The Otto Collection

Elinor Otto

She made history — and now it's our turn.

The longest-working Rosie the Riveter: 70 years in aviation production, laid off at 95 — and still up at 4 a.m. every day.

Read Elinor's Full Story

“Just keep moving.”

— Elinor Otto

Her Story

Seventy years on the line. Still moving.

Meet a real Rosie the Riveter. The longest-working one, at that. Elinor went to work on aircraft just weeks after Pearl Harbor — a single mother earning $0.65 an hour wielding a rivet gun. When the war ended and soldiers came home, she tried clerical work. The problem? She couldn't sit still. She missed the factories.

Elinor spent 70 years in aviation production at Boeing. She likes to make it known that she was laid off at the age of 95 when they stopped making the C-17s. She didn't quit — she was laid off.

Today, Elinor's secret to longevity? "Just keep moving." She gets up at 4 a.m. every day and stays active.

Explore Elinor's Impact