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Special Collections & University Archives
Manuscript Collections

Bernice Gera Collection

Bernice Gera was born June 15, 1931 in Ernest, PA. Gera went on to become the first woman ever to umpire a professional baseball game. Graduated from the Florida Baseball Umpire School, West Palm Beach, Florida in 1967, some of the more memorable games Gera umpired inlcuded the National Baseball Congress Tournament in Wichita, KS and the Semi-Pro Invitational Tournament in Bridgeton, NJ. On June 24, 1972, Gera officiated at the first game of a double header in the New York - PA Professional Baseball Class A League, thereby becoming the first female professional umpire. Because of her poor treatment by the players and the fans, Gera resigned between games, ending her career as an umpire. From 1974 to 1979 she worked in Community Relations until her death in the summer of 1992.

Throughout her career, Gera was a philanthropist who essentially umpired to support her charitable interests. At Christmas time she purchased toys for hospitalized children. A formidable player herself, she often entered home run hitting contests to raise money for local charities. In 1967, in fact, she outslugged Roger Maris in one such contest.

This is primarily a collection of newspaper articles chronicling her life from childhood to major leagues, and culminating with her induction into Indiana County's Hall of Fame. Also included are a tape made by Gera about her life and one of her baseball cards.

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