Eleanor Grace Twitchell Gehrig (née Twitchell; March 6, 1904 – March 6, 1984) was an American philanthropist, socialite, sports executive, and memoirist, known as the wife of American baseball player

Lou Gehrig Henry Louis Gehrig ( ; June 19, 1903June 2, 1941), also known as Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig, was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig was ...

. After Gehrig's death she continued to promote his legacy and contribute to

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, Terminal illness, terminal neurodegenerative disease, neurodegenerative disorder that results i ...

(ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) research. In 1976 she released her autobiography, ''My Luke and I''.

Biography

Early years

Eleanor Twitchell was born March 6, 1904, in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, the daughter of Nellie (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Mulvaney 1884–1968) and Frank Twitchell. She had one brother, Frank. Eleanor stated in her memoir she was a product of the

roaring twenties The Roaring Twenties, sometimes stylized as Roaring '20s, refers to the 1920s decade in music and fashion, as it happened in Western world, Western society and Western culture. It was a period of economic prosperity with a distinctive cultura ...

and during this time in Chicago she led a party-girl lifestyle while climbing Chicago's social ladder, eventually meeting Gehrig at a party while he was in town for a game. Eleanor traveled around the country with him during his baseball career and in his final years took care of him. In 1935, Eleanor produced a song with

Fred Fisher Fred Fisher (born Alfred Breitenbach; September 30, 1875 – January 14, 1942) was a German-born American songwriter and Tin Pan Alley music publisher. Biography Fisher was born in Cologne, Germany. His parents were Max and Theodora Breitenbach ...

titled "I Can't Get to First Base With You". At the height of a storied career, her husband was forced to retire in 1939 due to his diagnosis with the then little-known disease

(ALS), which would eventually become known also as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Gehrig died in 1941 from the illness at the age of 37.

Charitable work

She took control of Gehrig's estate after his death. 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 ...

she raised money for the cause by auctioning off some of her husband’s memorabilia, raising six million dollars. She also registered to work with the

American Red Cross Motor Corps American Red Cross Motor Corps (also known as American Red Cross Motor Service) was founded in 1917 by the American Red Cross (ARC). The service was composed of women and it was developed to render supplementary aid to the United States Army, U.S. ...

. President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

heralded her for her efforts and summoned her to meet with him at the

Little White House The Little White House was the personal retreat of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States, located in the Historic District of Warm Springs, Georgia. He first came to Warm Springs (formerly known as Bullochville) in 19 ...

. In the 1960s, she stopped an alcohol brand from using Gehrig's image for an advertisement, only wanting her husband's image to be used for the

public good In economics, a public good (also referred to as a social good or collective good)Oakland, W. H. (1987). Theory of public goods. In Handbook of public economics (Vol. 2, pp. 485–535). Elsevier. is a commodity, product or service that is bo ...

. Gehrig served as National Campaign Chair on the board of the

Muscular Dystrophy Association Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is an American nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related Neuromuscular disease, neuromuscular diseases. Founded in 1950 by Paul Cohen, who lived wi ...

. Gehrig petitioned Congress to provide funding for research on the disease and the creation and funding for a national institute on multiple sclerosis.

Sports executive

In 1945 Gehrig was named the vice president of the

All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a major professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many ...

(AAFC), a new professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

league launched to compete with the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL).''The Don: Los Angeles Dons — Brooklyn Dodgers, September 13, 1946: Official Program.'' Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles Dons, 1946; p. 6. As such she became the first female sports league executive in the United States.

Death and legacy

Eleanor died on her 80th birthday in 1984, never having remarried, and left no survivors, spending her life devoted to her husband and his legacy. She donated $100,000 to the Rip Van Winkle Foundation, which in turn formed The Lou Gehrig Society, whose mission is to support research for ALS and the legacy of the Gehrigs. She also donated $100,000 to

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 ...

, which then established the Eleanor and Lou Gehrig ALS Center on the school's campus. Gehrig donated the remaining memorabilia in her possession to the

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United St ...

. In 2003, journalist Sean Kirst published an essay titled "The Ashes of Lou Gehrig" which discusses Eleanor's concern over Gehrig's grave due to vandalism and her wishes to have her ashes mixed with his after her death.The Ashes of Lou Gehrig
The Ashes of Lou Gehrig"] accessed 2-25-2022 Lou Gehrig best 800

Portrayal in media

Eleanor was portrayed by

Teresa Wright Muriel Teresa Wright (October 27, 1918 – March 6, 2005) was an American actress. She won the 1942 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Carol Beldon in ''Mrs. Miniver''. She was nominated for the same award in 1941 for her ...

in the 1942 film ''

The Pride of the Yankees ''The Pride of the Yankees'' is a 1942 American sports drama film produced by Samuel Goldwyn, directed by Sam Wood, and starring Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, and Walter Brennan. It is a tribute to the legendary New York Yankees first baseman Lou ...

''. The film was a hit at the box office and was nominated for eleven

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

. Eleanor served as consultant to the film and was paid $30,000 for her life rights. Teresa Wright was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Actress The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a lead ...

for her performance. She has been portrayed on television in a 1943

Lux Radio Theatre ''Lux Radio Theatre'', sometimes spelled ''Lux Radio Theater'', a old-time radio, classic radio anthology series, was broadcast on the Blue Network, NBC Blue Network (1934–35) (owned by the National Broadcasting Company, later predecessor of A ...

production by

Virginia Bruce Virginia Bruce (born Helen Virginia Briggs; September 29, 1910 – February 24, 1982) was an American actress and singer. Early life Bruce was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As an infant she moved with her parents, Earil and Margaret Briggs, ...

and a 1949

Screen Directors Playhouse ''Screen Directors Playhouse'' (sometimes written as ''Screen Directors' Playhouse'') is an American radio and television anthology series which brought leading Hollywood actors to the NBC microphones beginning in 1949. The radio program broadca ...

production by

Lurene Tuttle Lurene Tuttle (August 29, 1907 – May 28, 1986) was an American actress and acting coach, who made the transition from vaudeville to radio, and later to films and television. Her most enduring impact was as one of network radio's more versatil ...

. In 1976, her autobiography was turned into a television film titled ''A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story'', with herself portrayed by

Blythe Danner Blythe Katherine Danner (born February 3, 1943) is an American actress. Accolades she has received include two Primetime Emmy Awards for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Best Supporting Actress in a Dra ...

. The film was nominated for two

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

Works

* '' My Luke and I.'' New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co., 1976.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gehrig, Eleanor 1904 births 1984 deaths 20th-century American philanthropists Businesspeople from Chicago 20th-century American memoirists American socialites Philanthropists from Chicago Burials at Kensico Cemetery Memoirists from Illinois