Elinor Otto

In 2019, a bar named after Elinor opened in Long Beach, CA.

Otto received the Air Force Association's 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Air, Space & Cyber Conference in September 2017.

In December 2017, Otto flew in one of the C-17s she'd worked on, in a ceremonial flight flown by Air Mobility Command head Gen. Carlton Everhart at March ARB, California.

By 2014, Otto had worked on every single C-17 plane at the Boeing plant. She was laid off in November 2014.

In November 2014, Otto was honored for her contributions to the military with the Lillian K. Keil award from the American Veterans Center. She received the special award with eight other honorees.

Otto was honored by the California State Assembly member Bonnie Lowenthal as the 70th Assembly District Woman of the Year in 2014.

After the war ended, all the working women were let go. Otto tried out other jobs, like office work, but she hated being still. She also worked as a carhop until roller skates were added to the uniform. In 1951, she went back to factory work.

The name "Rosie" was given to women who took on the thousands of jobs left vacant after men had departed for the war. Otto began working at the Rohr Aircraft Corporation in Chula Vista, California during World War II. She joined the war effort with her two sisters, one of whom worked with her at Rohr. When Otto first joined Rohr, she was recently single and was taking care of her young son. She earned 65 cents an hour in 1942.

Elinor Otto (born October 28, 1919, in Los Angeles) is one of the original Rosie the Riveters, and built airplanes for 50 years. She was laid off at age 95, and is known as the "Last Serving Rosie the Riveter".