A Different Point of View

Archived Newsletters: Summer 2005

The Girls of Summer

“The boys of summer” evokes the popular view that baseball is a traditionally male endeavor, with women for the most part playing the passive role of spectator. The movie A League of Their Own popularized the history of the All-American Girls Baseball League, started by Wrigley, but that is not where the history of women in baseball began.
Women have been enjoying some form of baseball for centuries. The predecessor to baseball, stoolball, was apparently invented by milkmaids who used their stools as bats and targets. There is some debate as to how early it began, but it was documented as early as 1450. Stoolball is still played by women in Sussex, England, but no longer with milking stools.

In the 1800’s people began to recognize the importance of exercise and encouraged women to participate in sports. Women’s baseball clubs were formed at Vassar College in 1866, at Smith College in 1879, and Mount Holyoke College in 1891. Their long skirts were sometimes a hindrance, as a fielder would often get tripped up in her own dress. An instruction booklet at Vassar encouraged the women to use their skirts as makeshift backstops by spreading their legs, citing the technique as “the only safe way to stop a ball.” Women’s college baseball teams were not intercollegiate, and the clubs only played within their own schools.

College was not the only place to learn to “play ball.” Elizabeth Stride or Stroud, professionally known as Lizzie Arlington, learned the game from her father and brothers in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania. In 1898 at age twenty-two, Lizzie pitched in a single game for the Philadelphia Reserves, a men’s professional team. Hired as a promotional gimmick, she was expected to draw large crowds.  When those crowds did not materialize, she was moved to exhibition games.

Lizzie Murphy, from Warren, Rhode Island was an all-around athlete who played baseball. When she was eighteen she played for an amateur team in Warren. She developed a reputation as a skilled “utility man,” playing whatever position was needed.  Her batting average was higher than most men she played. Lizzie claimed that she had never been struck out in an interview in 1913. Recognizing that she was hired as a marketing tool to draw crowds, she negotiated her salary accordingly. Not afraid to market herself, she sold postcards with her picture at games generously supplementing her salary.

Jackie Mitchell was contracted to pitch for the Chattanooga Lookouts in 1931. The team was billed the only club to feature a female “on the mound,” but her fame did not stop there. She used only one pitch, called a “sinker,” and that was all she needed to strike out baseball legends Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition game against the New York Yankees. Babe Ruth claimed in later years that he “let” Jackie strike him out, but he had been extremely angry when he left the batter’s box. Striking out the giants did not work in Jackie’s professional favor; soon after that game the baseball commissioner voided her contract citing, somewhat transparently, baseball was too “strenuous” for women.

Not only did women play ball, but one also umpired. At the turn of the century, part of the entertainment of a baseball game was abusing the umpire, verbally and physically. However, Amanda Clement was one umpire who was never abused during her six-year umpiring career. In 1904 sixteen-year-old Amanda attended a semi-pro game her brother Hank was playing in Iowa. When an umpire scheduled for an amateur game didn’t show up, Hank suggested his sister take his place, saying she was a “pretty good ballplayer.” With extra balls tucked into the waistband of her long skirt, she stood behind the pitcher and called all of the plays in the infield and the outfield. She was instantly hired to umpire semi-pro games, and was able to put herself through college. The fans loved her so much that one crowd actually took up a collection and sent a car for her, replacing the man that had been hired for the game.

Even though women have been playing baseball since the game was invented, there have been few successful women’s professional leagues. The All-American Girls Professional League (hardball) and the National Women’s Baseball League (softball) were formed in the 1940’s. After World War II concluded, Philip Q. Wrigley withdrew financial support and the women’s leagues were eventually dissolved in 1954. Efforts have been made periodically, but have not been successful. Today, there are many small women’s leagues in America, most of them amateur. There are also many girls participating in Little League Baseball, playing the same game that boys are learning. Perhaps when these little girls grow up, they will have the chance to heed the major league umpire when she calls out, “Play ball!”

Recent Happenings on Title IX

Congress passed Title IX in the summer of 1972, paving the way for expanded opportunities for women in fields such as higher education and sports. Specifically, Title IX bans sex discrimination in any educational institution that receives federal funding. Since the advent of Title IX, the percentage of women receiving law, medical, and doctorial degrees has increased. The number of women participating in intercollegiate athletics quadrupled, and the percentage of girls engaging in athletics increased markedly.

Twice this year, the Supreme Court has upheld the principles of Title IX. In March 2005, the Court ruled that Title IX should cover those reporting discrimination, meaning that those who make complaints under Title IX can receive damages if educational institutions retaliate against them for “blowing the whistle.” In early June, the Supreme Court refused to hear a case in which the federal government was accused of damaging men’s sport in the interest of promoting women’s sports.

Update: Permanent Site for NWHM

On Friday, July 29, the United States Senate passed S. 501, The National Women’s History Act of 2005, by unanimous consent. The bill provides that the Pavilion Annex of the Old Post Office will serve as the museum site in the District of Columbia. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairperson Susan Collins (R-ME) said, “Such a museum would … showcase the many important social, economic, cultural, and political contributions that women have made to our country. “ NWHM officials are hopeful that the House of Representatives will approve the legislation quickly.

