103-Year-Old Rosie the Riveter Frances Masters Is the Face of New Statue
Join us this Veterans Day as Michigan honors the men and women of the Greatest Generation with the dedication of Phase 2 of The Michigan WWII Legacy Memorial — featuring the unveiling of a new life-size Rosie the Riveter statue inspired by 103-year-old Frances “Rosie Fran” Masters.
Royal Oak, Michigan (October 6, 2025) — The board of The Michigan WWII Legacy Memorial is proud to announce the dedication of Phase 2 of the Memorial, taking place on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, at 1:00 PM in Memorial Park, Royal Oak.
Honoring the Greatest Generation
All are invited to this special Veterans Day event celebrating Michigan’s Greatest Generation. The ceremony will include a short program featuring Honor Rosies from the American Rosie the Riveter Association, who will carry banners honoring women who served on the home front during World War II.
FOX 2 News anchor Erica Francis will emcee the event, which will conclude with the unveiling of a new life-size bronze statue of Rosie the Riveter and a public viewing of the expanded Walk of Honor.
A Tribute to the Women Who Built America’s Arsenal
This new statue is unique — it shows Rosie at work on the factory line, riveting a panel for the legendary B-24 bomber. The piece symbolizes the strength, determination, and patriotism of the women who stepped forward to fill the roles left vacant by men at war.
The sculpture reminds us that the rivet gun was as essential to victory as the rifle, honoring the manufacturing workforce whose labor helped secure freedom around the world.
Frances “Rosie Fran” Masters: A Living Legacy
Board President John Maten of Royal Oak shared, “Rosie represents the significant contribution of home front women to the Arsenal of Democracy, who kept production lines rolling. We are especially honored that 103-year-old Frances Mauro Masters, a riveter from the Ford Willow Run WWII bomber plant in Ypsilanti, is the inspiration for the face of the statue.”
Masters, a resident of Chesterfield, will be honored at the dedication ceremony. She recently visited sculptor Oleg Kedria at the Fine Arts Sculpture Centre in Clarkston, where she saw the statue in progress.
“Oh, it’s beautiful! I am proud to be a part of something like this,” Frances said. “My husband was in the Marines during WWII. I never told him what I did. I didn’t think it would make such a difference,” she reflected, before adding quietly, “but it did.”
Continuing the Rosie Legacy
Bette Kenward of Imlay City, a board member of The Michigan WWII Legacy Memorial and Michigan Director of the American Rosie the Riveter Association, shared her personal connection to the project.
“My grandmother was one of the over six million women who helped the war effort 80 years ago, but I never got to honor her while she was alive,” she said. “Knowing this beautiful statue will be a reality has brought me the greatest surge of pride — not only for my Grandma and Fran, but for the legacy of all our Rosies.”
A Memorial That Inspires Future Generations
The new Rosie the Riveter statue will stand beside the existing life-size figure of a soldier reading a letter from home. Together, they represent both the home front and the war front, surrounded by the expanded Walk of Honor, now featuring more than 1,600 inscribed pavers recognizing those who served and sacrificed in Michigan’s WWII story.
The Michigan WWII Legacy Memorial is the state’s official tribute to the men and women whose courage, labor, and sacrifice brought victory in the war that changed the world. Its mission is to honor Michigan’s Greatest Generation while educating and inspiring visitors to face today’s challenges with the same courage, conviction, and patriotism.
Event Details
Date: Tuesday, November 11, 2025
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: Memorial Park, Royal Oak, Michigan
All attendees — especially WWII veterans, Rosies, and their families — are encouraged to register in advance.
