Vonderau, Katie, 1927-2022

"In 1944 and 1945, Katie's softball team, Bob Inn, won two Indiana state titles. Katie spent the next eight years (1946-1953) in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League behind the plate for various teams. Katie was a hard-working catcher with a quick release and a sure glove that paid off for her in the 1952 season when her Ft. Wayne Daisies won the League Championship. In the off-season, besides competing in bowling and playing basketball, the business college graduate served as an auditor for an Insurance company and as a bank teller. After her playing days, Katie went on to receive B.S. and M.S. degrees in Physical Education from Indiana University and a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. Katie taught elementary, junior high, and high school physical education for nine years. As Dr. Vonderau, she served as a full professor and chair of the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for 22 years. Dr. Vonderau was inducted into the UW-Whitewater Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996. In 2003, the University dedicated a permanent display case honoring her years in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League."--https://www.aagpbl.org/profiles/kathryn-vonderau-katie/566, 2022