FAIRFAX — A 97-year-old woman in Marin County is not giving up on her attempts to get Congress to establish a permanent day honoring Rosie the Riveter and women who entered the workforce during World War Two.
Phyllis McKee Gould of Fairfax was instrumental in getting the first Rosie the Riveter Day declared on March 21, 2017. The tradition has been kept alive the past two years, but the Senate must pass a resolution each year to proclaim the observance.
The recent recognition is much appreciated, according to Gould, who worked as a welder in the Richmond shipyards during the war. But, if it were up to her, there would be a dedicated spot on the calendar recognizing all of the Rosies for their contributions on the home front.
"I want it to be something permanent, because it's really sad that all these women that worked. And they did every job that was vacated by a guy going into the service," said Gould.
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She's been writing letters on yellow legal pads to Congress and other officials for years. She's had triumphs, of course, such as the first Rosie the Riveter day in 2017. There's a photo of Gould with then-President Obama and Joe Biden, the former vice president from the celebration.
Yet many officials have often discouraged her quest, telling her "it's too hard to get it done," Gould said.
But she keeps writing letters. "Stacks of them," she said. "I want to be able to say on my marker 'Mission accomplished.'"