The vacant Pavilion Annex next door to the Old Post Office has been the prime choice of NWHM as a permanent site for several years now. The General Services Administration (GSA) had said that the Annex was “inseparable” from the Old Post Office building despite the fact the two structures were physically distinct. This claim complicated NWHM’s efforts because the Old Post Office building houses several federal government agencies. Legislation passed by the Senate ordered GSA to sever the properties and make the Annex available for the museum’s use. As our proposed legislation to provide a museum site to the NWHM progressed through the U.S. Senate, GSA requested that commercial developers express any interest in “re-developing” the Old Post Office building. In what may prove to be a positive development, GSA permitted prospective developers to provide their concepts for either the Old Post Office or Annex, or both, acknowledging that they could be considered separately.

During a public briefing in May, GSA pointed out to prospective bidders that legislation is now pending that would dispose of the Annex to NWHM. NWHM distributed informational materials and a statement that the museum will work with all developers that are interested in developing only the Old Post Office.

On June 21, 2005, we  submitted our proposal to develop the Annex as the National Women’s History Museum. We described how the space would be utilized, how the museum use would provide complementary facilities for a hotel located in the Old Post Office, and an overview of NWHM’s financing plans.

NWHM is aware of development proposals that specifically endorsed NWHM. This could answer argument that a museum would interfere with hotel development and the revenue it would generate. NWHM nonetheless prefers legislation because the GSA process is uncertain and time-consuming. Congress has designated museum sites through legislation for numerous other organizations, and pending legislation would simply allow women the treatment comparable to what other groups have enjoyed.

We will continue to pursue any and all avenues that will enable the Museum to move into the permanent home  as soon as possible.

Letter from our President

One of the best aspects of my role as president of the museum is attending events of NWHM Coalition member organizations. I also have an opportunity to meet personally with many of you who are NWHM charter members. The women with whom I speak are genuinely excited to learn about our plans for the National Women’s History Museum in the heart of our nation’s capital.

The question I am asked most frequently is why it is taking so long to secure the building site on Pennsylvania Avenue. How could anyone not see how much sense it makes to put a vacant building to use as a museum honoring the profound and varying accomplishments of a group that represents 52% of the population? I humorously reply that we are talking about Washington D.C. where nothing that makes sense gets done quickly.
           
A more involved explanation is that federal agencies proceed cautiously and jealously protect their turf. These tendencies become even more pronounced when we talk about a very significant property such as the prime piece of real estate NWHM has targeted. The Post Office Annex, in the heart of the Federal Triangle, is close to the core “must see” museums and historic sites. While we would obviously prefer not to have to wage battle, we know that a prominent and accessible location is critical to our mission of educating a large number of visitors. Congress can rip through all the red tape, and has done so to create other museums. Or we will prevail through bureaucratic processes. Thanks to your support, we have gotten a lot of attention and are now being heard. I am confident that because the NWHM makes so much sense, you will be visiting the museum in its prominent location on Pennsylvania Avenue some day, hopefully soon.

Celebrate These Women Born in Summer

Bella Abzug (July 24, 1920) served in Congress and fought for women’s rights throughout her life.  Born in the Bronx, Abzug attended Hunter College and Columbia Law School where she was a Law Review editor. She worked at a labor law firm and was one of few lawyers to defend those persecuted by Senator Joseph McCarthy. Lower Manhattan elected her to Congress in 1970, when her campaign slogan was “This woman’s place is in the House – the House of Representatives,” and she served until 1977. She ran in several other races, but was defeated. Abzug’s public service continued when Jimmy Carter appointed her to two presidential commissions on women, and she helped to found the Women USA Fund, an advocacy organization. She remained active in progressive politics until her death in 1998.

Dorothy Parker (August 22, 1893) lived an unhappy childhood in West End, New Jersey, before moving to New York in 1916, when she joined the editorial staff at Vogue. In 1917, she joined Vanity Fair as a theatre critic, where she met Robert Benchley, with whom she would form the famous Algonquin Round Table, a celebrated group of famous writers of the 1920s and 1930s. Parker published her first collection of poems, Enough Rope, in 1927 then published her first collection of short stories in 1930.  She also scripted films in Hollywood and wrote two Broadway plays. While at The New Yorker, Parker became famous for her acerbic criticism of books and plays. A spectacular conversationalist, Parker’s wit remains renowned, along with her poems and short stories. She died in 1967.

Wilma Rudolph (June 23, 1940) was born the twentieth of twenty-one children and battled polio until the age of 12, when she could walk normally and decided to become an athlete. While in school, she played for the basketball team, earning a full scholarship to Tennessee State University. She graduated in 1963 with a bachelor’s degree in education. Rudolph competed in the Olympics for the first time in 1956, winning a bronze medal. She returned to the Olympics in 1960, this time earning three gold medals and setting an American record. Her achievements in the Olympics led her to become one of the most celebrated female athletes of all time. She then worked as a teacher, track coach, and sports commentator and was the mother of four children. She died from brain cancer in 1994.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh (June 22, 1906) attended Smith College where she received numerous accolades for her fictional prose and scholarly writing. She married Charles Lindbergh, the famous aviator, in 1929. That same year she piloted her first solo flight and became the first American woman to earn a glider pilot’s license. World War II found the couple as leaders of the Isolationist Movement, leading many throughout the world to staunchly oppose the Lindberghs’ ideology. After World War II, Anne and Charles Lindbergh began to write and publish books. Her most famous work is Gift from the Sea, a discussion of the meaning of a woman’s life. For her contributions in the fields of literature and aviation, Anne received numerous awards and honorary degrees. She passed away in 2001.    

 

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