Marcia Corinne "Corky" Clark (September 23, 1923 – December 2, 2006) was an infield/outfield utility and right-handed hitter who played in the

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley, which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the Uni ...

. She was dubbed ''Corky''.All-American Girls Professional Baseball League – Corinne Clark
Retrieved 2019-03-28. Madden, W. C. (2005) ''All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book''. McFarland & Company. Clark was born in

Yorkville, Illinois Yorkville is a city within the Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago Metropolitan Area and is the county seat of Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall County, Illinois, United States. It is a western suburb of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. The population ...

and graduated from

Yorkville High School Yorkville High School, or YHS, is a State school#United States, public high school located in Yorkville, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, in the United States. It serves grades 9-12 for the Yorkville Community Unit School District 115. The ...

in 1941. She served in the Navy

WAVES United States Naval Reserve (Women's Reserve), better known as the WAVES (for Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), was the women's branch of the United States Naval Reserve during World War II. It was established on July 21, 1942, ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

where she became a

Machinist's Mate Machinist's Mate (or MM) is a List of United States Navy ratings, rating in the United States Navy's engineering community. It is non-capitalised as machinist's mate when discussing the generic rating rather than as a proper noun when discussing a ...

2nd Class. she then joined the league with the

Peoria Redwings The Peoria Redwings was a women's professional baseball team who joined the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1946 season and remained in the league through 1951. The team represented Peoria, Illinois, playing home games at ...

in its 1949 season. Subsequently, she played

softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

in a Chicago league. Afterwards, Clark earned three degrees and held leadership roles in

physical education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

associations for more than two decades. She earned her

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

degree from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, following her

Bachelor of Physical Education A Bachelor of Physical Education (BPE or BPhEd) is a bachelor degree granted by some universities. In many Canadian universities it has been replaced by a Bachelor of Kinesiology. The degree can include topics such as sport science, coaching, and ...

degree from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

and a

degree from

. Clark was chairman of the Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Department at the

University of Wisconsin–Whitewater The University of Wisconsin–Whitewater (UW–Whitewater or UWW) is a public university in Whitewater, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System. As of Fall 2024, the university offers 47 undergraduate majors ...

, then served as an Associate Dean of the College of Education until her retirement after 20 years of service. After retiring, she moved to

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

. An avid golfer since an early age, Clark was actively involved in women's amateur golf in New Mexico since 1988. As a result, the ''Corky Clark Junior Golf Foundation'' was established in 1998 in recognition of Corinne 'Corky' Clark. Since then, the Albuquerque Women's Golf Championship each year recognizes her praiseworthy contribution with the ''Corky Clark Cup'' presentation to the tournament champion. The American Girls Professional Baseball League folded in 1954, but there is now a permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at

Cooperstown, New York Cooperstown is a village in and the county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in ...

since November 5, 1988 that honors those who were part of this unique experience. Clark, along with the rest of the league's girls, is included at the display/exhibit.Before A League of Their Own
''National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum''. Retrieved on September 5, 2016. In addition, Clark gained induction into the UW–Whitewater Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991. Then in 2003, the university dedicated a permanent display case honoring her year in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Clark died in 2006 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the age of 83.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Corinne 1923 births 2006 deaths 20th-century American sportswomen All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players National Girls Baseball League players Peoria Redwings players American female golfers WAVES personnel Baseball players from Kendall County, Illinois Columbia University alumni Illinois State University alumni Indiana University alumni Baseball players from Albuquerque, New Mexico People from Yorkville, Illinois United States Navy non-commissioned officers American women baseball players University of Wisconsin–Whitewater faculty