Women of WWII topic of discussion
Peters Township Public Library and VFW Memorial Park Post 764 will host Dr. Todd De Pastino from 7 to 8:30 p.m. April 15 at the library.
DePastino will discuss “The Wonder Women of World War II.”
In 1941, Wonder Woman appeared as the first female superhero. The timing was apt because of the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7. At that point, millions of American women were mobilized into the war effort and served in occupations from which they had been barred just months earlier.
DePastino will tell the story of not only how women’s lives changed during WWII, but also how the whole culture had to change to accommodate these radically new gender roles. He will talk about Rosie the Riveter, the WAVES, the WACS and the much disparaged WASPs, who only achieved official recognition decades after the war.
DePastino has a doctorate in American history from Yale University and teaches at Waynesburg University, where in 2008 he won the Lucas-Hathaway Award for teaching excellence. He is the author of “Bill Mauldin: A Life Up Front,” which won the 2009 Anne M. Sperber Prize for the best biography of a major media figure.
He also the is founder and executive director of the Veterans Breakfast Club, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sharing veterans’ stories with the public.
To register, email programs@ptlibrary.org or call 724-941-9430.