Love Finds You in Victory Heights, Washington (43 page)

T
HE
S
EATTLE
T
RIBUNE

L
OVEBIRDS
F
INALLY
T
IE THE
K
NOT
B
Y
L
ANIE
T
HOMES,
S
TAFF
W
RITER,
W
OMEN’S
P
AGE

Lana Turner was right! About a year ago, you may remember, the
Tribune
’s own Kenny Davenport wrote a story about himself and a certain hotsy-totsy brunette who would soon be dubbed
Seattle’s Own Rosie the Riveter.

Lana Turner said the two should be a couple, and this past Saturday, a warm June afternoon, I was privileged to walk the aisle—not for my own wedding, but as a bridesmaid of my dear friend Rosalie Madison, now Davenport. The two finally proved Lana Turner’s prediction to be true.

(For those of you following my own road to nuptial bliss: Our wedding has been postponed so my Nick and I can learn about what the Bible has to say about marriage.)

And where was the wedding held, you ask? Where else? Victory Square, of course. On Thomas Jefferson’s porch, the beautifully adorned bride—like a riveter princess—gazed into her reporter prince’s eyes as he took her hand and promised to love her forever, through the happy days and the hard ones. When the blissful pair sealed their hearts to each other with the traditional kiss, the thousands of Rosie the Riveter supporters in the crowd cheered so loudly I expect our boys across the Pacific could hear the boom.

Kenny’s father, Reverend Andrew Davenport, married the happy couple from his wheelchair. The Reverend, a navy chaplain, lost his leg while valiantly serving his country and returned home last year. He, his wife, and Kenny Davenport’s two sisters now reside in Seattle, where the Reverend has found a new calling as minister of Victory Heights Presbyterian Church.

After the ceremony, the two led the crowd in Lindy swing dancing, backed by my Nick’s band, with him bopping on his bass, and me on lead vocals. My guy’s leg is much better. Kenny’s story about contracted workers (you may have read it) started the ball rolling to get them the medical care they need. Thank you, Kenny!

As for the future for Mr. and Mrs. Davenport? Don’t worry. They’re sticking around Seattle—at least for a while. Kenny’s been promoted to lead local reporter here at the
Tribune
, and Rosalie? Here’s what she had to say: “I’ll just be happy to return to the plant.”

Rosalie’s too modest to admit that, because of her publicity blitz, new women recruits have flooded into the Boeing Plant 2, and Rosalie’s been promoted to supervisor to help train them. Guess the big bosses want lots more like her.

But for now, Rosalie and Kenny are looking forward to enjoying their honeymoon. If you’re wondering where they’re going, ask Lana Turner. She arranged a trip to Hawaii for them! Wish I had a friend like that.

Something tells me the lovely riveter and her handsome reporter are going make it to their golden anniversary and beyond. With a story like theirs, how could they do anything less?

T
RICIA
G
OYER
is an award-winning author of fourteen novels, many of them set during the World War II era. She has interviewed more than one hundred war veterans to make her stories come alive for her readers. Among her published historical novels are
Night Song
, which was awarded ACFW’s 2005 Book of the Year for Long Historical Romance, and
Dawn of a Thousand Nights
, which won the same award in 2006. She has also authored nine nonfiction books and more than three hundred articles for national publications. In 2003, Tricia was one of two authors named “Writer of the Year” at the Mount Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference, and she has been interviewed by
Focus on the Family
,
Moody Mid-Day Connection
,
The Harvest Show
,
NBC’s Monday Today
,
Aspiring Women
, and hundreds of other radio and television stations. Tricia and her husband, John, have four children and live in Arkansas.

O
CIEANNA
F
LEISS
has co-written one historical novel,
Love Finds You in Lonesome Prairie, Montana
, with Tricia Goyer. She has written for several publications including
CBA Marketplace
and
Guideposts
and contributes a bi-monthly column to the
Northwest Christian Author.
Ocieanna Fleiss has edited six of Tricia Goyer’s World War II novels and two of her non-fiction titles. An avid historian, she teaches home-schooled junior high students intense history classes involving considerable research and creative methods of bringing history to life. A resident of the Seattle area, Ocieanna had easy access to the key settings in this book. She interviewed several “Rosies” personally and was able to conduct a great deal of research on life on the home front. Ocieanna lives with her husband, Michael, and their four children.

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