 |
 Living
across from the Oak Hill Playground in New Brighton
provided Virginia Carver the opportunity to practice her
favorite sport: baseball. Virginia was chosen first for
neighborhood baseball teams and was almost always the
only girl to play. She spent much time honing her
baseball skills at the playground.
Virginia's father realized his daughter's athletic
ability and, in 1953, contacted
Joe Tronzo of the News Tribune, who helped secure
Virginia a tryout with the All-American Girls
Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) founded by Cubs'
owner Philip K. Wrigley. Many male baseball players
served in World War II, and Wrigley wanted to keep the
game of baseball alive. The AAGPBL existed from 1943 to
1954 and provided more than 600 women the opportunity to
play baseball at the ultimate level. The league had
strict rules for the women, who were required to wear
skirts or skorts, were not permitted to smoke or drink
in public, and were unable to date without the approval
of the team chaperone. The women's experiences in the
AAGPBL were famously depicted in the 1992 movie "A
League of their Own".
In 1953, Virginia signed with the AAGPBL, reporting
to spring training camp for the South Bend Blue Sox, one
of the founding teams of the league. Virginia played for
the Blue Sox in 1953 and the Fort Wayne Daisies in 1954,
winning the pennant that season. During her career,
Virginia took the field as a pitcher, catcher,
shortstop, and outfielder.
The AAGPBL folded in 1954, and, in 1955, Virginia
joined the U.S. Air Force's Women in the Air Force
program. For eight of her eleven years in the service,
Virginia played for the Air Force women's softball
teams, traveling the country playing against college
teams and teams from other Air Force bases. After her
military service, Virginia settled in Petaluma, CA, and,
in 1967, was hired by the Petaluma Post Office, where
she worked for 31 years. Virginia was the first woman
letter carrier in Petaluma.
In 1989, the women of the AAGPBL were recognized at
the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in
Cooperstown, NY, at the "Diamond Dreams: Women in
Baseball" exhibit. Virginia is listed on a permanent
plaque in the Hall honoring the AAGPBL. To date,
Virginia is the only New Brighton graduate honored in
Cooperstown. In 2008, Virginia was inducted into the New
Brighton Hall of Fame.
Virginia passed away at age 87 on December 9, 2022,
in Petaluma. She left her entire estate to Petaluma
Parks and Recreation, due to her love of sports and
memories of her childhood playground. |
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