“Rosie the Riveter” namesake Rosalind P. Walter, who was one of millions of women to assume the traditionally-male job of driving rivets into fighter planes during World War II, has died. She was 95.
Though Walter became the archetypal image for the brigade of women that kept factories going throughout the war, her job as a riveter was only the beginning of her lifetime of contributions. According to the New York Times, she went on to become a philanthropist and major donor to organizations like PBS, and was the largest individual supporter of New York’s WNET:
Ms. Walter had been drawn to public television in part to compensate for lost opportunities during the war, said Allison Fox, WNET’s senior director for major gifts. In serving her country, Ms. Walter had sacrificed a chance to attend either Smith or Vassar College, Ms. Fox said, and found that public television documentaries and other programs helped fill in the gaps in her education.
“She cared deeply about the public being informed and felt that public television and media is the best way to accomplish this,” Ms. Fox said.
