Foil: 5 Panel: 4 Column: 1 Line: 24

Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Mr. Edward Velasquez

After graduating from Santa Ana High School in 1941, and with her brothers and cousins (whom she raised after grandma died) off to battle in both the Pacific and European theaters of operations during WWII, Amelia applied for a position at the Douglas Aircraft factory in Long Beach California.
Amelia is not one to sit around waiting for things to happen. There was a war on and she was going to be part of it.
As luck would have it, she was turned away because she did not meet the minimum weight requirement. Amelia is a woman of small stature but of enormous determination. She ate bananas for a couple weeks, and with a few well placed fishing weights in her cuffs, she returned for another go at the defense industry job and was accepted.
My mother Amelia, was trained as a structural mechanic, AKA Rosie the Riveter. Her small size was ideal for working in the confined area of the ball turret in the bellie of the famous Boeing B-17. Douglas Aircraft built B-17s under license to Boeing. My mom worked for Douglas until the end of the war when most all the women were laid off to make positions for the returning GIs.
It was ironic that some fifty five years later I worked for Boeing at the Douglas Aircraft factory building the Boeing 717 airliners.
Today Amelia lives in Santa Ana with my dad Alex. She is still the family matriarch promoting aviation, education, and sports to a forth generation of our family. She loves to take weekend trips with friends she has maintained since WWII, always by air. Her favorite aircraft? Boeing of course.
She still gets weepy eyed when ever she sees one of the CFA B-17s on regional tours. The memories of the kids that flew and died in those tough old aircraft are still very real for this true American patriot.
I love you mom,