About this item
Baseball s First Lady is the story of Helene Hathaway Robison Britton, the first woman owner of a major league baseball club, and her influence on the evolution of the St. Louis Cardinals. Late in life, Cardinals owner M. Stanley Robison willed his club and ballpark to niece Helene Britton. This transfer in 1911 marked a break in the gender barrier in the executive level of Major League Baseball, as Helene, a young wife and mother of two, confidently accepted her inheritance. Operating among baseball s magnates of the day, she attended owner s meetings as an equal and took an active role in running her club all at a time when society dictated that a lady should not attend a baseball game without a male escort. Despite facing serious domestic problems during her tenure as owner, she proved herself worthy of her uncle s trust.
About the Author
Freelance Writer and Historian Joan M Thomas also writes under the name Joan Wendl Thomas - using her Wendl surname. Since earning a Communications degree at Lindenwood University in 1989, she authored four books. She also contributed numerous feature stories to print and electronic publications. All of her work reflects her passion for writting and research, particularly in the field of baseball. A longtime member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) ,she wrote a number of biographies for several of its book projects, as well as its bio web site. Her focus on anything of an historical nature, including cooking and personal stories, inspired her to branch out to other genres in 2013. After living in St. Louis, Missouri for many years, she moved to Le Mars, Iowa with her husband Bob and German Shepherd/St. Bernard-mix pal Sasha. For a complete list of her writing credentials, go to www.joanmthomas.info.
