Elinor Otto was one of the original Rosie the Riveters, who continued building airplanes for decades after World War II.
- Died: November 12, 2023 (Who else died on November 12?)
- Details of death: Died at a Las Vegas hospital after suffering a stroke at the age of 104.
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Elinor Otto’s legacy
Otto was a 22-year-old recently divorced mother when the attack on Pearl Harbor changed American life. She needed a job, and the country needed women to do essential work that had traditionally been limited to the men who were now signing up for the military in droves. She learned how to use a rivet gun and became one of the original Rosie the Riveters, working at the Rohr Aircraft Corporation. Otto built airplanes throughout the war, but when it ended in 1945, the airplane work for women also came to an end as men returned from overseas.
Otto tried doing other jobs, including secretarial work and a carhop job, but she was dissatisfied. She found her way back to riveting in 1951 at Ryan Aeronautical, where the skills she developed during the war were still in demand. She continued working to build airplanes, later at McDonnell Douglas/Boeing, for most of her life, most recently building C-17s. In fact, Otto was still working at age 95, when she was laid off as production of the C-17 ceased.
In 2017, the same year of her layoff, Otto had her first chance to ride in a C-17. She said it was thrilling, and she was excited that many of the crew members were women. That same year, she was honored with the Lillian L. Keil Award from the American Veterans Center and named Woman of the Year in her California State Assembly district.
Notable quote
“We never thought about it in those days – this Rosie thing came up much later – but we just knew, like I said, we knew this war had to be won and we had to help because the men were gone. Not until years later did we think we did anything special.” —from a 2014 interview for NBC Los Angeles
Tributes to Elinor Otto
Full obituary: Press-Telegram
