Maggie Jean

Prologue

Put yourself in Maggie Jean’s shoes. Here, she’s ready to compete in sports, but turned away – just because she was a girl! Would Maggie Jean become defeated and just accept her spot in life? Or would she rise above the reality of the time and place in history and fight for opportunities to participate in sports?

I invite you to read Maggie Jean, a girl growing up in the rural Midwest during the 1950’s and 1960’s, a girl striving with such determination to achieve her dreams. Discover the national events, as well as the history of women in sports. See how these all were instrumental for the passage of Title IX in 1972.

Maggie on left and Ella on right.

Chapter One

You’re Out!

Sitting at her school desk, recess couldn’t come soon enough for Maggie Jean. Wiggling in the seat, all she could think about was striking out the boys in softball. The month of April brought breezy days and rainy conditions. Much of the muddy playground was off limits until the area dried out. Today was the first decent weather for the softball showdown. Teams had been formed two weeks ago with Maggie Jean the only girl who wanted to play. That was alright; she was used to playing only with the boys.

The bell rang. Calmly, the class lined up. If they were noisy, Mrs. Stewart would make them sit down and lose five of the precious fifteen minutes of recess. Maggie Jean lined up closed mouth single file. Biting her lip, she walked silently in the hallway, without making a sound to her locker, she retrieved her left-handed, worn glove and ball, and walked silently to the outside door. Then, BAM! Maggie Jean took off like a launched rocket ship, reaching the pitcher’s mound first. This was her day to strike out the batters, she could feel it deep inside her bones. Maggie Jean had been waiting for this moment all winter and now was her time and place. The dirt ball diamond had cardboard bases held down with dirt clods; yet that didn’t matter to Maggie Jean. It seemed like Wrigley Field to her, where the famous Chicago Cubs played

Maggie Jean had been playing ball with her brother, Willie, since she was three. He made a bull’s eye on the side of the garage and would practice pitching balls after doing chores. Maggie Jean darted around with a bucket picking up the thrown balls. Studying how Willie threw and after many of her own practice throws had made Maggie Jean a Strike Out Queen – at least that’s what she privately called herself. The culture indicated that outspoken girls were frowned upon. It was expected to smile, be polite, and not think too highly of yourself. Otherwise, you were thought of as arrogant and rude. Maggie Jean knew better than that. She could keep her opinions to herself.

Finally, here was her chance to strike out Gary, the Home Run King. At least that’s what she privately called him.

Do I have to hit off a girl? Gary whined. Oh well, let’s get this over with. Move back, boys. This ball is gonna sail clear to the football field. Much teasing continued which made Maggie Jean nervous. Her hands became clammy. Her stomach started to hurt. Her breathing became faster and more shallow. And then, Maggie Jean remembered her brother Willie’s cool attitude. Just throw the ball to the bulls-eye, Brother Willie would say. No need to be nervous. You’re just as good as they are. Maybe better. You show them.

Maggie Jean took a deep breath and smiled at her opponent. Gary’s face had an arrogant grin and the confidence of connecting the bat and ball like he had done a million times before. Gary commenced to swing, then was stunned. He realized that he had missed the ball.

What happened? taunted Toby, laughing at the ridiculous situation of a girl pitcher to the most talented boy on the team.

I closed my eyes! Gary shouted. Won’t happen again.

Perspiration dripped from Maggie Jean’s brow. She wanted to prove to the boys that she was good enough to play ball with them.

The ball whizzed by Gary as he swung with all his might. Strike Two! called out the catcher.

Did you just say, ‘Won’t happen again?’ You’re being struck out by a girl! hollered Toby.

This ain’t funny, muttered Gary. He stepped back, glared at Maggie Jean, then spat in the dust.

Maggie Jean caught the ball, trying to look relaxed; yet her heart was beating out of her chest. Striking out Gary would be front page news to her. She looked anxiously around. The playground seemed swirling. The girls stopped swinging. Jump ropes fell to the ground. All eyes were on her. Two strikes. Could she do the impossible? Strike out the Home Run King?

Maggie Jean tried to compose herself and visualized the bulls-eye on the side of the garage. The catcher pounded his glove, then holding out as the target. Chattering of ‘Batter, batter, batter, started in the field. Hit a homer, Gary, clear out to the football field. You don’t want to be beaten by a girl, do you?" could be heard by the spectators.

It’s now or never, thought Maggie Jean. Recess will be over soon. I gotta strike Gary out, whispered Maggie Jean. So with every ounce of effort that Maggie Jean had, she threw the ball and Gary swung a mighty swing. And WHAP! The ball hit the catcher’s mitt, burning the catcher’s hand. The boys and the girls gasped. They had never seen a girl strike out a boy – much less Gary, the Home Run King.

First, Gary was shocked. Then Gary’s anger boiled. He took his bat and threw it sideways, aiming to hit Maggie Jean’s legs. The boys and girls gasped again.

Maggie Jean instinctively jumped over the speeding bat bullet and ran over to 2nd base where the bat landed. She grabbed the bat and hightailed to the Principal Clayton’s office. Gary knew he couldn’t run as fast as Maggie Jean so he acted like nothing happened and that the whole incident was Maggie Jean’s fault. She stole his bat! What nerve did this girl have?

Out of breath, Maggie Jean stormed into Mr. Clayton’s office. Looking annoyed, Mr. Clayton said, What is it this time, Maggie Jean?

Gary threw this bat at me on purpose - he could have hurt me. Maggie Jean explained emphatically.

Mr. Clayton answered, Now calm down. I’m sure he didn’t mean to. Maybe it slipped from his hand.

No! He was mad that I struck him out. Maggie was losing her composure. She started taking slow deep breaths and counting to ten in her mind to calm down.

Principal Clayton stared at Maggie Jean, wondering how to handle this interruption. Well, I’ll take care of this. Recess is over. You need to get back to class. Then, he leaned over his desk, acting absorbed in some paperwork, annoyed to be interrupted again by a girl who didn’t know her place.

As Maggie Jean left the principal’s office, she felt proud. She was proud to have struck Gary out, proud of her speed in running, and proud of speaking up for herself.

She tried to calm down. Now it was time to face her classmates and Mrs. Stewart. By the time she returned to the classroom, the students were copying spelling words like nothing had happened. Why wasn’t anyone saying, Good job, or Way to go! Gary didn’t make eye contact. Toby rolled his eyes. But Johnny winked. At least Maggie Jean had one friend, she thought.

The rest of the afternoon was a blur to Maggie Jean. She kept her thoughts to herself. Inside, she knew that she had accomplished something historically big in her own life, whether anyone acknowledged it or not. It was like winning a medal at the Olympics. It was like winning the Most Valuable Pitcher in the Majors. She struck out Gary. She was sure that Gary would be in trouble for his actions. Yes. It was a very BIG day for Maggie Jean.

That night, Maggie Jean dramatically shared her sporting success with the family at the dinner table, not leaving out any detail. They loved Maggie Jean and were happy for her. The