Gertrude Cofer Paved the Way for Future Generations of Females in the Workforce

By Karen McBride
Published in the Dunndeal Gazettes May, 2023

It was 1942. The country was in turmoil. Young men were going off to war to defend our country. Positions once only held by men were being filled by the women left behind.

Gertrude (Popovich) Cofer was only 18 at the time when she applied to the Long Island Railroad. There were maintenance jobs available, including painting, cleaning, and maintaining the boilers. But her father had encouraged her to apply for the train conductor position.

Train conductors were generally young men of military age and were called away to fight the war. So, this was her opportunity.

“During World War II, I wanted to do something for my country,” said Gertrude. “I heard they were hiring a few girls as conductorettes. There were twelve of us. We were hired for the duration of the war plus six months, but I remained for about a year until my family moved.”

Gertrude, now 98, shared many stories of her time as a train conductor. One of her favorite experiences was when a train arrived with over 200 service men aboard, excited to go on leave. Gertrude was given the responsibility of counting all the service men.

“I had to be escorted through the group of young men because these boys hadn’t seen a girl in 18 months!” she said with a laugh, but she was quick to mention that they all were gentlemen and very respectful to her.

Another story she remembers fondly is when beautiful racehorses were transported on the trains from the farms in Long Island. She would joke how the prize-winning horses were treated better than the passengers on the train. They were very expensive and well pampered guests on the train.

She learned how to be a conductor from a man named Eddie, considered too old to be enlisted. Her son Richard said one of his favorite photographs was one of Eddie, drinking a beer, and his mother drinking a coke because she was too young to drink.

She laughed as she recalled her training, “I learned how to throw a switch and hold my skirt at the same time, so that it wouldn’t fly up!”

Gertrude was born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens. At night, when the train would go through Queens, they would blow the whistle so her parents knew she was OK.

As the war progressed and more women entered the workforce, it became more of the norm. Women were proving that they could work outside the home and be successful at it.

She would have more happy memories on the train as, eventually, she would meet her future husband, Jimmy, a U.S. Navy Gunner, on a train to Coney Island.

They were married for 61 years. “I thank God for every day He gives me, and I could not have asked for a better husband.” The pair had three children, Suzette, James “Bo” and Richard.

Women like Gertrude Cofer paved the way for future generations of females in the workforce. Without people like her stepping out of their comfort zone, with encouragement from family members, we may not have the privilege today that we have from watching female fighter pilots soaring over the 2023 Super Bowl.

 

A new exhibit at the Union Pacific museum tracks the contribution women have made to the railroad industry over the past 150 years calling al specific women and their role.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *