We honored the Rosies for 4 days, and we really did a good job of it! The convention’s highlight was the participation of our Rosies in Portland’s Annual Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade on a beautiful float sponsored by The Boeing Company. The Rose Festival Foundation invited the Rosies to a special reception and announced that the ROSIES were the 2023 Grand Marshals of the Parade!
15 World War II Rosies attended, ages 94-101, which is just an incredible turnout of World War II women workers. Family and friends shared the excitement with them. Two Rosies had 5 generations of family present!
On Thursday, the Rosies were feted by the military as part of Portland’s Fleet Week festivities. Ships from U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and Royal Canadian Navy were in town. Our Rosies were honored guests at a private reception where they met military brass and got a standing ovation from all attendees!
At our Friday Open House, the room was packed as convention participants and the community honored our Rosies, gave gifts, and took photos. There must have been four TV channels there. That room was filled with enough electricity to power most of the universe!
On Saturday, our Rosies looked splendid arrayed on their beautiful float and got another standing ovation from other parade participants and attendees inside the Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum as the parade began. The parade route was lined with people cheering and waving and thanking our Rosies for their service. Representatives from The Boeing Company walked in the parade with us
Saturday night we honored the Rosies by introducing each one individually and telling what she did during the war. At our meeting Sunday we shared activities from around our nation, then remembered and were inspired at our Memorial Service. Our Grand Finale was a champagne brunch cruise on the Willamette River aboard the Portland Spirit.
It was an exhilarating weekend! We thank all who came and hope to see a great turnout in TENNESSEE in 2024!
See photos from the 2023 convention in Portland, Oregon here: https://albums.memento.com/Portland2023
PHOTO CREDITS: Left, Rosies in float, angle view, photo credit Amy Frazier; right, Rosies in float front view, photo credit Steve Dipaola/Boeing]