Happy 103rd birthday, Elinor Otto!
Happy birthday to the “Last Serving Rosie the Riveter” – Elinor Otto!
Today the inspiration behind the R. Riveter Otto bag turns an impressive and awe-inspiring 103 years old.
Join us in celebrating an American icon on a truly iconic birthday!
A real-life Rosie the Riveter
One of the original Rosie the Riveters of World War II, Elinor was one of the nearly six million women who went to work to keep the country moving forward as men were pulled away from their jobs to serve their country.
She began working at Rohr Aircraft Corporation in Chula Vista, California a few weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor and worked there until the end of the war when all of the women were let go from their positions. After trying several other jobs, Elinor returned to factory work at another aeronautical company in 1951.
Known as the “Last Serving Rosie the Riveter,” Elinor continued to work until the age of 95 when she was laid off when the Boeing plant she worked at shut down operations in 2014. She worked on every single C-17 plane manufactured and handled by that plant.
After a lifetime of helping build thousands of World War II fighter planes and other modern airplanes in Southern California, Elinor now lives the retired life in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Otto bag at R. Riveter
We named our signature Otto bag after Elinor to honor her hard work and dedication to her country. One of our most popular handbags, the Otto features an adjustable crossbody strap and functional handles, creating a bag ready for work or play. Shop all the colors and prints today!
Each R. Riveter handbag is named after a woman in history who has made an impact on our country. The Otto is a special handbag that not only pays homage to an incredible woman but also empowers military spouses today. More than five military spouses across the country take part in crafting each Otto handbag, from construction to quality control, shipping, and sales.
The R. Riveter mission
We founded R. Riveter to support military families by providing stable, long-term employment to military spouses across the nation. We employ our own “Riveters” to help build each accessory that you purchase from our shop. Each R. Riveter bag, pouch, and purse journeys across the fifty states before arriving on your doorstep. Military spouses across the nation craft individual components and ship them to our Fabshop where our in-house team then assembles each piece into a one-of-a-kind product crafted with love, honor, and pride in our country.
Like Elinor, our network of Riveters is resilient, committed, adaptable, and hard-working, and we couldn’t do what we do without them.
Please join us in celebrating the wonderful Elinor Otto on her 103rd birthday! Happy birthday Elinor!
