DOINews: NPS: National Park Service Director Jarvis Meets With Rosies

The Rosies meet with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (center), National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis (third from right) and other congressional and NPS staff. Photo by NPS.

NPS Director Jon Jarvis on Thursday met with five California women who worked in the Kaiser Richmond shipyards during World War II and have volunteered at the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park visitor center in Richmond.

“It was quite a thrill to meet the Rosies,” Jarvis said. “It's amazing to think about the contribution these women made to our national defense during World War II. They took on new roles and made it possible for the men to go to war. Not only that, the arms they produced help win the war.”

Jarvis said the stories of the Rosies are integral to the larger story of America that the National Park Service preserves and shares with the rest of the world. “That these women also serve as volunteers at the national park site that honors them provides a richer visitor experience for those of us fortunate to make our way to the park in Richmond.”

The Rosies are Phyllis Gould, 92, of Fairfax, California, and her sister Marian Sousa, 87, of El Sobrante; Marian Wynn, 87, of Fairfield; Kay Morrison, 90, of Fairfield; and Priscilla Elder, 93, of Pinole.

Director Jarvis, along with Deputy Director Christy Goldfuss and Assistant Director of Legislative and Congressional Affairs Don Hellmann, met the women at a reception hosted by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. They came to Washington, D.C., at the invitation of Vice President Joe Biden. They met with Biden, and, during that meeting, were surprised when President Barack Obama joined the group.

Gould said she's been writing to presidents about the Rosie the Riveter story since President Clinton was in office. Asked why she has been so persistent, Gould said they don't want history to forget the efforts of 20 million women who entered the work force for the first time, when men were sent overseas during World War II.

The weeklong trip and White House and Capitol Hill visits caught the attention of the national media and the women have done multiple interviews and posed for dozens of photos. Funds for the trip were raised through the Rosie the Riveter Trust.

More Information

By: Jeffrey Olson, public information officer, NPS
April 7, 2014

This story appears in the April 4, 2014, edition of InsideNPS.