[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 157 (Friday, September 11, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E834]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING THE LIFE OF GUSTAVA WILSON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JARED HUFFMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 11, 2020

  Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in memory of Gustava Wilson, 
a ``Rosie the Riveter'' who passed away on August 29, 2020 at the age 
of 97 after a lifetime of exemplary service to the United States of 
America and her community in Marin City.
  Gustava Wilson was born in Scotlandville parish, Baton Rouge, 
Louisiana on March 14, 1923, to McKinley and Olivia Hill. The second of 
nine children, she attended school until the ninth grade, at which 
point she took care of her younger siblings and began working at the 
Istrouma Laundry. Gustava traveled to California in 1942 at the age of 
17 as part of the Second Great Migration, following her brother Isaac 
Hill and cousin Robert Valentine in search of better opportunities 
working in the shipyards during World War II. A determined and curious 
woman, she went to California to see for herself if rumors that the 
streets were paved with silver and gold were true.
  During the war, Gustava joined the roughly 44,000 civilian workers at 
Mare Island Naval Hospital in Vallejo, California, where she worked as 
a nurse and cook. The hospital and its staff achieved national and 
international acclaim during WWII for their orthopedic department, 
better known as the ``amputee shop'' or ``brace shop.'' The development 
and manufacture of plastic limbs and therapy that followed served tens 
of thousands of disabled military personnel. It is from her dedicated 
service in this role that Mrs. Wilson earned her place in history as a 
``Rosie the Riveter.''
  After the war Gustava returned to Louisiana, where she met and 
married Joe Wilson. Two years later, they settled and proceeded to 
raise a family in Marin City, California. They lived in the same home 
for 60 years and became embedded in the community. Gustava's community 
service included membership in the Mother's Guild, Senior Sunshine 
Club, and the Performing Stars' Guiding Stars Grandparents Group. She 
was affectionately known as ``Granny'' in the community.
  Gustava received many distinguished awards and accolades over the 
years, including YMCA Woman of the Year, Marin Women's Hall of Fame, 
and she was honored during Rotary Club of Sausalito's Marinship 75th 
Anniversary during the Marin City Veterans Day Ceremonies. In 2017, the 
Native Sons of the Golden West honored Gustava as a great woman of this 
state for her dedication and service that was instrumental in our 
country's victory and the Allied victory in World War II.
  Gustava was a dedicated mother who deeply treasured every moment with 
her family, especially her grandchildren. Vivacious and 
straightforward, she was a strong, determined, and fiercely independent 
woman.
  Gustava is survived by her brother, Wilbert Hill and his wife Inez, 
sister-in-law Mary Hill, two children Mona and Lena, stepchildren Allen 
Dell, David, Charles, Nellie Pearl, Josephine & Hollis; goddaughter, 
Edwina Figueras, godson, Reginald Tisdale; six grandchildren, Kameelah 
McNeely and husband Derek, Darrena, Robert, Jr., Nellie, Lamar Jr., 
David; five great grandchildren, Derek, Jr., Dawaiian, Yazmin, Kylea, 
Amya, and numerous nieces, nephews, and extended family.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in extending my appreciation for 
Gustava Wilson's many years of service and dedication to this country 
and her community, and in expressing my deepest condolences to her 
family and friends. She will be forever remembered as a shining example 
of American exceptionalism, and a true Rosie the Riveter.