IMAGES: Celebrating Rosies That Changed America in World War II

Thursday, May 23, 2013 - 01:41 Story and Photos by Tony Rutherford

What happened after able bodied men signed up or were drafted into World War II?  To fill manufacturing jobs involving airplane and railroad car construction, the women left behind filled in for the "guys," helping win the war and opening the workplace doors for women that followed their leads.

 “Where would I be (without their legacy), asked Tijiah Bumgarner, producer of the documentary , “Rosie the Riveter Then and Now: We Pull Together.”  “Maybe I would not be standing here holding this camera,” she mused. “

On May 22, Huntington became a Model Rosie the Riveter Community with a celebration at the Pullman Plaza Hotel that included the unveiling of the first of three Blenco art pieces designed by students and now in a permanent display at the Hotel in Downtown Huntington.