World War II Honoree

Dorothy Jean Sacra Bell

Hometown

Chickasha, Oklahoma

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

AFTER GRADUATING FROM OKLAHOMA COLLEGE FOR WOMEN (OCW) IN CHICKASHA, OKLAHOMA, SHE WAS RECRUITED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS TO STUDY AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING. THERE, SHE LEARNED THE SKILLS SHE WOULD USE TO WORK AS A ‘ROSIE THE RIVETER’ FOR THE CURTISS-WRIGHT CORPORATION, CURTIS AIRPLANE DIVISION, IN BUFFALO, NEW YORK AS A DRAFTSMAN DURING THE WAR. CURTIS-WRIGHT WAS THE LARGEST AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURER IN THE UNITED STATES DURING THE WAR. SHE WAS AN EXAMPLE OF THE ICONIC 'ROSIE THE RIVETER' CHARACTER THAT SYMBOLIZED WOMEN FACTORY WORKERS DURING THE WAR.