‘Party of the century’ included a World War II rock star
An iconic party—100 years in the making—took center stage in the life of Connie Palacioz, a Newton, Kansas, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and Rosie the Riveter.
A petite 4-foot, 8-inches tall, Connie, a dynamo, took in three days of celebrating her birthday with her ever-present trademark smile. Several family events preceded the private celebration at her 100th birthday Jan. 16, and a large, extended family gathering on Jan. 17. A memorable weekend culminated on Jan. 18 at the B-29 Doc Hangar, Education and Visitors Center on the grounds of the Eisenhower National Airport in Wichita.
Palacioz is tied to our nation’s history, and her achievements are in the Congressional Record thanks to U.S. Rep. Ron Estes of Wichita. He called her an American patriot and Wichita’s very own “Rosie the Riveter,” according to Roman Rodriguez, Estes’ communications director, who attended her birthday party. Rodriguez delivered the congressman’s remarks and read the entry that will be recorded into the Congressional Record.
The transcript said several of her family members were serving in the military, and young Connie felt it was her duty as an American to contribute to the World War II effort.
In 1943, shortly after high school graduation, she rode a train from Newton to the Boeing facility.
Starting at 50 cents an hour, she eventually doubled her wage, a testament to her hard work and dedication, the Congressional Record states. In her role, she supported the production of the nose sections for the aircraft, manufacturing four sections each day. With the help of her partner, Jerri Warden, Connie contributed to the assembly of 1,644 B-29 bombers through the war, including Doc.
While she did not make any public comments, afterward, Connie was able to describe her work on the fuselages. After the war ended, the single mother raised her three sons (Joe, Chris and Jerry) and daughter (Tish Nielsen). Even at the age of 100, all of Connie’s children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are alive and in good health.
Faith and family—both anchors—take center stage in her life. She credits those anchors to keeping her active—along with a can of Bud Light.
During an interview taped by the family, when asked if she had a goal to reach 105, Connie smiled and said, “It is in the Lord’s hands, but if I made it 105 that was OK, too.”
She doesn’t mind creating new memories for inquisitive minds. It’s another step in her journey of life.
At the age of 97, Connie was honored as the inaugural member of the Kansas Women’s Hall of Fame in Aviation. This past June she was a member of the delegation that went to Normandy, France, as part of the 80th remembrance of D-Day.
About Doc and Rosie
Doc made national headlines when the heavy bomber, a Boeing B-29 Superfortress—first deployed in World War II—went through a restoration process thanks to an effort spearheaded by Tony Mazzolini.
Mazzolini was a flight engineer on a B-29 during the Korean War.
In March 1945, the Boeing B-29 No. 44-69972, now known as Doc, was built in Wichita and delivered to the Army. The Superfortress was decommissioned years later and actually served as a target for the Navy at the China Lake Naval Weapons Center in the Mojave Desert in California. Mazzolini, in 1987, began the process to remove the plane from the desert and restore the warbird to flying status, and it took 12 years before Mazzolini and his team were able to take possession from the federal government.
Doc returned to Wichita on flatbed trailers in May 2000, and volunteers began the process of reassembling and restoring the B-29. Palacioz was one of the volunteers who helped with the restoration process.
In February 2013, Wichita aviation enthusiasts and business leaders, led by retired Spirit AirSystems CEO Jeff Turner, formed Doc’s Friends, a non-profit board to manage the restoration process.
In July 2016, Doc returned to the skies, and a permanent museum was established for the plane several years ago. Appropriately, the plane sat impressively in the hangar on Jan. 18.
Turner remembered a trip to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and while he was excited to describe the plane restoration project, he then smiled as he learned that show-goers were there for another reason.
“Then word got out we had a real Rosie the Riveter, and she was dressed in her uniform,” Turner said, adding affectionally that how Connie handled herself made a difference. “I remember she said Doc was good.”
Former Spirit AeroSystems CEO Tom Gentile, whom Turner credited for continuing the company’s support for the restoration project, said it was important for him to personally be there to extend his birthday wishes.
He noted that Palacioz and Warden’s work did not go unnoticed. Of the fuselage on Doc’s plane, there were 2,000 rivets installed, and only seven rivets had to be replaced during the restoration process.
Gentile noted that Palacioz left the Boeing plant in 1945 at the conclusion of the war. She began her duties as matriarch of the family and fulfilled a dream to be a hairdresser. Connie did not return for many years, until the restoration process began, and she only came to learn more about the project.
“When she came to our plant, she was a superstar,” Gentile said. “Thank you for all you do for the aircraft industry. We love you, and happy 100th birthday.”
His comments brought loud applause, and the party began with Connie dancing with her sons and visiting with many guests.
Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].
