[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 105 (Monday, June 8, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E521]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





     IN RECOGNITION OF THE 108TH BIRTHDAY OF LUCILLE DOROTHY GREWE

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                          HON. DEBBIE DINGELL

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, June 8, 2020

  Mrs. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to offer my heartfelt 
congratulations to Lucille Grewe as she celebrates her 108th birthday 
on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2020. This significant milestone is worthy of 
commendation.
  Lucille Grewe was born in 1912 and grew up in the small town of 
Buckner, Illinois. As the third of five children born to Ernst and 
Bertha Grewe, Lucille fondly remembers playing outside with her family 
and walking with her siblings to deliver coffee and a lunch bucket to 
her father during his lunch break at the mines.
  Throughout her life, Lucille has experienced a tremendous amount of 
change. She grew up in simpler times without telephones, few 
automobiles, and limited women's rights, and she has been a witness to 
some of America's most defining and challenging moments. At the young 
age of three, Lucille remembers watching her cousin from her back porch 
as he walked off to serve in World War I. Several years later, she 
lived through the ratification of the 19th Amendment, granting women 
the right to vote. By the 1930s, Lucille worked alongside her mother 
and siblings on a family farm, raising livestock and harvesting crops, 
to help her family endure the difficulties of the Great Depression.
  When Lucille was in her 20s, she followed her older sister Alma to 
Detroit, Michigan. She found a job at Briggs Automotive working on car 
bodies at the Mack Avenue Plant, where she earned 40 cents an hour. 
After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Lucille stepped up to 
America's call. She was transferred to Brigg's Connor Avenue Plant to 
work as a riveter on Boeing B-17 wings for the duration of World War II 
until 1946. As a Rosie the Riveter, Lucille's hard work, grit, and 
patriotism not only sustained the American war effort, but paved a path 
for generations of working women to follow. After the war, Lucille 
returned to the Mack Avenue Plant to work on car bodies once more. She 
remained with the company through its transition to Chrysler, and 
finally retired in 1971 at the age of 59.
  Since retirement, Lucille has taken up a number of hobbies including 
swimming, bowling, and traveling. Today, she enjoys playing cards, 
specifically pinochle, and spending time with her friends. Lucille is 
known for her great attitude, sense of humor, and enthusiasm. She has 
been both an inspiration and a mentor to many, and she continues to 
live a fruitful life.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating Lucille 
Dorothy Grewe on her 108th birthday. I join with Lucille's family and 
friends in extending my best and warmest wishes to her on this special 
day. I am proud to honor her life, her accomplishments, and her 
invaluable contributions to our nation.

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