Charlotte Armstrong (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Charlotte T. Armstrong [née: Lubman] (June 17, 1924 - November 24, 2008) was a pitcher
who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
. Listed at 5' 7", 145 lb., Armstrong batted and threw right-handed. She was affectively nicknamed Skipper.
A hard fastball
pitcher, Armstrong was one of the top starters
in the AAGPBL for two years before jumping to a rival professional league.
, Armstrong was one of two girls into the family of Wilhelm Lubman and Gladyse (née: Nicholson) Lubman. She was two years old when her parents moved to Phoenix, Arizona
, and she lost her sister, Elizabeth, and her father at an early age.
Armstrong grew up in Phoenix, playing sandlot ball
with the boys of her neighborhood when she was a little girl. They stuck me in the outfield
, so l had to learn to throw, she recalled. As a youngster, she was befriended by local big leaguer
Hank Leiber
, who taught her to pitch.
At the age of 14, Armstrong was scouted by the Phoenix professional softball team, the A-1 Queens, and began her sports career. Armstrong developed into a record-breaking pitcher as she toured with the Queens throughout the West, as well as Madison Square Garden
and international tours to Mexico
and Canada
. Later, during World War II
, she was recruited by Philip K. Wrigley
to join the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League for the 1944 season.
in early years, the AAGPBL allocated the players to teams for the purpose of maintaining a competitive balance. Assigned to the South Bend Blue Sox
, Armstrong became known as one of the league’s best overhand pitchers. She immediately formed part of a strong pitching staff that included Margaret Berger
and Doris Barr
.
In 1944, Armstrong posted a 21-15 record with a stingy 1.51 earned run average
, and the following season she went 18-22 with a 1.96 ERA. She later played for the Chicago Bluebirds of the National Girls' Baseball League, before returning to Phoenix where she attended art studies at Phoenix College
and played softball again for the Queens as a member of their national championship teams.
, actress Alice Faye
and polifacetic entertainer Phil Harris
. Her work at the Paint Bucket attracted the owners of O'Brien's Art Emporium in Scottsdale, and with their encouragement, she began a career as a fine artist, creating beautiful Trompe-l'œil still life and wildlife images, landscapes and more. Her works were sold in art galleries and shown at the Phoenix Art Museum
, being collected by art lovers across the Southwest. Her works appears in numerous corporate collections, including the old Valley National Bank
collection.
An Arizona legend, Armstrong was a sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous
for 42 years, sharing herself freely with people, opening her heart and her home to those who needed her help. Eventually, she counted more than 130 different people who lived in her home over the years, who received both her wisdom and her down-home cooking. She also was named a charter member of the Arizona Softball Association Hall of Fame and, since , is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
in Cooperstown, New York
, when the entire AAGPBL were inducted into this venerable building rather than any individual player.
Charlotte Armstrong died peacefully in her homeland of Phoenix, Arizona at the age of 84.
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a women's professional baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. During the league's history, over 600 women played ball.-History:...
. Listed at 5' 7", 145 lb., Armstrong batted and threw right-handed. She was affectively nicknamed Skipper.
A hard fastball
Fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," such as Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, have thrown it at speeds of 95–106 mph and up to 108.1 mph , relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit...
pitcher, Armstrong was one of the top starters
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
in the AAGPBL for two years before jumping to a rival professional league.
Early life
A native of Dallas, TexasDallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Armstrong was one of two girls into the family of Wilhelm Lubman and Gladyse (née: Nicholson) Lubman. She was two years old when her parents moved to Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, and she lost her sister, Elizabeth, and her father at an early age.
Armstrong grew up in Phoenix, playing sandlot ball
Sandlot ball
Sandlot ball is a North American adolescent game that generally follows the basic rules of baseball. More specific rules can be set for games and may vary each time the game is played. These rules are usually agreed upon before the game begins by teams of young boys or girls usually from the same...
with the boys of her neighborhood when she was a little girl. They stuck me in the outfield
Outfield
The outfield is a sporting term used in cricket and baseball to refer to the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield...
, so l had to learn to throw, she recalled. As a youngster, she was befriended by local big leaguer
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
Hank Leiber
Hank Leiber
Henry Edward Leiber was an American professional baseball player. He played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball from to with the New York Giants and Chicago Cubs.-Early life:...
