During World War II, Boeing was the “bid kid on the block” as far as employment in the Northwest was concerned, with people flooding into Seattle from as far away as Alaska to help build the giant B-17s and B-29s in support of the Allied war effort. Given the company’s central role in the war effort—and the enormous number of people employed there—Boeing mirrored the historical and sociological shifts taking place across the American landscape during the 1940s and 50s. I plan to discuss some of these larger shifts and their impact on life in Pacific Northwest—including the phenomenon of women flooding into the 1940s workforce, the advent of commercial jet aviation in the 1950s, and the way in which the Cold War shaped the direction of the defense industry. Preceding the discussion, we will screen clips from “PIONEERS IN AVIATION,” our EMMY-nominated PBS documentary. [For further information, contact the presenter at william.w.winship@boeing.com].