The Coronado Historical Association (CHA), representatives from the Spirit of ’45 organization, Coronado Girl Scouts, women veterans and invited guests enjoyed a ceremonial unveiling of Coronado’s very own Rosie the Riveter Rose Garden, April 22, in front of the John D. Spreckels Center.
Robin MacCartee, Executive Director of the Coronado Historical Association, kicked off the event saying, “So honored to be able to dedicate this garden to the City of Coronado… we are recognizing a moment in our history when women needed to step up for our country and did so without hesitation, and now as the father of four girls it’s incredible for me to see this, carrying this legacy forward and connecting with the new generation.”
“We are finally recognizing the women working in industry that supported the war efforts in World War II. Showcase our women today who are working in this capacity, in STEM, and encouraging our young women to think about being machinists or engineers,” Said Katy Bell Hendrickson, Board of Directors of CHA.
The dedication was made official with a ribbon cutting.
Linda Laurie of the Spirit of ’45 organization also shared a few words on why these memorial gardens are being dedicated around the country. She shared, “Approximately 16 million Americans who served in uniform are listed on a registry and have memorials in their honor. The “Rosies,” approximately 6 million women who served on the home front to support the WWII efforts, do not have a registry or a memorial honoring their service. They built the airplanes, the ships, vehicles and produced all that was needed to support the men and women on the battlefront as well as support the needs on the home-front. With the Rosie the Riveter National Memorial Gardens, we will have memorials in cities throughout the United States where these women can be remembered and honored, inspiring young girls to become 21st Century Rosies.” For more information on this initiative visit Rosie the Riveter Memorial Rose Gardens at the Spirit of ’45 website.
Two women veterans, one Marine and one Army, and a female active duty Navy petty officer joined the group, representing current day Rosie the Riveters and encouraging the young girls to follow their dreams and pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Navy Petty Officer Second Class Mackenzie Showalter shared that when she was growing up the Rosie the Riveter posters inspired her to join the Navy and pursue a career fixing machines. The young Girl Scouts and mini Rosies present looked at the veterans with respect and admiration as they all paid tribute to the original Rosie the Riveter.
