[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 61 (Wednesday, April 10, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E325]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     RECOGNIZING MARGARET SPALLUZZI

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. WILLIAM R. KEATING

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 10, 2024

  Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Margaret 
Spalluzzi and her fellow Rosie the Riveters as they are awarded the 
Rosie the Riveter Congressional Gold Medal.
  Born on November 2, 1921, Margaret was raised in Plymouth, 
Massachusetts. After reading an ad in the newspaper calling for women 
to fill jobs that men left behind while fighting in World War II, 
Margaret dared 10 of her friends to come with her to sign up to be 
welders. After completing their training in Quincy, six of the women 
stayed on as welders at the Hingham Shipyard. One of the original Rosie 
the Riveters, Margaret, joined the war effort welding warships from 
1942 until the war ended in 1945.
  During the war, around 2,500 women worked at the Hingham Shipyard 
where they built hundreds of ships. Security at the shipyard was tight, 
and workers were told not to share any information about what they were 
doing. The working conditions could also be very tough. Working in a 
room with no heat. Margaret had to wear steel toe boots and flannel 
pajamas under her heavy work clothes just to stay warm during the cold 
New England winters. However, Margaret was proud to go into work and 
help her country while her brothers were serving in the military and 
her husband, Antone ``Tony,'' was serving in the Navy as an 
electrician. Her shift at the shipyard was from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm, but 
Margaret often worked overtime and seven days a week. With her first 
paycheck from welding, Margaret bought her mother a radio.
  After the war, when her husband came back to Massachusetts, Margaret 
and Tony raised their daughter, Annette, together in the home that Tony 
built in Kingston. Margaret later went on to work at Plimoth Patuxet 
for 32 years as a costumed interpreter and then a greeter, until she 
retired at 80. In retirement, Margaret enjoys spending time with her 
grandchildren and great-grandchildren and visiting the Kingston Senior 
Center to take classes and meet up with friends.
  On April 10, 2024, Congress will award the Rosie the Riveter 
Congressional Gold Medal, which will then be displayed at the National 
Museum of American History. This medal is to recognize the 
contributions of all the women who served our country during World War 
II as Rosie the Riveters and the inspiration that they provided for 
future generations.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to honor Margaret Spalluzzi, and I ask that 
my colleagues join me in celebrating Margaret and her fellow Rosie the 
Riveters for all the critical work they did to support our country 
during the war.

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