| Original caption: “Grace Janota, former department store clerk, was trained as a lathe operator by Rudolph Dolkas, who deserted the Austrian army as a sergeant in 1913 and came to this country.” Grace Ann Brown, neé Janota (November 29, 1921 – still living as of March 2024) was born on a farm in Texas. Growing up on a farm was tough, but she enjoyed it. She liked to play with her brother. The farm grew 120 acres of cotton. When she was 6, Janota and her younger brother began picking the cotton. Her brother hit her with a rock, scaring her head. She had older brothers as well. Janota’s chores were watering the garden and harvesting food. A well outside of the home provided water for the house. Janota slept in a room with her sister, some of her brothers slept in an enclosed porch, and another slept in the living room. The Great Depression was bad, but there was always food to eat. Her mother made clothes out of flour and feed sacks. People received a dish when they bought a box of oatmeal. She attended school in a small schoolhouse 3 miles from her home. Sometimes she got a ride to school from a neighbor, but she also had to walk there. All the kids at the school were from other farms. Janota wanted to attend college, but the family could not afford it. While in high school, she stayed at her sister’s house. High school was difficult for her because she had to work in the school’s cafeteria so she could eat. Janota had a few close friends in school. After high school, she moved to Austin, Texas, to work at a department store. People told her she could be a model, which is why she wanted to work at a department store. She did not like working there because she did not want to be a salesperson. After working as a waitress, she started working at the University of Texas, serving tea, making food, and performing other odd jobs. She lived in a 1-bedroom apartment owned by an older lady. She told herself life would get better. Janota was at her sister’s home when she heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor on the radio. After graduating from machinist school in Waco, she joined Consolidated Aircraft Corporation in Fort Worth. She made engine parts for Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers. It was precision manufacturing. She used micrometers. She liked her supervisors; She became friends with 1 supervisor, Rudolph Dolkas (December 6, 1890 – December 30, 1942), and his wife, Vlasta Anna Dolkos (April 2, 1897 – November 12, 1994). Janota worked 0800 – 1700 Hours at Consolidated with an hour off for lunch. Janota did not know about this photo until it appeared in the newspaper. Dolkas died in an automobile accident. Grace Janota was at her sister’s home when she heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor over the radio. She heard President Franklin D. Roosevelt (January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945) discuss the attack and declare war. Her father got upset and cried over his son’s going to war. She did not believe in war, so she was not happy. Everything changed after the war was declared. The Naval Academy took over the tea room, and Janota lost her job. She worked for a bank for a brief time, but decided she wanted to work in the war effort. She had 3 brothers in the service. The National Youth Administration offered training for various jobs, so she decided to become a machinist. She wanted to stay close to home, so she did not join any of the women’s military services. Janota enjoyed math and building things, which is why she chose to become a machinist. She took her classes in Waco, Texas. She thought it was similar to being in the military. She wore a uniform, exercised every morning, and slept in a barracks. Janota enjoyed what she was doing. She would go out on weekends to meet guys or hang out with friends. She liked the training she went through. The shop manager asked her to tidy up the shop. Janota did not do well on the written exam, but passed because she could do the work. After finishing school, Grace Janota was told she had a job at Consolidated Aircraft Corporation in Fort Worth, Texas. All of the living quarters were ready for the workers when they arrived. She wore a blue uniform. Janota had her own bedroom and bathroom. She worked an 8-hour day, getting off work at 5 in the evening. She was given a break for dinner and lunch. As a machinist, she made engine parts for Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers. She had to be very precise when making her parts. Janota liked her supervisors. She became friends with 1 supervisor and his wife, Rudolph Dolkas. The male supervisors treated the women decently. Janota felt good about the role she played in the war. All her brothers served in the Air Force, but none were pilots. 1 served as a tail gunner in a bomber in the Philippines. Another supervised the transfer of Prisoners of War across the United States. She wrote all of her brothers’ letters. Having all of their children spread out was difficult for Janota’s parents. Her father had to quit farming because he had no help. Janota spent many weekends with her parents. They did not discuss her work. Her father did not like her doing a man’s job, but eventually he changed his mind. Her mother was fine with her working. Janota was photographed by a local newspaper and was put in the news. She did not know the picture was taken, but it did not bother her. The women did not talk about the pictures. Janota’s parents got a copy of the paper. She was proud to be in the newspaper. Grace Janota and some friends liked to go out after work. They would meet up with the different soldiers who came into town. Janota enjoyed attending the summer musicals played in Dallas, Texas. She met a glider pilot and would go dancing with him. The pilot died in an airplane accident. His death was sad for Janota. The women she worked with did not talk about the deaths of people they knew. Janota worked as a machinist for 2 years. She took extra training and started operating a screw machine. Janota attended engineering school to design parts for the screw machine. She did not want to continue doing machinist work. A union contacted Janota and asked her to join the union, but she decided not to. She was asked to strike, but she did not do it. After the Japanese surrendered, the women were sent home. The company shut down the factory because it could not make parts for bigger airplanes. Janota was happy about the surrender. She did not mind losing her job as a machinist. Grace Janota thought the war would end, and she would return to her everyday life. She did not believe her life had changed much during the war. Once the war ended, she started doing more traditional women’s work. She was happy to go back to her old life. Janota’s most memorable moment during the war was the end. Janota did not get to celebrate the end of the war; she just went home to her family. She married a soldier after the war. She moved to Washington state with him, but they moved back to Texas. She worked as a bank teller. In 2018 and 2023, Janota visited the National World War II Museum’s Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2138.jpg |
| Image Size | 628.25 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2936 x 2375 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | October 1, 1942 |
| Location | |
| City | Fort Worth |
| State or Province | Texas |
| Country | United States |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NLR-PHOCO-A-66114(32) |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
Author of the World War II Multimedia Database