Back to Richmond, California

Sometimes I come across an old postcard that is so unique, it is too good to cut-up for my art.   This postcard booklet of Richmond, California is an example of one that was just special. It was given to me by a friend who had pile of her late Uncle Bill’s postcards. He had saved them for decades.  

In July 1945 Helen Ausenbaum was in Richmond and working for the Red Cross when she mailed this to her brother Bill who was stationed in Europe. By that time Captain Ausenbaum had fought across Europe.  A year before he landed at Normandy in a glider.  He was at the Battle of the Bulge and with the 82nd Airborne when they liberated the Wöbbelin Concentration Camp.  Uncle Bill was awarded both the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

Last year I contacted the Rosie the Riveter WWII Homefront National Historic Parkand asked if they wanted the postcard booklet for their collection, which they did.  Recently it was added to one of their exhibits.  I wonder what Helen and Bill would say about this simple postcard coming back to Richmond, 74 years later, and being an historic artifact in a national park museum.

If you have never visited the Rosie the Riveter National Historic Park, I highly recommend it.  It honors the thousands of women and men who contributed to the war effort at home during World War II while presenting a fascinating chapter of history.  It also serves as reminder for the present.  Reminding us what we can accomplish if we all come together, work hard and are willing to make sacrifices for the common good.  The park offers a lesson plan for the fight to combat climate change.