Dolly Brumfield
Delores Brumfield White (born May 26, 1932 in Prichard, Mobile County) is a former utility infielder/outfielder who played from 1947 through 1953 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, and a retired educator.
In 1946, at age 13, dock workers in Prichard encouraged Brumfield to try out for the all-girls baseball league, which was holding tryouts in nearby Pascagaoula, Mississippi. The next year she began her baseball career when her parents reluctantly allowed her to attend AAGPBL training camp in Havana, Cuba. She was nicknamed "Dolly" at that time, and it stuck with her throughout her playing career. Throughout much of her career, Brumfield exhibited a versatility to play most positions with the exception of pitcher and catcher. Among other career highlights, she posted the best fielding average for all position players in 1950 and finished second in the batting title race in 1953.
Brumfield had been attending college during the offseason. She graduated from Alabama College for Women in 1954 with a degree in health, physical education and recreation. She then attended the University of Southern Mississippi, receiving her master’s degree (1959) and doctorate (1969) in physical education. In 1977 she married Joe White, from Gurdon, Arkansas, becoming known as Dr. Delores ״Dee״ White. While passing through Arkadelphia, Arkansas on the way to a job interview in Louisiana, a friend dared her to call up the local college to see if they were hiring. She wound up getting a position at Henderson State University from that call, and retired in 1994 after 31 years of dedicated work, being honored with the title professor emeritus.
In 1988, she became part of Women in Baseball, a permanent display based at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, which was unveiled to honor the entire All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She later served as president of the AAGPBL Players Association for a long term.
Her work and legacy also have been recognized by a number of individuals and organizations. She gained induction into the Henderson’s Reddie Hall of Honor in 1998. In 2003, she was invited to the White House by President George W. Bush to serve as a first base coach for one of the South Lawn tee ball games hosted by the president. In 2004, she was honored by the University of Montevallo with one of its Distinguished Alumni Award. Then, in 2007 she was recognized by seeing the Henderson State University softball field renamed as the “Dr. Delores ‘Dolly’ Brumfield-White Softball Field” in a dedication ceremony. She has even been honored with a painting of her adorning a traffic control box in North Little Rock, Arkansas, just a short distance from Dickey-Stephens Park, the home of the Texas League's Arkansas Travelers. In 2011 she was inducted into the Mobile Sports Hall of Fame.
References
- Delores Brumfield. (2013, April 13). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 11:50, February 20, 2014, from [1]
- Hicks, Tommy (April 1, 2011) "Dolly White, former player in women's league, in a league of her own." Press-Register
- Jansen, Holly (April 2013) "Line Drives And Lipstick" Mobile Bay magazine