It has been 60 years since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League’s players hung up their spikes. Now, a new book profiles one of the league’s greatest, who played for the Rockford Peaches.
Author Michelle Houtsnever met Dottie Kamenshek, who played first base for the Peaches from 1943 to 1953. But she learned a lot about the baseball great by talking with her former teammates and researching archives at Midway Village Museum in Rockford.
"She was good, but she was humble. She was great, but she was a leader. She was a star, but she helped the rookies."
Houts says Kamenshek’s talent and attitude make her a great role model for young readers: that’s who she wrote “Kammie On First” for. Houts is on a book tour: she’ll be signing her book at Cherryvale Mall near Rockford tonight, with a little help from Rockford Peach Helen Wyatt and members of the city’s current women’s baseball team, the Starfires.
