Women’s History Month: Who was Dottie Kamenshek?
In celebration and recognition of Women's History Month, the Rockford Register Star has partnered with Midway Village Museum to bring readers a local women's history fact of the day.
Visit rrstar.com or the Rockford Register Star newspaper each day throughout the month of March to read about the women who played significant roles in Rockford history.
Born in Ohio in 1925, Dorothy "Kammie" Kamenshek played for 10 years for the Rockford Peaches of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Playing mainly first base, Kamenshek led the league in batting average in 1946 and 1947, and during her 10-year career she struck out only 81 times in 3,736 at-bats.
The 1992 film “A League of Their Own” featured Geena Davis as Dottie Hinson, the league’s best player, a character loosely based on Kamenshek. She retired from baseball in 1952 and later moved to Los Angeles to continue a career in physical therapy.
She was inducted into the National Women's Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013 and is buried in Southern California next to her spouse and fellow Hall of Fame member Margaret Wenzell.
Want to learn more about Dottie Kamenshek? Visit Midway Village Museum online at midwayvillage.com or in person at 6799 Guilford Road, Rockford.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Women’s History Month: Who was Dottie Kamenshek?
