PR Newswire
Mar. 21
San Francisco's Hometown Airline to Throw Red Carpet Fete at SFO for Five Original 'Rosie the Riveters' Who Served at Local Kaiser Shipyard During WWII
What: San Francisco's hometown airline, Virgin America, will host a special red carpet send-off at the departure gate at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) for five original "Rosie the Riveters" from the Bay Area as they begin their journey to the White House to meet Vice President Joe Biden. Virgin America is sending the "Rosies" off in high-style and has donated seats in the airline's Main Cabin Select premium cabin service for their trip. "Rosie" Phyllis Gould received a special invitation to the White House from the Vice President on Veteran's Day in a phone call thanking her for her service to the country. The Rosie the Riveter icon represents the American women who worked in factories that produced war supplies during World War II, replacing male workers who were called into service in the military. The Bay Area "Rosies" worked as electricians, journeyman welders, draftsmen and pipe welders at the local Kaiser Shipyard in Richmond, California during World War II, helping to build Liberty and Victory cargo ships. Several of the women still work as docents at the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park.
The five "Rosies" will be feted at SFO with a red carpet reception and sendoff by Virgin America teammates and Chief Marketing Officer, Luanne Calvert, who will pay tribute to these pioneering women who paved the way for generations of women workers. The "Rosies" will board VX Flight 1 from SFO to DCA that will be piloted by Virgin America Captain Kim Gabrelcik and First Officer Denise Beringer. Virgin America is flying the "Rosies" in its premium Main Cabin Select service that offers guests 38" of seat pitch, unlimited complimentary cocktails and snacks from the airline's award-winning menu, an all-access pass to in-flight media content, priority security access/boarding, dedicated overhead bin space and one free checked bag. Donations can be made to The Rosie the Riveter Trust's 'Rosie's Fund' which is dedicated to telling the stories of all the Rosies who broke barriers for women and others on the US Home Front at www.rosietheriveter.org.
The Bay Area "Rosies" making the journey to the White House are: | |
• Priscilla Elder (93 years old) – Electrician 1943-1945 | |
• Phyllis Gould (92 years old) – Journeyman Welder 1942-1945 | |
• Kay Morrison (90 years old) – Journeyman Welder 1943-1945 | |
• Marian Sousa (88 years old) – Draftsman 1943-1944 | |
• Marian Wynn (87 years old) – Pipe Welder 1944-1945 | |
Visuals: |
• The Bay Area "Rosie the Riveters" being greeted at the SFO departure gate by Virgin America Captain Kim Gabrelcik and First Officer Denise Beringer, as well as Virgin America CMO Luanne Calvert • Virgin America airport and in-flight teammates providing VIP service and red carpet reception to the Rosies as they prepare to embark on their journey to the White House • Virgin America Captain Kim Gabrelcik giving the "Rosies" a tour of the cockpit |
Who: |
Delegation of 5 Bay Area "Rosie the Riveters" Kim Gabrelcik, Captain at Virgin America Denise Beringer, First Officer at Virgin America |
Where: |
San Francisco International Airport Terminal 2 (Media must RSVP to attend and bring photo ID) |
When: |
Saturday, March 29th at 7am (Media should arrive by 6:30am to allow for time to get through security) |
Media RSVP: |
Patricia Condon /650-906-8147/patricia.condon@virginamerica.com |
Virgin America is joined by Kaiser Permanente who is proud to be among the donors who have come together to make this trip a reality for these remarkable women. The idea that became Kaiser Permanente was born in the very shipyards in Richmond where the Rosies worked during World War II. Over the past 70 years, those job-site clinics that served shipyard workers and their families have evolved into one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans, serving approximately 9 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia.
About Virgin America: Headquartered in California, Virgin America, which celebrated its sixth year of operations in August, offers guests attractive fares and a host of innovative features aimed at reinventing air travel and has swept the industry awards. Most recently, Virgin America was named "Best Domestic Airline" in Travel + Leisure's 2013 'World's Best' Awards,' an award the carrier has won every year since 2008. In May, Virgin America was voted "Best Airline" by Consumer Reports Magazine. In April, Virgin America topped the 2012 Airline Quality Rating, a joint research project conducted annually by faculty at Wichita State University and Purdue University that analyzes airline data as reported by the DOT. Virgin America was named "Best Domestic Airline" in the Condé Nast Traveler 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 'Readers' Choice' Awards. The airline's base of operations is San Francisco International Airport (SFO)'s sleek and sustainable Terminal 2. Virgin America offers Gogo™ WiFi on every flight and hosts the largest in-flight entertainment library in the North American skies via the touch-screen Red™ platform, and provides power outlets near every seat. Since its launch in 2007, Virgin America has created 2,600 new jobs and now flies to San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Newark, Washington D.C. (IAD and DCA), Las Vegas, San Diego, Seattle, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Cabos, Cancun, Chicago, Puerto Vallarta, Palm Springs (seasonal), Philadelphia, Portland, San Jose and Austin. For more information: www.virginamerica.com
/PRNewswire/ -- March 21, 2014/
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SOURCE Virgin America