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Rosie the Riveter statue to be unveiled at Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial

The Eagle - 12/2/2017

A statue depicting the symbolic figure of women who stayed behind and kept the nation anchored during World War II will be unveiled Thursday at the Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial in College Station.

On Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, hundreds are expected to gather at Veterans Park to honor and celebrate Rosie the Riveter, whose statue will take its place in the World War II portion of the memorial. Rosie the Riveter is an artistic depiction of the 20 million American women who took on what were traditionally men's jobs during World War II.

Steve Beachy, board member with the Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial, said since developing the idea for a World War II segment of the memorial, a Rosie the Riveter statue has been planned. The board wanted the WWII section to be divided into three parts each with its own statue -- to represent the Pacific Theater, the European Theater and the homefront. The first two statues were erected in 2011 and 2013, and this year, Rosie will complete the set.

As previously reported by The Eagle, for more than a year three local chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution have been diligently working to raise the money needed to build the statue. More than $35,000 has been collected, and Navasota-based artist Jay Payne Lara was commissioned to create a life-sized version of Rosie. Lara has created most of the structures seen along the trails at the memorial, and over the summer he began forming the latest addition. The bronze Rosie statue was completed in November, and will be picked up and transported to College Station on Monday, just days before the dedication. Beachy noted park guests will be able to see the statue a couple of days before it is officially dedicated, as it will remain uncovered.

Thursday's ceremony will entail more than simply unveiling the statue, Beachy said. Two or three real-life versions of Rosie the Riveter -- women who worked men's jobs during the war -- will be in attendance and will be recognized, as will several living male World War II veterans.

"A lot of the ladies attending will be dressed up as Rosie the Riveter, too," Beachy said. "They'll have bandanas in their hair, and I assume they will wear coveralls."

Live musicians will be on scene playing music from the time period, including women singing Andrews Sisters songs such as Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. DAR leader Lynn Young of Rockdale will lead as honorary speaker for the dedication. Young has been a force in various historical preservation groups over the years, and is one of a handful of non-federal members of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, which will help plan for the nation's 250th anniversary in 2026.

The dedication will be at noon Thursday at Veterans Park. The event is free for the public to attend. Beachy suggested that visitors arrive early to enjoy more music from the 1940s.

For more information, visit www.bvvm.org/events/rosie/.