Episode 290 - Women's Professional Baseball: Celebrating the Future While Honoring the Past
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72 years ago, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League played its final game. Yesterday, women's professional baseball returned with the inaugural game of the Women's Pro Baseball League. On this episode of the Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery, you'll meet Margaret "Marge" and Helen Callaghan: Vancouver sisters, Boeing war workers, and the first sisters to play in the AAGPBL. Their story inspired the 1987 documentary that inspired Penny Marshall's 1992 epic film A League of Their Own.
Jennie and Dianne trace their Ordinary Extraordinary lives from the diamond to charm school to Lompoc Evergreen Cemetery in California. These women and the nearly 600 others who played in AAGPBL between 1943 and 1954 not only made history, but have inspired generations of girls to follow their dreams!
Purchase your tickets for the 37th annual Central City Cemetery Crawl on August 22, 2026, here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gilpin-historical-society-37th-annual-cemetery-crawl-tickets-1992231897234?aff=oddtdtcreator
Need an Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery Podcast tee, hoodie or mug? Find all our taphophile-fun much here: https://oecemetery.etsy.com
Family Tales: A free printable is now available! Gather 'round the table and dig into your roots! This interactive family history game is perfect for holidays, reunions, or just because. Ask, listen, and laugh your way through generations of stories and secrets. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UT_R56qEwNTIxIBrTy8KFyVmGnFOe7g8/view?usp=sharing
Resources used to research this episode include:
De Nicola, Christina . "The real women who inspired ‘A League of Their Own’ ." https://www.mlb.com/. 1 July 2022. www.mlb.com/news/featured/a-league-of-their-own-based-on-true-story. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.
Somers, Jeff. "The Real Women Who Inspired A League Of Their Own." https://www.grunge.com/. 23 Aug. 2022. www.grunge.com/976674/the-real-women-who-inspired-a-league-of-their-own/. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.
, Associated Press. "Lavonne 'Pepper' Paire-Davis dies ." https://www.espn.com/. 3 Feb. 2013. www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/8911670/former-women-baseball-star-lavonne-pepper-paire-davis-dies. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.
Hawthorn , Tom. "Diamond days gone, she's still in a league of her own ." https://tomhawthorn.blogspot.com/. 7 Nov. 2007. tomhawthorn.blogspot.com/2007/11/diamond-days-gone-shes-still-in-league.html?m=1. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.
, Multiple Contributions . "All-American Girls Professional Baseball League ." https://en.wikipedia.org/. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All-American_Girls_Professional_Baseball_League. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.
Sargent , Jim. "Marge and Helen Callaghan ." https://sabr.org/. sabr.org/bioproj/person/marge-and-helen-callaghan/. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.
, Multiple Contributors. "Marge Callaghan ." https://en.wikipedia.org/. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marge_Callaghan. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.
, Multiple Contributors. "Helen Callaghan ." https://en.wikipedia.org/. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Callaghan. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.