After more than fifteen years of sharing her life stories, including those from World War II, at Rosie the Riveter/
HomeFront National Historic Parkin Richmond, Betty Reid Soskin, the oldest active National Park Service ranger, has retired from duty.
When Soskin turned one hundred years old in September, she became the most well-known park ranger in service.
According to reports, the centenarian’s work as a park ranger has assisted the park service in evolving the manner in which it conveys history to visitors.
A public celebration to mark her retirement from duty has been scheduled for April 16.
Soskin stated in a statement announcing her retirement:
To be a piece of assisting with denoting where that emotional direction of my own life, joined with others of my age, will impact the future by the effects we’ve had behind has been extraordinary.“
The 100-year-old, then a young woman, worked as a file clerk in a Union hall that was segregated during World War II.
Later, she and her spouse Mel Reid would open Reid’s Records, a record store. In 2019, the store officially closed.
Soskin became a permanent employee of the National Park Service in 2011 at the age of 89. She led public programs and shared memories and ideas at the park visitor center in her position.
Soskin stated, „Being a primary source in the sharing of that history, which is my history, and giving shape to a new national park has been exciting and fulfilling.“
It has demonstrated to give my final years meaning. The Director of the National Park Service, Chuck Sams, stated: Betty has had a significant impact on the National Park Service and our mission.
„Her efforts remind us that we must seek out and accommodate all perspectives in order to tell a more comprehensive and inclusive history of our nation,“
