time. Salty successfully finished her coursework, but because she was in Illinois at the time of graduation, her father had to collect her diploma for her. During her two seasons with the Rockford Peaches, Salty remarked that the girls were “just doing what we loved and having a ball”. Although she primarily played as a catcher, that position was already filled, so she served as the backup catcher. However, due to her skills and strong throwing arm, she was moved to right field, where she played for both seasons. In the offseason, Salty took a job at Olmsted Air Force Base near Harrisburg where she worked as a clerk. She also played on their semi-professional basketball team. Then it was back to Illinois for season two. After the two seasons came to an end, the AAGPBL was dissolved and Salty knew she had to move on. In 1956 Salty took a position at Johnsville Naval Air Station as a clerk and administrative assistant. One of her responsibilities was to issue passes to individuals using the centrifuge chamber, which tested a person’s ability to withstand high G-forces. This made it possible for her to meet astronauts like John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Alan Shepard. Her love for baseball remained strong so she stayed actively involved in the sport as a Little League coach and she coached and played women’s softball. When the AAGPBL Players Association was founded in 1987 she became an active collaborator. They established a permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, honoring women’s baseball. In 1992, Salty was one of 61 original players who participated in a 10-day filming session for Penny Marshall’s film, “A League of Their Own”, starring Geena Davis and Tom Hanks. She even made appearances in some of the scenes.
ABOVE: The 1992 film “A League of Their Own” portrayed a fictional account of the real-life All-American Girls Baseball League. BELOW: Salty (left) and film director Penny Marshall stand by a display of “A League of Their Own” items at a 10th anniversary celebration at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.
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