Pittsford students celebrate 100th birthday of real-life Rosie the Riveter
Mary Masciangelo, a Fairport resident and recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal, visited Calkins Road Middle School on Wednesday to meet students and share her story. The students also gave her birthday cards, which they had made in class.
During World War 2, Masciangelo helped produce supplies for soldiers fighting overseas. She was a teenager when she took a job manufacturing pins for parchutes and goggles for the Air Force. She worked at Shuron Optical Defense Plant here in Rochester while her brother and future husband served.
'We were thrilled to celebrate Mrs. Masciangelo's 100th birthday and give students the chance to learn firsthand about this remarkable period in history,' said Superintendent Michael Pero in a statement. 'Her story was an inspiration to us all.'
Masciangelo was given the Congressional Gold Medal on March 21.
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