“Rosie the Riveter” statue unveiled at Michigan WWII Legacy Memorial

Frances Mauro Masters watched as a Rosie the Riveter statue was unveiled on Tuesday in Royal Oak, Michigan. The 103-year-old was the inspiration for the newest addition at the Michigan WW2 Legacy Memorial.

The city of Royal Oak shared a video of the unveiling, with Masters standing beside it. According to the city, Masters worked at the Willow Run bomber plant in Ypsilanti during World War II.

The statue was created by sculptor Oleg Kedria, who also created a statue that was installed at the memorial in 2023. That statue depicted a soldier reading a letter.

John Marten, board president of the WW2 Legacy Memorial, said the Rosie the Riveter statue is part of an expansion of the memorial that included an expanded Walk of Honor, which includes bricks with the names of people who had a role in World War II.

“Rosie represents the significant contribution of home front women to the Arsenal of Democracy, who kept production lines rolling. We are especially honored that 103-year-old Frances Mauro Masters, a riveter from the Ford Willow Run WWII bomber plant in Ypsilanti, is the inspiration for the face of the statue,” Maten in September.