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LONGEST CONSECUTIVELY-RUNNING WOMEN’S SOFTBALL TEAM IN THE WORLD • MORE THAN A DOZEN STATE SOFTBALL TITLES
Caterpillar Dieselettes:
THE GIRLS OF SUMMER
April – October 2015
They were the ‘Girls of Summer.’ Representative of a day when ballplayers called each
other nicknames like Pepper, Cotton and Cowboy. The exhibit gives a rare glimpse into
the women who worked in the Caterpillar offices by day in payroll, the mailroom or
in administrative roles – and turned into some of the greatest softball players in the
world by night.
Explore decades of Caterpillar Dieselettes, Sunnyland Lettes and Pekin Lettes
memorabilia, photographs and never-before-seen films of the women who went on
to win more than a dozen state softball titles.
CASE 1:
CASE 2:
Dieselettes of the 1940s
Dieselettes Legends
In the middle of the 1940-1941 season the team officially changed
its name from The “Caterpillar Girls” to the Caterpillar Dieselettes in
accordance with Caterpillar’s other athletic teams, such as the Diesels
men’s basketball team. In 1947, Chuck McCord became the team’s
new coach. He vowed to stay for only one year and wound up retiring
25 years later.
Many Dieselettes began their careers in their early teens – and a couple
went on to play professionally, Irene “Pepper” Kerwin for the Peoria
Redwings and Amy Applegren for the Rockford Peaches. Carolyn Thome
Hart, the youngest Caterpillar player, was recruited at age 15 and later
inducted into the ASA Hall of Fame in 1971.
Featured:
• “Our Dieselettes” song written by
the team, 1940
• Team photographed on a DW10,
East Peoria, IL, 1945
• Signed State Softball
Championship ball, 1946
• Dieselettes team jacket, 1947
• West Central Regional Championship
trophy, Milwaukee, WI, 1948
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Featured:
• Photo of Eleanor “Rudy” Rudolph,
Carolyn “Cotton” Thome Hart and
Amy Applegren, 1941
• All-American Girls Baseball League ball
display, 1943-1954
• Amateur Softball Association Hall of
Fame ring, Carolyn Thome Hart, 1971
• Amateur Softball Association Hall of
Fame plaque, Carolyn Thome Hart, 1971
• Baseball autographed by Amy Applegren, 1995
• Amy Applegren baseball card, 1995
• Irene “Pepper” Kerwin baseball card, 1996
CASE 3:
CASE 6:
Thriving in
the 1950s
The Caterpillar Girls
Remembered by Chuck McCord as
one his strongest teams, the 1951
Dieselettes won 29 consecutive
games with power-players like
Carolyn “Cotton” Thome, Eleanor “Rudy” Rudolph, Barb “Bobbi” Fuller,
and Bev Brown. Lorene “Lori” Ramsey and Esther “Es” Graiff joined
the team in 1955.
Featured:
• Caterpillar Tractor Co. patch for team jacket
• Mini Louisville Slugger souvenir bat – World’s Softball
Championship, 1951
• Girls Worlds Softball Championship patch, Portland, OR, 1955
• Dieselettes team jacket, 1955
CASE 4:
Japanese National Team
In 1962 the Pekin Lettes hosted the Japanese
National team from Takashimaya, Japan in
Pekin, Illinois for two games. The games
drew 10,000+ spectators per night,
overwhelming the streets of Pekin.
The Lettes won both games and
the visit concluded with a picnic
at the Cullinan Family Farm.
Featured:
• Flag Stick Pin, Takashimaya, Japan
• Player Gift, Japanese Softball Association Hand Fan
• Pennant from Japanese National Champions
• Photo of Eleanor “Rudy” Rudolph accepting a pennant from
Japanese players
• Souvenir Program, Pekin Lettes vs. Japanese National Champions
CASE 5:
The Evolution of a Winning Team
Caterpillar discontinued its sponsorship of the Dieselettes in 1955,
at which point the team played in Sunnyland
for three years before moving to Pekin, its
current home. The Pekin community
welcomed the team with open arms.
Featured:
• Dieselettes Team Jacket, 1955
• Sunnyland Lettes Team Jacket, 1957
• Pekin Lettes Jersey No. 10, 1959
• Pekin Lettes Team Jacket, 1960
• Pekin Lettes Jersey No. 3, 1969
• Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame
Ring, Lorene Ramsey, 1976
• Sunnyland and Pekin Lettes Scrapbooks,
1955 – 1972
• Homemade sign with four-leaf clovers from Lettes fan Rosie Wolfer
• Softball Slow and Fast Pitch (3rd Edition) by Marian Kneer and
Chuck McCord, 1980
The Caterpillar Girls softball team began
in 1936. Girls were leaving their midwestern
homes for the chance to work – and play – in
Peoria. The fabric for the first uniforms was
purchased using money from a raffle held
by the girls. The winner received a
case of Gipps Beer, a
Peoria favorite.
Featured:
• Photo of the
first Caterpillar
Girls softball
team, 1936
• Caterpillar Girls
replica
uniform, 1936
• Wood case for Gipps
Beer and Gipps Beer bottles,
ca. 1936
• Caterpillar Athletic Field Grand
Opening Program, 1936
• Ball glove, 1946
• Dieselettes Team Christmas
Card, 1949
• Dieselettes and Speedetes
Cardboard Game Sign, ca. 1947
CASE 7:
The Pekin Lettes
When Chuck McCord retired as the team’s coach in 1972, many of the
players retired with him after playing for multiple decades. The legacy
lives on with the team today. The Pekin Lettes currently play in Pekin,
Illinois at Mineral Springs Park.
Featured:
• Bottle Bat, ca. 1950
• Amateur Softball Association
West Central Regional
Champion trophy, 1959
• Pekin Lettes bag, ca. 1970
• Pekin Lettes uniform, ca. 1970
Artifacts and Memorabilia Donated and Loaned by:
L. Sidney Eslinger Collection,
Special Collections Center,
Bradley University Library
Jim Carballido
Family of Bill Dempsey
Family of Carolyn “Cotton”
Thome Hart
Irene “Pepper” Kerwin
Lorene “Lori” Ramsey
Eleanor “Rudy” Rudolph
Mickey Shallau
Bonnie Swanson
Chuck Thome
Ann Mullins Tindall
Esther “Es” Torry
The Walter “Wally” White Jr.
Family
Family of Gladys “Whitey”
Williams
Family of Mary Crilly Wolgemuth