Ruth Hartman (Kramer), 2008

Ruth Hartman, an All-American Girls Professional Baseball League alum, who played for the Fort Wayne Daisies and Racine Belles during the 1940s, is a pioneer for women’s athletics. 

The AAGPBL existed from 1943-1954 and was the inspiration behind the 1992 movie “A League of Their Own”. A pitcher and second baseman during her playing days, Ruth took part in the National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum’s 2006 dedication of “Diamond Dreams: Women in Baseball”, an updated version of an exhibit on the history of women in baseball that has been on display in Cooperstown since 1988. 

After her two seasons in the AAGPBL, Ruth played for several amateur teams in Pennsylvania. 

A 2002 inductee of the Berks County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, Ruth began teaching physical education and coaching volleyball, track and swimming in the Reading School District in the 50s. 

In 1976 she founded the Reading High School softball program. In 18 seasons at the helm for the Red Knights her teams went 217-73, won two Berks County Championships, three District titles and were state runner-ups twice. 

Now retired from coaching and teaching, Ruth remains competitive raising Corriedale sheep. Many of her sheep are named for Reading and Philadelphia Phillies players. In fact, “Brito”, a ram named for lefty Eude Brito, was the 2006 National Champion Ram at the North American International Livestock Exposition.