WOMAN WEARING GOGGLES WELDING A PIECE OF METAL
Woman wearing goggles welding a piece of metal. 1943. Burgert Brothers. Courtesy, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System. [Miss Margaret Clark- welder leaderman at McClosky and Co Shipyards]
From 1940 – 1945, 350,000 women joined the workforce to help the WWII war effort. Rosie the Riveter was mostly a fictitious character used in the campaign to recruit women into the industrial workforce as more and more men enlisted in the military and left to fight the war. Tampa had its own Rosie.
This photo in the Burgert Brothers collection is titled “Woman wearing goggles welding a piece of metal” and was taken in 1943. Nothing identifies who she was or the history she was making here. Doing some sleuthing, it turns out her name was Miss Margaret Clark- welder leaderman- and she was an employee of the McCloskey & Co. Hookers Point Shipyard in Port Tampa. Better yet, Martin was a champion welder competing against other shipyards. One of her rewards was having the honor of sponsoring (christening) the ship the S.S. John J. Jackson in July 1945 to the cheers of her co-workers. She was also given $325 and a gold wristwatch by the Maritime Commission of Women. What an awesome photo and history. Happy Women’s History month!
© 2022. Chip Weiner. Old Tampa Photos
Female welder posed with work clothes, goggles, and a welding torch. 1943. Burgert Brothers. Courtesy, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System. [Miss Margaret Clark welding at McClosky and Co Shipyards]
Woman welder. 1943. Burgert Brothers. Courtesy, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System.