Retro RFH Baseball First: Girl on the Boys’ Team

RFH Class of '78 alumni Nancy Whelchel was the first girl to play on the boys' baseball team. Photo/George Day
RFH Class of ’78 alumni Nancy Whelchel was the first girl to play on the boys’ baseball team.
Photo/George Day

In light of baseball season and honoring high school firsts in the breaking down of gender barriers, this Retro Pic of the Day, originally published in 2015, is being recirculated … 

Yes, it’s all about baseball right now.

And the idea of RFH girls breaking into sports that were traditionally boys’ is something to think about.

So, who was on first, or, rather who was first to be somewhere on the field with the guys in the 1970s? It was RFH Class of ’78 alumni Nancy Whelchel.

Yes, Nancy got onto the baseball field with the boys at RFH a year or two after Chris Bowden scored a goal for girls in soccer.

It all happened back in the day when girls had just made strides to change the dress code and wear pants to school. That was a mass effort. There were a lot of girls walking around wearing skirts or dresses with pants underneath. But that’s another girls’ liberation story for another day.

It’s about those singular sensation girls who defied a status quo form of sexism when literally playing the fields.

So, the Retro Pic of the (George) Day honors one of those girls — Nancy Whelchel. It’s a snapshot of Nancy on the field with Ward Tietz.

We’re not sure if this is an actual team practice shot or just one in which she was just tossing the ball around for fun with a couple of the guys from her class.

Still, there she is playing ball. She had the guts and the sports acumen to break the good ol’ — or young — boys’ sports network.

Home run.

I somehow don’t recall any sort of rebellion from the boys. She was good. That was all that mattered.

Any firsts for girls on the football field? Anyone? What was Nancy Whelchel’s specialty on the baseball field?

Many thanks, again, to George Day for this classic!

— Elaine Van Develde

In Memorium: Longtime Fair Havenite, Fire Company Auxiliary Member & President, Ruth Binaco, 88

Longtime Fair Haven resident and veteran member and past president of the Fair Haven Fire Company Ladies’ Auxiliary, Ruth A. Sonnichsen Binaco passed away on April 24. She was 88.

Continue reading In Memorium: Longtime Fair Havenite, Fire Company Auxiliary Member & President, Ruth Binaco, 88

Memorial Set for Longtime Fair Havenite Larry Curchin, 59

Longtime Fair Havenite Larry Curchin’s loved ones summed up the sentiment of his passing on April 10 by ending his obituary with a thought to remember him by: “When you see a motorcycle go by one day, with the rider loving every minute of it, you will still know that Larry’s wonderful, passionate spirit lives on.”

Continue reading Memorial Set for Longtime Fair Havenite Larry Curchin, 59

Prosecutor: Middletown Fire Under Investigation

Police and personnel from the Monmouth County Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating the cause of a fire that engulfed two homes in Middletown early Sunday morning, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said on Monday.

Continue reading Prosecutor: Middletown Fire Under Investigation

Prosecutor: Former Housing Authority Director Gets 5 Years for Theft of More Than $90K

The former Executive Director of the Asbury Park Housing Authority has been sentenced to five years in prison for bilking the organization of more than $90,000 between 2008 and 2011, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said on Friday.

Continue reading Prosecutor: Former Housing Authority Director Gets 5 Years for Theft of More Than $90K

Prosecutor: Appellate Court Confirms 2015 Double Homicide Convictions

A three-judge appellate court denied dual appeals filed by two New York City men convicted of the brutal 2010 double homicide of sibling Freehold restaurant owners, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said last week.

Continue reading Prosecutor: Appellate Court Confirms 2015 Double Homicide Convictions