Corinne Clark (September 23, 1923 – December 2, 2006) was an infield/outfield utility and right-handed hitter who played in the

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the Uni ...

. She was dubbed ''Corky''.All-American Girls Professional Baseball League – Corinne Clark
Retrieved 2019-03-28. Madden, W. C. (2005) ''All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book''. McFarland & Company. Born in

Yorkville, Illinois Yorkville (officially the United City of Yorkville) is a city and county seat of Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall County, Illinois, United States. The population was 21,533 at th2020 census History In 1836, the city of Yorkville was settled ...

, Clark served for the Navy

WAVES Waves most often refers to: *Waves, oscillations accompanied by a transfer of energy that travel through space or mass. * Wind waves, surface waves that occur on the free surface of bodies of water. Waves may also refer to: Music * Waves (ban ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

before joining the league with the

Peoria Redwings The Peoria Redwings was a women's professional baseball team who joined the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1946 season and remained in the league through 1951. The team represented Peoria, Illinois, playing home games at ...

in its 1949 season. Subsequently, she played

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

in a

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

league. Afterwards, Clark earned three degrees and held leadership roles in

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorati ...

associations for more than two decades. She earned her

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

degree from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, following her

Bachelor of Physical Education A Bachelor of Physical Education (BPE or BPhEd) is a bachelor degree granted by some universities. In many Canadian universities it has been replaced by a Bachelor of Kinesiology. The degree can include topics such as sport science, coaching, and ...

degree from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

and a

degree from

. Clark was chairman of the Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Department at the

University of Wisconsin–Whitewater The University of Wisconsin–Whitewater (UW–Whitewater) is a public university in Whitewater, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System. Student enrollment in the 2014–2015 academic year was more than 12,000. The universit ...

, then served as an Associate Dean of the College of Education until her retirement after 20 years of service. After retiring, she moved to

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

. An avid

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

er since an early age, Clark was actively involved in women's amateur golf in New Mexico since 1988. As a result, the ''Corky Clark Junior Golf Foundation'' was established in 1998 in recognition of Corinne 'Corky' Clark. Since then, the Albuquerque Women's Golf Championship each year recognizes her praiseworthy contribution with the ''Corky Clark Cup'' presentation to the tournament champion. The American Girls Professional Baseball League folded in 1954, but there is now a permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at

Cooperstown, New York Cooperstown is a village in and county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in the C ...

since November 5, 1988 that honors those who were part of this unique experience. Clark, along with the rest of the league's girls, is included at the display/exhibit.Before A League of Their Own
''National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum''. Retrieved on September 5, 2016. In addition, Clark gained induction into the UW–Whitewater Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991. Then in 2003, the university dedicated a permanent display case honoring her year in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Clark died in 2006 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the age of 83.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Corinne 1923 births 2006 deaths All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players National Girls Baseball League players Peoria Redwings players American female golfers WAVES personnel Baseball players from Illinois Columbia University alumni Illinois State University alumni Indiana University alumni Baseball players from Albuquerque, New Mexico People from Yorkville, Illinois United States Navy sailors 21st-century American women American female baseball players