Morgantown, WV - Two local “Rosie the Riveters”, Jean Malone and Pauline Everts, will be sharing their stories with local Girl Scouts and the public in Morgantown, WV on Labor Day.
“Rosie the Riveters,” most of them now in their 90's, were civilian women working on the home front during World War II doing jobs then considered “men’s work.”
The public is invited to bring their own bells to ring at this local event, which is part of a national bell-ringing ceremony. The Morgantown ceremony will begin at 12:30 p.m. inside the Wesley United Methodist Church, 503 North High Street, Morgantown, West Virginia. Bells will ring at 1:00 sharp in Morgantown, in 50 locations across the U.S., including four other cities in West Virginia, and some locations in Europe.
Jean Malone learned to be a welder at the Dravo Corporation in Pittsburgh. She welded the panels on LST ships that were used to land troops in Normandy and elsewhere in Europe.
“Atomic Welder” was Pauline Everts’ job description. She welded airplane wings and propellers. Because of the secret nature of the ultimate assignment, she was told not to speak about her work.
Delegate Barbara Evans Fleischauer helped organize the Morgantown event with local Girl Scouts. “Most of these wonderful ladies are in their 90's,” she said. “Before it is too late, we want these young women and all Americans to hear and learn from these role models who helped win the war.”
Morgantown “Rosie” Anna Hess will be participating in the bell ringing ceremony at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. She will be joined by Anne Montague, Executive Director of Thanks Plain and Simple, the group coordinating the event. The purpose of the bell ringing ceremony is to give full credit to Rosie the Riveters for their great contributions to the unity needed to win and shorten World War II.
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