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SignatureMT | 43 "E verything turned out well," says Frankie Powell, referring to her life of ninety-two years. Born March 29, 1925, in Los Angeles, but raised in North Carolina, Powell calls California home where she aended grade school and graduated from Dorothy High School. Named aer her mother, "Frankie," Powell is thankful for life. She met and married Charles E. Powell, Jr., in 1943 when they both were going to riveting school. ey were married in Mississippi but worked together in Leavenworth, Kansas until World War II ended. ey moved back to Inglewood, California, and went to work for North American Aviation as riveters. Ac - cording to Powell, riveting was a big factor in WWII. Many women were employed as riveters. She reaches for a picture of herself, a beautiful young woman dressed and ready to go to work as a riveter. Rosie the Riveter became the female icon. She was depicted in pictures. She was the likeness of so many women doing this work because men were involved in the war. "I have flown very lile on a plane," she says, "but, I helped build the P51 and the B25." "e P51 is one of the best planes they put on the market; the B25 bombed Tokyo the first time." When WWII was over, her husband continued to work for North American Aviation which wasn't far from LAX. Powell didn't drive until aer WWII. Memory Lane Text by Polly Kolstad • Photography by Jesse Martinez FRANKIE the RIVETER A Real Life "Rosie" Recalls Answering the American Call of Duty ABOVE: A young and spunky Frankie Powell poses for a picture before heading out to work as a riveter in 1945.

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