It is hard to believe but I’m a part of the AAGPBL with Penny Marshall!
When the phone rang in my studio while I was working on my sculpture of the matriarch Eve, I could hardly believe my ears. Did you know that less than 8% of bronze sculptures in the United States depict real women? I had just finished sculpting Norma, a strong female singer from Houston who bravely fought breast cancer, when I was asked by the All American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) to sculpt Penny Marshall. You may know Penny Marshall from Laverne and Shirley, but to me, she was a trailblazer—one of the first female producers. I’m continually inspired by women who push boundaries and make a difference, just like all the players of the AAGPBL. If you haven’t seen the movie, A League of Their Own, you truly should.
Since they couldn’t afford a bronze, I created a clay bust finished to resemble bronze, which now sits at Tropicana Field. As part of this commission, I was invited to the Baseball Hall of Fame for the AAGPBL reunion in Cooperstown, New York.
My daughter and my son-in-law are huge baseball fans—they actually met at college baseball games. Naturally, I asked if they, along with my then seven-year-old granddaughter, would like to join me for this special occasion. All I can say is that this is one of the greatest memories of my career, and I have had some incredible ones. My entire family got to meet all of the players. I watched my granddaughter toot around and collect baseball cards from these legends. Being there with my family was so incredibly cool. Remember, many of the remaining team were in their 80’s and more, but those who could make it came and signed things. We got a baseball bat and a baseball signed. I sat with my family for the dinner in the back. Penny Marshall’s daughter, Tracy Reiner, who was also in the movie, was in the front. They unveiled my sculpture, then presented me with a home plate signed the year before by many of the players that were no longer with us. I cried; Tracy reminded me that these women adopted me as they adopted her, and on the way back to my table someone shouted, “There is no crying in baseball!”