, who taught her to pitch.
At the age of 14, Armstrong was scouted by the Phoenix professional softball team, the A-1 Queens, and began her sports career. Armstrong developed into a record-breaking pitcher as she toured with the Queens throughout the West, as well as Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
and international tours to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Later, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, she was recruited by Philip K. Wrigley
Philip K. Wrigley
Philip Knight Wrigley , sometimes also called P.K. or Phil. Born in Chicago, he was an American chewing gum manufacturer and executive in Major League Baseball, inheriting both those roles as the quiet son of his much more flamboyant father, William Wrigley Jr. After his father died in 1932, Philip...
to join the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League for the 1944 season.
AAGPBL career
During spring trainingSpring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
in early years, the AAGPBL allocated the players to teams for the purpose of maintaining a competitive balance. Assigned to the South Bend Blue Sox
South Bend Blue Sox
The South Bend Blue Sox were a women's professional baseball team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
, Armstrong became known as one of the league’s best overhand pitchers. She immediately formed part of a strong pitching staff that included Margaret Berger
Margaret Berger (baseball)
Margaret Eloise Berger [″Sonny″] is a former pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 3", 129 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Her younger sister, Norma Berger, also played in the league.The AAGPBL changed women's team sports...
and Doris Barr
Doris Barr
Doris Barr [Dodie] was a pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 6", 145 lb., Barr batted and threw left-handed...
.
In 1944, Armstrong posted a 21-15 record with a stingy 1.51 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
, and the following season she went 18-22 with a 1.96 ERA. She later played for the Chicago Bluebirds of the National Girls' Baseball League, before returning to Phoenix where she attended art studies at Phoenix College
Phoenix College
Phoenix College is a community college located in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Founded in 1920, it is one of the oldest community colleges in the country....
and played softball again for the Queens as a member of their national championship teams.
Private life
Armstrong showed her artistic talent at an early age, designing attractive uniforms for the Queens softball team, and then branching out into drawing and painting. She owned and operated one of the early shops in Old Town Scottsdale in the 1950s,The Paint Bucket, in which she sold everything from hand-painted blouses and boxer shorts to wastepaper baskets, handmade cards and invitations. At the time, her shop was a favorite of visiting guests from the Elizabeth Arden spa and Camelback Inn, including singer Peggy LeePeggy Lee
Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...
, actress Alice Faye
Alice Faye
Alice Faye was an American actress and singer, called by The New York Times "one of the few movie stars to walk away from stardom at the peak of her career." She is remembered first for her stardom at 20th Century Fox and, later, as the radio comedy partner of her husband, bandleader and comedian...
and polifacetic entertainer Phil Harris
Phil Harris
Harris and Faye married in 1941; it was a second marriage for both and lasted 54 years, until Harris's death. Harris engaged in a fistfight at the Trocadero nightclub in 1938 with RKO studio mogul Bob Stevens; the cause was reported to be over Faye after Stevens and Faye had ended a romantic...
. Her work at the Paint Bucket attracted the owners of O'Brien's Art Emporium in Scottsdale, and with their encouragement, she began a career as a fine artist, creating beautiful Trompe-l'œil still life and wildlife images, landscapes and more. Her works were sold in art galleries and shown at the Phoenix Art Museum
Phoenix art museum
The Phoenix Art Museum is the Southwest United States' largest art museum for visual art. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the museum is . It displays international exhibitions alongside its comprehensive collection of more than 18,000 works of American, Asian, European, Latin American, Western...
, being collected by art lovers across the Southwest. Her works appears in numerous corporate collections, including the old Valley National Bank
Valley National Bank (disambiguation)
Valley National Bank or Valley National Bank Building may refer to:*Valley National Bank, a current banking organization*Valley National Bank, a previous banking organization...
collection.
An Arizona legend, Armstrong was a sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
for 42 years, sharing herself freely with people, opening her heart and her home to those who needed her help. Eventually, she counted more than 130 different people who lived in her home over the years, who received both her wisdom and her down-home cooking. She also was named a charter member of the Arizona Softball Association Hall of Fame and, since , is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
in Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
, when the entire AAGPBL were inducted into this venerable building rather than any individual player.
Charlotte Armstrong died peacefully in her homeland of Phoenix, Arizona at the age of 84.