Rosie the Riveter, a variation on the UniRoyal Gal model of fiberglass giants, arrived in Tulsa on Thursday and was erected along Route 66 in the Meadow Gold District.
Local entrepreneur Mary Beth Babcock, who shepherded the creation of Rosie and other Muffler Men in the area, was there with her camera:
Local photographer Mike Simons was there, too:
Rosie is just west of the iconic Ike’s Chili restaurant on 11th Street (aka Route 66).
Rosie the Riveter has real-life Tulsa ties: Marina Metevelis was a well-known “Rosie” who built B-17 and B-25 bombers at the McDonnell Douglas plant in Tulsa during World War II.
Another Tulsa woman, Naomi Parker Fraley, served as the inspiration for the “Rosie the Riveter” image. Delora Simpkins Mealor and Inez Vitato Fuchs were other local women recognized for working in aircraft maintenance and aircraft parts during the war.
Rosie is the fifth fiberglass giant in the Meadow Gold District — Buck Atom, Stella Atom, Meadow Gold Mack and Cowboy Bob.
As for UniRoyal Gals, they were made in the 1960s by International Fiberglass in Venice, California — the same company that created Muffler Men.
—