Margaret Gisolo (Oct. 21, 1914 - Oct. 20, 2009) was an American sportswoman and educator who while still a child was a pioneer in the history of women in
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
She was taught to play baseball by an older brother, who played minor league baseball at a semi-professional level. In 1928 Gisolo played for the Blanford Cubs from Blanford, Indiana in the American Legion junior baseball program, a program for children aged 14 to 16. With her team's growing success, she achieved considerable fame, with the ''New York Times'' calling her "The Girl Babe Ruth of Blanford, Ind", and her progress was tracked by "every media outlet from rural weeklies to Movietone News".
When her team defeated the Clinton Baptists, the losing team complained that regulations said "any boy was permitted to play" meaning girls were excluded, and therefore Gisolo should not have been playing. However, the administrators decided that in view of the role women had played in wartime and in the American Legion, there was no reason why she could not continue. Blanford went on to win the state championship on the way to a semifinal defeat in the national championship. The following year, the American Legion banned girls from baseball, citing the expense of separate facilities.
Later life
After her school education in Jacksonville Elementary School in Blanford, and Clinton High School in
Clinton, Indiana
Clinton is a city in Clinton Township, Vermillion County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 4,893 at the 2010 census.
History
The city was established in 1829 and is named for DeWitt Clinton, governor of New York from 1817 to 18 ...
, from which she graduated in 1931, she attended college, gaining her bachelor's degree from
Indiana State University
Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified among "D/PU: Doctor ...
in 1935 and a Master of Arts from
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, th ...
in 1942. Gisolo also played baseball on barnstorming teams, with
Maud Nelson
Maud Nelson (born Clementina Brida, November 17, 1881 - February 15, 1944) was an early Italian-born American professional woman baseball pitcher, scout, manager, and team owner.
Life
Nelson began pitching professionally at the age of 16, as a ...
among others. 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 opposing ...
, she served as an officer in the
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
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 (band) ...
, becoming a lieutenant commander.
After the war, she taught dance at
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) is a public research university in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. As of fall 2021, the university enrolled 7,044 undergraduates and 1,865 postgraduates, for a total enrollment of 9,009 students. The univ ...
from 1947 to 1952. She joined the faculty at Arizona State University in 1954, co-founding a School of Dance based on the
modern dance
Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert or theatrical dance which included dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th ...
component of the physical education department, which became "one of the top university dance programs in the country" with her as chair. There her students including baseball player Reggie Jackson; she is also cited by dancer Bill Evans as his "dance mother".
After her retirement from Arizona State, she played seniors tennis, and was nationally ranked until retiring aged 86: at her retirement she was ranked first in doubles and second in singles for her age group.
She died in
Tempe, Arizona
, settlement_type = City
, named_for = Vale of Tempe
, image_skyline = Tempeskyline3.jpg
, imagesize = 260px
, image_caption = Tempe skyline as se ...
on October 20, 2009, shortly before her 95th birthday.
Awards
* 1979 Arizona State University Distinguished Teacher Award
* 1982 Distinguished Alumna of Indiana State University
* 1994 Honorary doctorate from Arizona State University
* 1996 Honorary doctorate from Indiana State University
* 1998 Inducted into Indiana State University Athletics Hall of Fame
* 2004 Inducted into
National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame
The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit institution honoring exceptional U.S. athletes of Italian descent. In 1977 George Randazzo created the Italian American Boxing Hall of Fame. This was as a means for ra ...