Aug 26 2014

6:30 pm

Adam Chu will discuss the National Girls Baseball League, which flourished for 11 years, from 1944 to 1954. One of the team owners was Mel Thillens, owner of Thillens Check Cashers, a women's fast pitch team that played at Thillens Stadium 1951-52. The National Girls Baseball League (NGBL) was a rival to the All-American Professional Baseball League (1943-54) founded by Philip Wrigley. The latter was the subject of the feature film, A League of Their Own, and is better known. The All-American Professional Baseball League (AAPBL), in addition to playing ability, required women to adhere to standards of glamour. The NGBL focused solely on playing ability rather than beauty and in some cases featured better players than the AAPBL. Adam's goal is to rescue the NGBL from obscurity by creating a documentary film about the league and bringing the women players the credit they deserve. He will talk about the NGBL and his progress on the documentary film.

Chicago Public Library
Northtown Branch
6435 N. California Avenue
Chicago, IL 60645

free