Dorothy Trate was born July 9, 1922 in Narvon, a community in Caernarvon Township in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. She grew up there against the backdrop of the Great Depression. Her husband was put on deferment during the war, as he operated specialized machinery in a war work factory. Dorothy for her part was a ‘Rosie the Riveter,’ though she called herself ‘Dottie the Punch Press Operator,’ helping with sheet metal that would be used on airplanes. Like so many American women, she made the difference in that war, setting American industrial production to unprecedented heights. Dorothy zoomed with American History 11 students in April 2024. She appears here with Tyler Boland of “Keeping History Alive” who helped to facilitate this interview.
