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IN RECOGNITION OF THE 100TH BIRTHDAY OF ALMYRA ROURKE
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HON. DEBBIE DINGELL
of michigan
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Mrs. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Almyra Rourke on the occasion of her 100th birthday. Her contributions to our community as a Rosie the Riveter are worthy of commendation.
Born in Shiawassee County, Michigan she studied bookkeeping at Lansing Business College. After graduation, her work brought her to Ypsilanti where the Willow Run Bomber Plant was in need of workers in the payroll department. When she went into the interview, the worker who interviewed her told her that she would be let go after the war since this was another man's job. She started work that day along with six fellow graduates, the only women in a room full of men.
What she had been told was a temporary role, became a career. After the war ended, Mrs. Rourke was transferred to Dearborn, Michigan and worked at Ford Motor Company for ten more years. At Willow Run, she worked on the balcony above the factory floor, and didn't think of herself as a Rosie the Riveter because she was not building the planes, but a friend told her: ``I couldn't have built those bombers if you weren't there to make sure I got paid every Friday. You're as much a Rosie as I am!'' As a Rosie, Almyra's hard work, grit, and patriotism not only sustained the American war effort, but paved a path for the next generation of working women.
After the war, she married Laurence Rourke, who served in the 3rd Armored Division and was on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. Mrs. Rourke eventually left work to take care of her three children, Shirlee, Edward, and Laurene. She was a Troop Leader and Mr. Rourke was a Scoutmaster. They were active members of St. John the Baptist Church in Ypsilanti. After the children left for college, they kept active through square dancing clubs in Ann Arbor and by travelling the world--
reaching all fifty states and even attending the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of Belgium in 2004.
Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in celebrating Almyra Rourke on her 100th birthday. I join with her family and friends in extending my best and warmest wishes to her on this special day. I am proud to honor her life, her accomplishments, and her invaluable contributions to our Nation.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 87
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