Westerman, Joyce Hill, 1992 April 14, Kenosha, Wisconsin:
Recorded interview and transcript available online.: See also the Westerman/Hutchison interview described below.
: Joyce Hill Westerman was born on December 29, 1925, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the middle child of seven children, three brothers and three sisters. Her parents were both born in Wisconsin, and Ms. Westerman has a mixed ethnic background of Danish, Swedish, and German. She was raised on a farm in Kenosha and was graduated from Kenosha High School. She worked for American Motors in Kenosha before joining the All American Girls' Professional Baseball League in 1944. Ms. Westerman was a catcher with five different teams in the league: Grand Rapids Chicks, 1945; South Bend Blue Sox, 1946, 1951-52; Peoria Red Wings, 1947, 1950; and Racine Belles, 1948-49. She remained with the League until 1952, working a wide variety of jobs during the off-season. She married Ray Westerman in 1950, and following her retirement from the league, she returned to work at American Motors until the birth of her first child in 1955. Her second daughter was born in 1957. Ms. Westerman remained at home, and active in community sports, until 1964 when she started with the U. S. Postal Service. She worked part-time until 1980, working full-time in Kenosha, retiring in 1986. She has also coached softball at Carthage College and area leagues. She and her husband Ray continue to reside in Kenosha.
Ms. Westerman begins the interview by describing her remembrances of the announcement of the attack on Pearl Harbor. She describes what life was like on the farm during this period, what sort of work went on, labor shortages, rationing. She tells about killing turkeys on her uncle's farm at Thanksgiving time. She then describes getting her first job at American Motors, including wages, and union activity.
Ms. Westerman tells of her softball activities leading up to her association with the All American Girls' Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). She describes her first tryout and spring training in places such as Florida, Mississippi, and Cuba. She then discusses the players' experiences on and off the road during the season, including travel, rules, pay, and the uniforms. She explains about rules governing the players conduct during the season, especially on road trips, and the role of the chaperone. She talks about being able to build her own house with her husband, while working a variety of jobs in the off season. She further describes the age and race of the players, problems with injuries, and hecklers. She also describes the emphasis on feminine behavior in the league. And she recounts her feelings about the first reunion of the league in 1982.
Ms. Westerman describes dating during the end of the war and immediate postwar period. She also corresponded with her brother who was in the service during this period. She further tells of her reactions to the atomic bomb, and her impressions of the war, and its effect on German members of the community. She describes German POWs working in Kenosha during the war. And finally, she ends with a description of the last year of her affiliation with the AAGPBL.
