Priscilla Elder

Priscilla Elder was an Electrician from 1943-1945 at Richmond Kaiser Shipyard #3.

NPS Photo/Alison Taggart-Barone

Priscilla Elder

Richmond Kaiser Shipyard #3 - Electrician, 1943-1945

In Memory of...
Early Life and Family
Priscilla Elder was born on March 23, 1920, in Iowa, the third of 11 children. Her brother Tony served as a gunner’s mate on the USS Dewey, which arrived at Pearl Harbor to tend to the injured survivors after the Japanese attack. Her husband, Donald, was drafted shortly thereafter and served in Europe under General Patton in the 3rd Army. Another brother, Fred, was in the Army Medical Corps.

Move to Richmond and Work at the Shipyard
Priscilla’s older sister was working as an electrician in the Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond, CA, and informed Priscilla of the urgent need for war workers. At the age of 22, Priscilla moved to Richmond with her 22-month-old son. Her twin sister soon followed, and both secured jobs as electricians, wiring circuit boxes that were installed on troop transports built in Shipyard #3. Priscilla was also called upon to work in the tool bin, checking out tools to workers and grinding the beads off the welders’ stingers.

Life in Richmond
Priscilla lived in wartime housing that had sprung up around Richmond. In a photograph taken at the time, she and her son are seen standing in front of their top-floor apartment at 1401 Virginia St. (@ 14th). Her older sister lived in the apartment below with her family. The picture was taken by an iceman making deliveries, with the ice block he had set down visible on the porch. Priscilla’s son attended the Maritime Child Development Center, which is still in use today.

Commute and Life in San Francisco
When her older sister moved away, Priscilla relocated to San Francisco to live near other relatives. She commuted by ferry to the shipyard in Richmond, walking from her apartment at 1058 Fell Street to the Ferry Building—a distance of three miles—but would treat herself to a trolley ride home upon returning to San Francisco at night. On weekends, Priscilla and her son enjoyed fun times at Golden Gate Park, as their apartment was just down the street from it.

Post-War Life and Return to California
Priscilla finished out the war years at the shipyard, but her job was soon given to returning war veterans. After the war, she returned to Iowa, where her husband joined her after his discharge from the Army. However, Priscilla had fallen in love with California, and by 1955, she convinced her husband to move back to the state.