Serena LaLuzerne graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in May 2024 with a Bachelor’s degree in Physics, supplemented by certificates in Mathematics, History, and Integrated Liberal Studies. Originally from Sturgeon Bay in Door County, Wisconsin, she loves to immerse herself in historical writing, and particularly enjoyed anchoring research to her hometown for the Wisconsin 101 public history project. Outside of her post-grad career as a technical solutionist, Serena is a dedicated reader, motorcyclist, and cat person.
By This Author:
OBJECT HISTORY: Mercedes Herman’s Welding Uniform
At only sixteen years old, Mercedes Herman stepped forward as one of the first Wisconsin women to join the local manufacturing workforce in Door County during the second World War, operating as a shipyard welder at Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding and Drydock Company.
Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
Stemming foremost from the Rieboldt & Wolter Company in its beneficial Door County location, the Universal Shipbuilding Company and the Sturgeon Bay Dry Dock Company merged in 1926 to form the Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, which eventually played a significant role in World War II manufacturing.
Women in Shipbuilding during World War II
Along the same lines as the governmental “Rosie the Riveter” campaign, labor demands during World War II mobilized women like Mercedes Herman to temporarily maintain the industrial jobs left behind by enlisted men, including various shipyard assignments, resulting in widespread female empowerment and increased national productivity.