I was born in 1950, just a few short years after the end of World War II, and part of the Baby Boomer generation. My father fought in Europe during the Second World War and my mother worked building airplanes for the military in the repurposed National Cash Register plant in Dayton, Ohio. (Anyone remember the Rosie the Riveter posters?) My mother worked full time while raising my older brother who had been born in 1939. During the war, Americans were subjected to rationing and were issued coupon books to purchase everyday items like toilet paper and food. Americans recycled for the war effort (too bad we’re not encouraged to do the same to SAVE THE PLANET!).
As a young girl, there weren’t many female role models for me. Women and their accomplishments were pretty much absent from the history we were taught in school. I didn’t learn about women’s struggle for the right to vote until I went to college, and that was thanks to the rebirth of the Feminist Movement. In celebration of Women’s History Month (wow we get a WHOLE month, instead of every day of every year), I want to share the story of the WASPs, which received coverage on NPR recently. On Wednesday, the Federal government finally recognized (acknowledged?) the contribution of these women during World War II. The few WASPs who are still alive received the Congressional Gold Medal on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Follow these links to find out more about them and to view some very rare color photographs taken by Lillian Yonally while serving as a WASP: http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2010/03/a_contraband_camera_photos_of.html and
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123773525&ps=cprs
It’s been a great year for women already. It only took 65 years for these trailblazing women to be honored and recognized for their service to America and only 82 years for a woman to receive the Best Director Academy Award. Maybe within the next 100 years ALL of the accomplishments of women will gain recognition as well. In the meantime, celebrate women because we can, in fact, DO ANYTHING! When in doubt remember this great quote: “Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, except she did it backwards and in high heels.”
Nice tribute to women, Connie. Women are backseated, and their accomplishments. You go to volunteer efforts of almost any kind and its women there, doing it, making the world better.
ReplyDeleteI've oft said to peace demonstrators: War is male hormonal activity. We'll only have peace when everyone is neutered.
Great tribute to women, Connie, thank you. I have to say that the only reason I've been able to accomplish what I have with CCI is (aside from the great volunteers, vets, etc.) because my husband is very supportive and in my corner all the way. So, it has been said that behind every successful man is a woman, well, that can be said for many women.
ReplyDeleteOne woman I'd like to share the blog to brag about is my own mother, who at 52, started her own catering business in Palm Beach, FL. She ran it until she was 68. She catered to the creme de la creme of PB, and she never knew the word can't. She's 85 now and still fairly sharp, a little frail now, but she can carry on a conversation and I just love her so much. She, too, gave me the encouragement to do and be whatever I wanted.
I was a latch key kid way before the term was coined. I was raised by what was essentiatly a single mom in the 40's and 50's. There were a few step dads tossed in along the way. Back then it was not socially correct to be a single mom and I think the step dads were my mom's attempts to stave off the harsh labels of the time.
ReplyDeleteYet, she encouraged me to go to school, get a good education of typing and shorthand, get a job as a secretary, and marry the boss, have the white picket fence, etc.
Instead I snuck my geometry, algebra, biology, French, and other college prep class books into my house under my shorthand book. Went to college, worked the corporate environ, never married the boss and I don't have a white picket fence or 2.2 kids.
I do have 30 acres, a cat house, a house full of animals, days and weeks of TNR, and building an awareness of the value of animals in a backwoods Florida town.
But I can type 60wpm!!