Yankee Air Museum seeks original ‘Rosies’ to interview for Library of Congress

Yankee Air Museum is launching an ambitious project to interview as many original ‘Rosies’ as possible. The interviews will be preserved for all time in the United States Library of Congress.
All women who worked in wartime industries during WWII are eligible, including those in factory work, secretarial work, farming, childcare, military service, USO, Red Cross, and other occupations necessary to win the war.
Interviewees are encouraged to apply by emailing [email protected] or calling the museum at (734) 483-4030.
“This initiative is a part of our campaign to renovate the Willow Run Bomber Plant,” said Julie Osborne, Curatorial Director of Yankee Air Museum. “Without the stories of the women working on the home front, the building is just a structure. Their experiences breathe life into the factory and make it the beating heart of a worldwide legacy. They are the reason we are working so hard to save the Bomber Plant.”
Yankee Air Museum offers several benefits to interviewees. In addition to having their story preserved forever in the Library of Congress, they will receive a free DVD copy of their interview. The museum will also cover the cost of their admission in the American Rosie the Riveter Association, if they choose to enroll. Finally, the name of each interviewee will be inscribed on the Yankee Air Museum’s Original Rosie Honor Roll.
“We have 21 trained oral historians who are excited and ready to start conducting interviews,” said Barb Matthews, the leader of the interview committee. “It is such a privilege to ensure that the legacies of these women survive for future generations, while helping save the Willow Run Bomber Plant as a new home for the stories.”
The interviews are conducted in three stages. The first stage is filling out a simple, two-page biography form so the oral historian conducting the interview can do research and come prepared with good questions. The second stage is a pre-interview meeting between the oral historian and the original Rosie (family members welcome) to establish a rapport. The final stage is the actual interview (family members again welcome). The museum needs first-person interviews and at this time is not able to record second-hand accounts from descendants.
“We hope as many people as possible will reach out to us with Original Rosies to interview,” said Osborne. “Almost everyone in Metro Detroit knows or is related to an Original Rosie. These women and their memories are the threads woven in the fabric of our community.”