Betty Reid Soskin
Betty Reid Soskin (née Charbonnet; September 22, 1921 – December 21, 2025) was an American Park Ranger with the National Park Service.[1] Soskin spoke clearly about how important national parks are. She said national parks are very important for telling American history. She helped to develop the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, California.[2][3] She worked there as a ranger. Soskin was most famous for being a guide at the Rosie the Riveter World War II National Park. She talked about how the story of World War II that we hear was mainly white and male. She also supported national parks and how they educated the public. She also talked about her and her family's experiences with racism.
Betty Reid Soskin | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Soskin in 2016 | |
| Born | Betty Charbonnet September 22, 1921 |
| Died | December 21, 2025 (aged 104) Richmond, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | National Park Service Ranger |
| Employer | National Park Service |
| Spouse(s) | Melvin Reid
(m. 1943; div. 1972)William Soskin
(m. 1978; death 1988) |
On March 31, 2022, Soskin retired from the National Park Service.[4] Until her retirement in 2022 at aged 100, she was the oldest National Park Ranger in the United States.[5][6][7]
Early life and family
Soskin was born on September 22, 1921, in Detroit, Michigan. She was a mix of Spanish, French, and African, but identified as black. Betty married Mel Reid and they had four kids shortly after graduating high school. She experienced racism and decided to get involved in the civil rights movement. The couple started a business called Reid’s Records in 1945. They got a divorce after about 30 years of being married.
Soskin then married Bill Soskin in 1976 but their marriage ended after just four years. She later worked to make less drugs and crime in Berkeley, California after that. She got a job as a businesswoman. After, she helped plan the Rosie the Riveter and World War II National Park in Richmond, California.
Later life and death
Soskin turned 100 in September 2021.[7]
Soskin died at her home in Richmond, California on December 21, 2025 at the age of 104.[8]
Betty Reid Soskin Media
Reid's Records in Berkeley, California, 2014
The Rosie Memorial in Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park, Richmond, California
References
- ↑ She became a park ranger at 85 to tell her story of segregation. Now 100, she’s the oldest active ranger.The Washington Post. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
- ↑ WWII meant opportunity for many women, oppression for others Archived 2008-10-24 at the Wayback Machine, by Caroline Zynco, San Francisco Chronicle, September 26, 2007, retrieved March 23, 2011
- ↑ Ranger's voice spans East Bay history Archived 2012-11-05 at the Wayback Machine, by Lee Hildebrand, San Francisco Chronicle, January 31, 2010, retrieved March 23, 2011
- ↑ National Park Service (March 31, 2022). "100 year-old National park Service Ranger Betty Reid Soskin retires after remarkable career". Press release. https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1207/soskin-retires-2022.htm.
- ↑ Jones, Carolyn (October 16, 2013). Federal shutdown puts Betty Reid Soskin on hold. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Federal-shutdown-puts-Betty-Reid-Soskin-on-hold-4901916.php. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
- ↑ "Acclaimed Park Ranger Betty Reid Soskin Returns After Stroke". NBC Bay Area. January 15, 2020. https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/acclaimed-park-ranger-betty-reid-soskin-returns-after-stroke/2215852/. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 School named after National Park Ranger Betty Reid Soskin on her 100th birthday
- ↑ Hemmila, Soren (21 December 2025). Betty Reid Soskin, nation's oldest park ranger and civil rights pioneer, dies at 104. Grandview Independent. https://www.grandviewindependent.com/betty-reid-soskin-nations-oldest-park-ranger-and-civil-rights-pioneer-dies-at-104/. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
Other websites
- Betty Reid Soskin: Rosie the Riveter World War II American Homefront Oral History Project
- Reid's Records
- Official website for Soskin's memoir
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