Before there was Danielle O’Toole or Kenzie Fowler or Jennie Finch, and before UA softball coach Mike Candrea was even born, women’s fastpitch softball got its start.
Back in the 1930s, city and semi-pro leagues sprang up around the country, including in Tucson.
It’s where Norma Gallego’s mother, Bodie, got her softball start, eventually inspiring her daughter to play softball well enough to be among the first group of players to ever receive scholarships to play at Arizona.
That was in the 1970s, and fastpitch softball is still relevant to this day.
Saturday at John F. Kennedy Park’s Fiesta Area, Gallego and a committee of other former softball players will celebrate 50 years of women’s fastpitch, specifically the era from 1940 until 1990.
The idea to relive the past was a simple one.
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“Basically, the way it came about is, a few of us who played ball a long time ago had talked about how it was such a great time in our lives, and there were so many great teams,” Gallego said. “So we decided we were going to basically have a reunion.”
The event runs from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
There will be a celebration of softball, with activities ranging from a mariachi band to keynote speakers and actual softball activities, including pitching and hitting.
Some might be more spry than others — the oldest attendees are expected to be in their mid-80s, legends of softball from way back in the 1940s.
Planning the event has allowed Gallego and her colleagues to reconnect with former stars. Gallego has heard them reminisce and, in some cases, watched as they tracked down their old teammates to attend with them.
Gallego expects more than 200 people to attend the event. They’ll hail from everywhere from Oregon to Mississippi to Las Vegas.
One of the coolest stories is surely that of Carlene Gorham, a player in the 1940s who played softball until 2013 in various forms, and still bowls to this day.
“She called me out of the blue, and then told me about her story, which I think has been the most interesting part of this — having people recall what it was like to play in ‘my era,’” Gallego said.
Speakers will include Kathleen “Rocky” LaRose, a former UA softball player and coach who rose to deputy director of athletics at the university.
Another speaker will be longtime umpire Joe Robinson, a Pima County Hall of Famer.
“I recall him probably throwing me out of one game,” said Gallego, who played at Arizona from 1974-76.
Players from the 1940s who will be in attendance — Gallego says she expects seven of them — will be honored as the large crowd spends the day celebrating the sport they fell in love with many years ago.
“The early years really provided a foundation for those that followed, and raised the standard,” Gallego said.
“Connecting is what it’s all about.”
