Description
Elinor Otto worked building and assembling aircraft during World War II, and continued her career in 1951, working until she was laid off from Boeing at age 95. Born in 1919 in Los Angeles, California, Otto spent much of her childhood in San Diego and Long Beach, though she moved with her family to Panama for a time as a young teen. She was hired by Rohr Aircraft in San Diego in 1942, where she worked until she transferred to Ryan Aircraft. She remained at Ryan upon returning to work in the 1950s, but eventually transferred to Douglas Aircraft (now Boeing) where she worked into her nineties. In this interview, Otto discusses daily life during World War II, her work at the airfields during the war, her later career, and her experience as a Rosie and the recent fame she has received for her work.