FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 29, 2011

CONTACT: Jeff Mammenga, Media Coordinator, (605) 773-6000, Jeff.Mammenga@state.sd.us

New Children’s Book About First Female Umpire Steps Into Batter’s Box

PIERRE, S.D.—The cry of “Play Ball” is once again on the lips of baseball umpires across the country, and the South Dakota State Historical Society has hit the first pitch into the bleachers with its new book for children, Umpire in a Skirt: The Amanda Clement Story, written by Marilyn Kratz (Krats) and illustrated by Hector Curriel (CURE-ee-el).

Retired teacher Marilyn Kratz, from Yankton, tells the story of Amanda Clement (CLEM-ent), the first paid female baseball umpire in the country. Clement hailed from Hudson, S.D., where she started umpiring semi-pro baseball games as a teenager. She quickly earned a widespread reputation for her fairness and ability to control games.

Kratz wrote the story because many people, especially South Dakotans, have never heard of Clement and her achievements. Clement’s success as an umpire and the fame she gained resulted in a meeting with President Theodore Roosevelt and a space in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Newspaper cartoonist and artist Hector Curriel, from Sioux Falls, has provided bold illustrations that highlight baseball’s action, the colors of the summertime, and the drama of a young woman taking control of grown men in the heated environment of competition.

The book is complemented with a number of questions at the back as well as an extensive list of appropriate websites and videos on the South Dakota State Historical Society Press’s website, www.sdshspress.com. Young readers can use the questions to think about what it meant for Amanda to do what she did more than 100 years ago. From the website, they can learn how to be an umpire and call their own balls and strikes.

Umpire in a Skirt is written for first- to fourth-grade readers. The book is available for $9.95 (plus shipping and tax where applicable), and can be purchased from most bookstores or ordered directly from the South Dakota State Historical Society Press. For more information, visit www.sdshspress.com or call 605 773-6009.

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The South Dakota State Historical Society is a division of the Department of Tourism. The society is headquartered at the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. The center houses the society’s world-class museum, the archives, and the historic preservation, publishing and administrative/development offices. Call (605) 773-3458 or visit www.sdhistory.org for more information. The society also has an archaeology office in Rapid City; call (605) 394-1936 for more information.