Eleanor Roosevelt (left), Melvina Thompson, secretary to Mrs. Roosevelt, Lillian Van Loan, director of Eugene Vocational School (right).

Eleanor Roosevelt Visits Eugene Vocational School in 1941

Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, visited Eugene in 1941. She gave a speech at the University of Oregon in the evening of April 30. In the morning of May 1, she visited the Eugene Vocational School and the National Youth Administration camp at Skinner's Butte.

The Eugene Vocational School (EVS) was established in 1938 to provide vocational education for high school students and unemployed adults during the Great Depression. During World War II, EVS trained men and women for defense work. In 1958 the name of the school was changed to Eugene Technical-Vocational School (ETVS), reflecting the addition of more technologically oriented courses. Lane Community College was established in 1964 and ETVS was folded into the new community college, which opened for classes in 1965.
 

 
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	First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt visits Eugene Vocational School on May 1, 1941. Left to right: Eleanor Roosevelt and Lillian Van Loan, director of Eugene Vocational School. At the Eugene Vocational School, Mrs. Roosevelt expressed a great interest in training young women and suggested that in a short time women would be permitted to train for actual work in defense industries.
	Newspaper article describing Eleanor Roosevelt's visit to Eugene and the University of Oregon on April 30, 1941. Source: The Eugene Register Guard, May 1, 1941.
	Newspaper article describing Eleanor Roosevelt's visit to the Eugene Vocational School on May 1, 1941. Source: The Eugene Register Guard, May 1, 1941.
	Women in training with men in Aviation Mechanics, Eugene Vocational School during World War II. c. 1941-1945
	"Rosie the Riveters" - Women in training in Aviation Mechanics, Mel Gaskill, instructor, Eugene Vocational School, c. 1941-1945
	Women in training in Aviation Mechanics, Eugene Vocational School during World War II. c. 1941-1945
	Instrument Repair class, Eugene Vocational School, 1942.
	Geary School, located at 4th and Madison, was built in 1899 and became the home of Eugene Vocational School in 1938. c. 1900
	Eugene Vocational School at 4th and Madison. EVS was housed in the former Geary School. Shop buildings were built by National Youth Administration (NYA) students. c. 1941. The National Youth Administration was created in the late 1930s to help train out-of-work teenagers. In Eugene, the NYA camp was located at Skinner's Butte. Vocational education was integral to NYA. NYA students not only studied at EVS but also worked on the construction and repair of vocational school buildings.

"Rosebud" -- Rosie the Riveter's Daughter

Kay King, Family and Health Careers, is a "Rosebud" - a female descendent of a "Rosie." (Male descendents are called "Rivets.") Kay's mother, Mary Helen McIntosh King worked in the Kaiser/Portland shipyards during World War II as a riveter working on Liberty Ships. Kay's Aunt Rosie, was also a riveter in the Portland shipyards - she was a real "Rosie the Riveter." Kay's father and uncle were both welders in the same shipyard. Kay belongs to the American Rosie the Riveter Association and reports that the real Rosies have amazing stories to tell.

Return to: On-line Exhibits

Finding Aid: Eugene Vocational School / Eugene Technical Vocational School Records, 1938-1965, A-031

Learn More About "Rosie the Riveter"

• Rosie the Riveter : Real Women Workers in World War II
• Rosie the Riveter Trust / World War II Home Front National Historical Park
• A Real-Life "Rosie the Riveter"
• Una historia verdadera: "Rosie la remachadora"
• It's a Woman's War Too! - National Archives - Powers of Persuasion: Poster Art from World War II