Betty Reid Soskin, a trailblazer and a remarkable woman who became the oldest active park ranger in the United States, has passed away at the age of 104. Her life was a testament to resilience and dedication, having served the National Park Service from the age of 85 until her retirement at 100 in 2022.
Born in Richmond, California, Soskin was well-known for leading educational tours at the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park, sharing her invaluable insights and experiences. Her son, Bob Reid, confirmed that she passed away peacefully at home on Sunday.
Soskin wore many hats throughout her life, as a mother, daughter, musician, author, political activist, wife, record store owner, songwriter, painter, grandmother, great-grandmother, and a prolific blogger. Each role she embraced added to her rich tapestry of experiences and contributions to society, as noted in a heartfelt post on her Facebook page.
Her journey with the National Park Service was preceded by a significant moment in 1942 when she worked for the U.S. Air Force. She resigned upon discovering she was hired due to a mistaken belief about her racial identity, a story that underscores the challenges she faced and overcame as a pioneering African American woman.
The post said she died at home Sunday.
While working as a park ranger, she led tours at the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, California. She worked for the U.S. Air Force in 1942 but quit after learning that “she was employed only because her superiors believed she was white,” according to a Park Service biography.
Soskin was born Betty Charbonnet in Detroit in 1921 but recalled surviving the devastating Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 while living with her Creole family in New Orleans, according to the Park Service biography.
Her family then moved to Oakland, California, and Soskin remained in the San Francisco Bay Area, where in 1945 she and her first husband founded one of the first Black-owned record stores in the area, the biography said.
She also was a civil rights activist and took part in meetings to develop a general management plan for the Home Front park. She has received several honors.
She was named California Woman of the Year in 1995.
In 2015, Soskin received a presidential coin from President Barack Obama after she lit the National Christmas tree at the White House.
In June 2016, she was awakened in her home by a robber who punched her repeatedly in the face, dragged her out of her bedroom and beat her before making off with the coin and other items. Soskin, then 94, recovered and returned to work just weeks after the attack. The coin was replaced.
Soskin also was honored with entry into the Congressional Record. Glamour Magazine named her woman of the year in 2018.
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