Betty Soskin, the oldest active park ranger in the U.S., celebrates her 100th birthday

Betty Soskin has done it all — she's been a songwriter, businesswoman, civil rights activist, author, and musician, and today, she's the oldest park ranger in the United States.
On Sept. 22, Soskin celebrated her 100th birthday, and was honored with quite the gift: a middle school in El Sobrante, California, was renamed in her honor to mark the milestone birthday. "Having a school named for me is more than I ever thought of because it means that a number of children will go into the world knowing who I was and what I was doing here," Soskin told ABC 7. "Maybe it will make a difference."
Soskin is a ranger at the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, California. During World War II, Soskin was a file clerk for a segregated union, and decades later, she became a park ranger at 85 so she could share with visitors what it was like for Black women during that era. "What gets remembered is determined by who's in the room doing the remembering," she said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Deepfakes and impostors: the brave new world of AI jobseeking
In The Spotlight More than 80% of large companies use AI in their hiring process, but increasingly job candidates are getting in on the act
-
Sudoku medium: May 4, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Sudoku hard: May 4, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read