1. Eleanor Grace Twitchell Gehrig was an American philanthropist, socialite, sports executive, and memoirist, known as the wife of American baseball player Lou Gehrig.
17 Facts About Eleanor Gehrig
1. 2.
Eleanor Gehrig Twitchell was born March 6,1904, in Chicago, the daughter of Nellie and Frank Twitchell.
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Eleanor Gehrig died in 1941 from the illness at the age of 37.
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Eleanor Gehrig traveled around the country with him during his baseball career and in his final years took care of him.
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In 1935, Eleanor Gehrig produced a song with Fred Fisher titled "I Can't Get to First Base With You".
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Eleanor Gehrig took control of Gehrig's estate after his death.
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Eleanor Gehrig registered to work with the American Red Cross Motor Corps.
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Eleanor Gehrig served as National Campaign Chair on the board of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
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Eleanor Gehrig petitioned Congress to provide funding for research on the disease and the creation and funding for a national institute on multiple sclerosis.
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In 1945 Eleanor Gehrig was named the vice president of the All-America Football Conference, a new professional football league launched to compete with the National Football League.
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Eleanor Gehrig died on her 80th birthday in 1984, never having remarried, and left no survivors, spending her life devoted to her husband and his legacy.
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Eleanor Gehrig 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.
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Eleanor Gehrig donated $100,000 to Columbia University, which then established the Eleanor and Lou Gehrig ALS Center on the school's campus.
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Eleanor Gehrig donated the remaining memorabilia in her possession to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
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Eleanor Gehrig was portrayed by Teresa Wright in the 1942 film The Pride of the Yankees.
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Eleanor Gehrig served as consultant to the film and was paid $30,000 for her life rights.
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Eleanor Gehrig has been portrayed on television in a 1943 Lux Radio Theatre production by Virginia Bruce and a 1949 Screen Directors Playhouse production by Lurene Tuttle.