Naomi Parker Fraley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Naomi Parker Rogers
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Naomi Parker Fraley in 2017
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| Born |
Naomi Fern Parker
August 26, 1921 Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
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| Died | January 20, 2018 (aged 96) Longview, Washington, U.S.
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| Occupation | War worker, waitress |
| Known for | "Rosie the Riveter" in We Can Do It! |
| Spouse(s) | Joseph Blankenship (divorced) John Muhlig (died 1971) Charles Fraley
(m. 1979; died 1998) |
Naomi Fern Parker Fraley (born August 26, 1921 – died January 20, 2018) was an American woman who worked during World War II. She is now known as the most likely person who inspired the famous "We Can Do It!" poster. During the war, she helped build airplanes at a naval base.
A photo of her working on a machine was taken. Many people believe this photo inspired the poster. For a long time, another woman, Geraldine Hoff Doyle, was thought to be the person in the photo. But a professor did some research and found the truth. After the war, Naomi worked as a waitress. She passed away in 2018 when she was 96 years old.
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Naomi's Early Life
Naomi Fern Parker was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1921. She was the third of eight children. Her father was a mining engineer, and her mother stayed home to care for the family. Her family moved around the country.
When the attack on Pearl Harbor happened, they were living in Alameda, California. Naomi and her younger sister, Ada, went to work at the Naval Air Station Alameda. They worked in the machine shop, helping to assemble parts for airplanes.
The "We Can Do It!" Poster
In 1942, a picture of Naomi Parker was taken. It showed her working on a machine. This photo appeared in local newspapers, including the Pittsburgh Press. The next year, the "We Can Do It!" poster was created by J. Howard Miller. It was part of a campaign to boost morale among workers.
It is believed that Miller saw Naomi's newspaper photo. He likely used it as inspiration for his famous poster.
Finding the Truth
In 2011, Naomi Parker Fraley attended a reunion. It was held at the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park. There, she saw the 1942 photo of herself working. She was surprised because the caption said the photo was of Geraldine Hoff Doyle. Naomi wrote to the park to correct the mistake. They thanked her for providing the right name.
Geraldine Doyle had mistakenly thought the photo was of her. Because of this, she also believed the poster was inspired by her. This wrong information was repeated by many sources over time.
Professor Kimble's Research
A professor named James J. Kimble from Seton Hall University became interested in the poster. It had become a symbol for women's rights. He searched for the original photo. He found that it was credited to "Naomi Parker" in 1942. He also learned that Geraldine Doyle was still in school at that time. She had only worked at the plant for a few weeks.
In 2015, Professor Kimble found Naomi. He showed her the photo, and she still had the newspaper clipping from 1942. Kimble was sure that Naomi was the woman in the photo. He believed she was the strongest candidate to have inspired the poster. However, the artist, J. Howard Miller, did not leave any notes about his model.
In February 2015, Kimble interviewed Naomi and her sister Ada. They told him they had known about the mistake for five years. They had tried to correct the historical record but were not successful until Kimble's research.
Naomi's Later Life
After World War II, Naomi worked as a waitress. She worked at a restaurant called The Doll House in Palm Springs, California. She was married three times. Her last husband was Charles Fraley, whom she married in 1979. He passed away in 1998.
In 2017, she moved to the Longview, Washington, area. Later that year, she moved into a care home there.
Her Passing
Naomi Parker Fraley passed away on January 20, 2018. She was 96 years old. Her life was celebrated on a BBC Radio 4 program called Last Word the following month.
