -- how fun is that!!

GranFran appeared on "Talk of Alabama" on Birmingham's ABC affiliate,
Channel 33/40, with host Nicole Allshouse.

We welcomed the MVPA (Military Vehicle Preservation Association) to Tannehill State Park near Birmingham, as their
  historic 29-day convoy from Washington, D. C. to San Diego made a stop. The convoy traced the original
1920 Transcontinental Motor Convoy route along the Bankhead Highway.

We visited with some of the participants, like these ladies from California . . .

. . . and reconnected with old friends Bonnie and Auston McNeill of the Spirit of 45 Day Express,
and Robert Corpus from the Spirit of '45 organization.

In November, the Columbus, GA/Phenix City, AL Chapter of the American Rosie the Riveter Association
held a "Rosie Social" at Fort Benning, GA to honor veterans and Rosies. 
Chapter President Jonnie Clasen organized a spectacular event 
with more than 250 in attendance.

More letters!! Thanks to Snow Rogers Elementary students (Tiffany Reno, Librarian),
who wrote letters to deployed troops for our Rosies Rally 'Round the Troops project!

. . . and students at Irondale Community School (Kathryn Bailey, Librarian), who also wrote letters . . .

. . . and students at Gardendale Elementary (Elizabeth Lochamy, Librarian),  who ALSO wrote letters!
These three schools sent hundreds of letters to the troops.
Way to go, students!

GranFran marched into the annual National Veterans Day Awards Banquet 
in Birmingham, to sit at the head table. I enjoyed sitting with a delegation from 
the Blue Star Salute Foundation. What a great time we had, honoring our nation's veterans!

On November 11, Rosies, Rosebuds, and Rivets waved flags and honored veterans and Rosies as our Birmingham Chapter of the American Rosie the Riveter Association participated in the Birmingham Veterans Day Parade.(It's the oldest and largest Veterans Day parade in the country, by the way!) 

The parade is always so much fun -- it was a beautiful day, and the Birmingham crowd is SO supportive! Our family had four generations representing Rosie in this vehicle.

We had a wonderful time on November 23 at the Homewood Public Library,
sharing the Rosie legacy with kids and adults. (Photo by Homewood Library)

Many thanks to Homewood Children's Librarian, Laura Tucker, for planning such a
fabulous event and inviting us to come along! (Photo by Homewood Library)

There is so much to celebrate in our great country! We owe such a debt of gratitude to all the veterans and those on the home front who brought WW II to a successful end 70 years ago. 

May we all know peace again soon.

Rosies Going Strong at 2015 Convention in Richmond, California!

      All of the lovely ladies that you see here are real live Rosie the Riveters! They are women who went to work during World War II - building airplanes, ships, and lots of other jobs that were needed to win the war. They live all across the U. S., from Maryland to Pennsylvania to Alabama to Texas to Iowa to Oregon to Kansas to Arizona to California, but they all traveled to Richmond, California last weekend for the 2015 convention of the American Rosie the Riveter Association - and what a convention it was! GranFran and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Click here to meet some of these amazing women via the local KTVU  evening news spot during the convention.

One of many WW II scenes in
the Park's fabulous Visitor Center

     Why Richmond? Because during the war, thousands of men and women were working in four Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond, building ships for the war effort. Today, Richmond is the home of the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park, and it was our privilege to tour the Park's wonderful Visitor Center and other historical sites throughout the city. The above picture of the Rosies was taken at the Craneway Pavilion, part of the old Ford Assembly Plant that stopped making civilian cars during the war and made tanks, armored personnel carriers, and other military vehicles instead. The historical building is now a venue for weddings, roller derbies, and lots of other events.

Rosies who volunteer as docents
at the Visitor Center, sharing about
their trip to meet with Vice President
Biden in May 2014.

     We met several of the spunky Rosies who volunteer as docents at the Park's Visitor Center each Friday. In May, 2015, they traveled to Washington, D. C. at the invitation of Vice President Biden. Watch this CUTE video of Lara Spencer's (Good Morning, America) coverage of their trip.

 ARRA National President Yvonne Fasold
with Rosie Elinor Otto, age 95 -- who
JUST RETIRED from the job as a riveter
that she started in 1942!

We also met Elinor Otto, age 95, who started working as a riveter in 1942 and JUST RETIRED from riveting at Boeing this year--at age 95! And I don't think she was too happy about retiring when she did - what a dynamo! Here is an NBC video of Elinor on the job when she was a mere 93.
    All of these women are an inspiration - it is not only
  fun to hear their stories, it is also amazing to realize what they accomplished, and what a legacy they have left for us. Thanks, Rosies!

The Rosies also brought their daughters and granddaughters (Rosebuds),
sons and husbands (Rivets), and guests to the Convention.