Richmond's Celebrity Ranger Taking Part in White House Christmas Celebration

Betty Reid Soskin, Richmond's celebrity National Park Service ranger, is in Washington, D.C., Thursday to participate in a national holiday ritual.

Soskin, 94, a ranger at Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park, will introduce President Obama at the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony outside the White House.

The National Park Service's oldest active ranger, Soskin was just 1 when the first lighting ceremony took place in 1923. She says the honor of introducing the president is overwhelming.

“I think that defies words. I am so moved by his being -- by having him in the White House," Soskin said. "As he is someone I think I would love to have known. He represents much of reality, as I would like to envision it to be for me. So much of it’s personal for me.”

During World War II, Soskin worked in Richmond’s Kaiser shipyards as a file clerk for a segregated, all-black local of the boilermakers union. More than a half-century later, Soskin was instrumental in planning the Rosie the Riveter park, which was established in 2000. Now as a ranger, Soskin leads the public on free tours enriched by her personal experience of shipyard history.

“My being there serves as a reminder for how far we’ve come. And sometimes we forget, that though we have much work still to do, that we’ve also come a long way,” she said.

Soskin was last in Washington for Obama's inauguration in 2009. To that event, she carried a picture of her great-grandmother, who was born a slave, in her breast pocket. This time, Soskin is traveling with her two granddaughters.

“They are the continuity for me,” she said. “They will take this experience forward within the family, and it enriches all of us.”

National Park Service spokeswoman Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles said Soskin symbolizes the agency's mission in the present and its hopes for the future.

“The National Park Service is turning 100 in 2016,” she said. “And it really seemed so fitting to have someone who represents and embodies the important role of the National Park Service in protecting and sharing our stories and heritage. And Betty really is that.”

Soskin won’t be the only star at the celebration. The event this year will be hosted by Academy-Award winner Reese Witherspoon and feature performances by Crosby, Stills & Nash and Miss Piggy.