Malden Historical Society to present talk on May 2 on Malden native Helen ‘Nordie’ Nordquist

  All are invited to the annual meeting of the Malden Historical Society on May 2, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. in the Maccario Room of the Malden Public Library. After a brief business meeting, the Society will present a talk by Linda Glover: “Seven Ages of a Remarkable Renaissance Woman: Malden Native Helen ‘Nordie’ Nordquist.” Attendees will have an opportunity to learn something new about this Maldonian’s varied life – in baseball and beyond.

  If you’ve seen the Penny Marshall film “A League of Their Own” (1992), you know something of the Rockford Peaches, one of the original four teams in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPL) that played for 12 seasons starting in 1943. These women’s teams helped keep baseball going on the home front while many of the men served overseas.

  But at that early date, Helen Nordquist was growing up in Malden and discovering herself as an athlete. On graduating from Malden High School, she decided to try out for the AAGPL, and was signed to play for the Kenosha (Wisconsin) Comets. After a year with that team, she joined the aforementioned Rockford Peaches for their 1952 and 1953 seasons; the following year she played for the South Bend (Indiana) Blue Sox. A right-handed pitcher and outfielder, Nordquist did not let the disbanding of these teams in the mid-1950s deter her from pursuing the sport she loved.

  But that was just the beginning – and only one way she stepped outside traditional women’s roles. Said presenter Linda Glover, “Once we became acquainted, I discovered a lot more about her. How many of us have been invited to join the CIA?” Come to the Library on May 2, and learn from Glover why the next stages of this Malden native’s life were even more interesting.

  All attendees are welcome to enjoy refreshments after the presentation. Members are encouraged to bring something for the refreshment table.

  The Malden Historical Society is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization that is always looking for new members. Anyone with an interest in history who wants to learn more about the Malden Historical Society can attend one of their meetings or visit www.maldenhistoricalsociety.org.