Character of Midland
Books Available at www.petroleummuseum.org/shop.
  • Character Blog
  • About the Book
  • About Jimmy

The day baseball broke Rosalind Grover's heart

10/27/2011

2 Comments

 
As baseball fans, particularly those in Texas, sit patiently waiting for the beginning of Game 6 of the 2011 World Series between the Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals tonight, I wanted to share a story about America's Pastime and how it broke the heart of one Roz Grover. Now a treasured member of Midland's philanthropic community and longtime businesswoman and petroleum professional, Roz was 12 years old when this story happened. At the time, she was a huge fan of the game of baseball, which was in its heyday in the 1940s and '50s. In her story, Roz tells of the time her father, the respected oilman John Redfern, brought Carl Stotz, founder of Little League, to Midland, to help establish the sport in the growing West Texas city. It was a turning point in her life.

My father was instrumental in the founding of Little League in Midland. One time, he brought Carl Stotz, the man who was director and founder of the National Little league in Pennsylvania to Midland. I remember I was about 12, and at that age I loved baseball.

My father went to pick him up at the hotel. I was in the back seat while my father was driving, and you know how sometimes you have a seismic shift in your world? We were driving down Missouri Street — I still remember right where we were, we were right behind the parking garage at the bank — and I announced that I was going to play baseball. I was so excited. But this man turned around and said to me, "Oh, young lady wouldn't you rather be at home playing with your dolls?"

I sat there and I still remember, it was that moment in my life when I first realized that adults could be stupid. That had never entered my mind before, but when he said this, there was this seismic shift in me that adults could be stupid. I said to him, "No, I wouldn't!"

I never understood why he said that. It never dawned on me that I wasn't going to be allowed to play baseball when he was talking. I didn't realize it was a boys-only deal and it broke my heart not to be able to play baseball. And after that moment, i refused to listen to baseball for years.

Finally one time, years later, I said to myself, 'You've got to get over this.' So I sat down and scored  a game; a Los Angeles Dodgers game. I used to do that in college in Tucson. I would score them just to break that heartbreak. And today I realized I was suffering from residual bitterness; that I had left something behind that I had loved because I had been shut out. I realized I had to go back and revisit it to see if I still loved it, and I did still love it, but not enough anymore.

Time had marched on, and I had marched on and it didn't bother me nearly as much not to be involved. My daughter, she didn't play, they didn't have Little League for girls then, but when my niece came along, girls could finally play Little League ball. It was back in the 1970s, and I marched over to her one day and said, 'Look! Girls can play baseball! This is fabulous, you have to go over there and try out!"

And do you know what she told me? She said, "Oh, Aunt Roz, I'd rather just stay at home and play with my dolls." 

And I said, "What is this? Do you realize how much blood is on the floor? We fought so hard to get this for you. How could you want to stay at home and play with your dolls?!"
2 Comments

    About the Blog

    Welcome, and thanks for your interest in what will be a rewarding trip through our shared past. This "History of Character" blog is only the beginning. A book by the same name -- "A History of Character: The Story of Midland, Texas" -- will be published September 2014. Through this blog you'll be able to track the progress of the project and learn along with the book's author, Jimmy Patterson. If you have stories to share that you think deserve mention in the history of our city, drop an email to historyofcharacter@gmail.com.

    Archives

    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    January 2012
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010

    Categories

    All
    A History Of Character
    Character
    Compassion
    Courage
    Discrimination
    History
    History Of Character
    Integrity
    Jno. Butler
    Joe Chavez
    John Butler
    John P. Butler
    Midland
    Mike Bradford
    Ntral
    Odessa
    People
    Sid Trevino
    Thoughts
    Vision
    Wadley

    RSS Feed