Leipzig, Mildred Levin
- Object Type
- Oral history
- Object ID
- 14703
- Date
- September 16 2009
- Description
- Mildred (Mimi) Levin Leipzig (1923- ) was born at the Brooklyn Jewish Hospital across the street from her father’s pharmacy in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Leipzig attended Girl’s Commercial High School (now Prospect Heights High School). She began working at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1940 or 1941 shortly after marrying Arthur Leipzig, a photographer for the New York City newspaper PM and other publications. Leipzig left her job as an assistant shipfitter at the Yard in 1942 when she had her first child. In her interview, Leipzig remembers many detailed stories of her childhood and life in Brooklyn, the experiences of her sisters and parents, and growing up Jewish in a predominantly Italian, Catholic neighborhood. Leipzig took a mechanical aptitude test for the Navy Yard shortly after finishing high school and began working as a shipfitter’s assistant where her main job was as an arc welder. She remembers using an asbestos blanket while welding as protection from burns. She also discusses her unique role as a women at the Yard and that men were often uncomfortable doing the same work as the women. More specifically, she discusses issues with the women’s bathroom in her shop and an instance when a woman offered to give her a skirt while she was on the way to work in her coveralls – implying that Leipzig was dressed inappropriately.
- Related Collection
- Brooklyn Navy Yard Oral History Project
- Subjects
- Labor and Yard Workers, Women
?map