Published in the 2005 edition of Brushing

Women Who Serve

My family is full of strong women. This strength has shown itself in different ways in different generations. This piece is dedicated to my grandmother, Florence Manas, who worked at Western Electric during World War II. In 1941 women comprised 20 percent of the company's workforce; by 1944, they were 60 percent.
World War II was a turning point for Western Electric. The Bell System accounted for roughly 90 percent of their business. By 1944 the federal government accounted for 85 percent of the demand for Western Electric products. The company provided more than 30 percent of all of the electronic gear used in World War II. While the men who served our country were heroes, the women who stayed behind were heroes as well.