I March of 2007 I went to Kazakhstan to adopt my son Michael, and when I learned the adoption hearing in court would take place on April 3rd, I saw it as a good omen. April 3, 1923 is the day my maternal grandparents, Bob Hasty and Wilma Butler, were married. Exactly one hundred years ago today!
In April 1923 Papa was touring with the Philadelphia A's but Connie Mack gave him a few days off for the honeymoon, and even paid for it!
The wedding was planned quickly, as Papa was in town for an exhibition game with the Crackers, and Memaw didn't have time to shop for a traditional dress. They just got married in the Butler family living room. Below is a description of her dress, from a newspaper story.
“She was exquisitely gowned in reindeer brown flat crepe, gorgeously embroidered in gold and bronze, in fashionable Oriental designs. She wore a beautiful imported hat of French blue, with ribbon trimming of bronze, and a combination of harmoniously blended colors, and carried a shower bouquet of orchids and cream roses.”
This is what the paper said about Papa:
“Mr. Hasty is the son of Mr. and Mrs. W.B. Hasty of Smyrna, and is well-known over the state, having been prominent in athletics. Choosing baseball as his profession, Mr. Hasty has risen to the top and has for the past three years been a winning pitcher on the Philadelphia American league baseball team. He is a Shriner and his friends and admirers are legion.”
Their early marriage was tumultuous, with Papa accused of a crime he didn't commit in November of 1923. That was the inspiration for my book Return to Marietta, available on Amazon.
Above, my grandparents in 1971, about a year before Papa died. They were married almost 50 years.
#bobhastybaseball, #bobhastyphiladelphiaathletics, #wilmabutlerhasty, #bobhastymarriage
