Memorable Manitobans: Dorothy Blanche Ferguson “Dottie” Key (1923-2003)

Baseball player.

Born at Virden on 17 February 1923, daughter of Elmer Ferguson (?-?) and Violet Blanche Whiting (?-?), she was a contender as the North American Women’s Speed Skating Champion in 1939 but her ambition to perform for Canada in the 1940 Olympics were dashed when the Games were cancelled due to the Second World War. From 1945 to 1954, she played for the Rockford Peaches in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. She was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame (1998), Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame (2005), and Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame (2019). She died at Rockford, Illinois on 8 May 2003.

Sources:

Birth registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 14 May 2003.

“They will never be forgotten,” Winnipeg Free Press, 31 December 2003, pages A6-7.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 2 February 2024

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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