Ranger Betty Reid Soskin sits in front of the Rosie the Riveter Visitor Center/NPS, Luther Bailey
Betty Reid Soskin, who had an admirable career and along the way gained fame as the National Park Service’s oldest active ranger, retired Thursday after a decade-and-a-half of sharing her personal experiences and the efforts of women from diverse backgrounds who worked on the World War II Home Front.
Soskin, who celebrated her 100th birthday in September 2021, spent her last day providing an interpretive program to the public and visiting with coworkers at Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park.
“To be a part of helping to mark the place where that dramatic trajectory of my own life, combined with others of my generation, will influence the future by the footprints we've left behind has been incredible,” said Soskin.
In 2011, Betty became a permanent NPS employee and has been leading public programs and sharing her personal remembrances and observations at the park visitor center.
“Betty has made a profound impact on the National Park Service and the way we carry out our mission,” said NPS Director Chuck Sams. “I am grateful for her lifelong dedication to sharing her story and wish her all the best in retirement. Her efforts remind us that we must seek out and give space for all perspectives so that we can tell a more full and inclusive history of our nation. Congratulations, Betty!”
Before joining the NPS, Soskin participated in scoping meetings with the City of Richmond, California, and the National Park Service to develop the general management plan for Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park. She worked with the NPS on a grant funded by PG&E to uncover untold stories of African Americans on the Home Front during WWII, which led to a temporary position working with the NPS at the age of 84.
"Being a primary source in the sharing of that history – my history – and giving shape to a new national park has been exciting and fulfilling,” said Soskin. “It has proven to bring meaning to my final years.”
Soskin’s interpretive programs at Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park have illuminated the histories of African Americans and other people of color, and her efforts demonstrate how her work has impacted the way the NPS conveys such history to audiences across the United States. Learn more about Betty’s story and watch one of her recorded programs.
“The National Park Service is grateful to Ranger Betty for sharing her thoughts and first-person accounts in ways that span across generations,” said Naomi Torres, acting superintendent of Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park. “She has used stories of her life on the Home Front, drawing meaning from those experiences in ways that make that history truly impactful for those of us living today.”
Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park will celebrate Betty’s retirement on Saturday, April 16 in Richmond, California. Details of the event can be found on the park’s website.
Comments
Wow, what a fantastic role model. Makes me examine my own self-imposed limitiations.
Darn, I was planning to visit there this summer and hoped to meet her.
But disappointed though I am, I wish her a long and happy retirement.
And just as I pushed the button to send that message, CBS Evening News started a story about her retirment.
She's a national treasure.
I'm kind of sad that I've never met her, and have only "visited" the site once, even though it's the closest NPS site to home for me.
However, I remember seeing the NPS and this site represented at the Solano Stroll street fair on Solano Ave. in Albany and Berkeley, Califonria. I mentioned that I heard about her recovering from being assaulted in her apartment and where her Presidential coin awarded to her by President Obama was taken (but later replaced). The ranger there at the site said that she was recuperating, but she was tough and would be back.