Eleanor Gehrig

Eleanor Grace Gehrig (née Twitchell; March 6, 1904 – March 6, 1984)[1][2] was an American philanthropist, socialite, and memoirist, known as the wife of American baseball player Lou Gehrig. After Gehrig's death she continued to promote his legacy and contribute to Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) research. In 1976 she released her autobiography, My Luke and I.

Eleanor Gehrig
Eleanor Gehrig, 1935.
Born	Eleanor Grace Twitchell (1904-03-06)March 6, 1904 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	March 6, 1984(1984-03-06) (aged 80) Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Spouse	Lou Gehrig ​ ​ (m. 1933; died 1941)​

She was born March 6, 1904, in Chicago, the daughter of Nellie (née Mulvaney 1884–1968) and Frank Twitchell.[3] She had one brother, Frank.[4] Eleanor stated in her memoir she was a product of the roaring twenties 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.[5]

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 Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which would eventually become known also as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Gehrig died in 1941 from the illness at the age of 37. 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 titled "I Can't Get to First Base With You".[6]

She took control of Gehrig's estate after his death. During World War II 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. Then president Franklin D. Roosevelt heralded her for her efforts and summoned her to meet with him at the Little White House.[7] Eleanor was sued by Lou Gehrig's parents, believing she had withheld income generated from his life insurance policy. The case was settled out of court. 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.[8]

Gehrig served as National Campaign Chair on the board of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.[9] Gehrig petitioned Congress to provide funding for research on the disease and the creation and funding for a national institute on multiple sclerosis.[10]

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.[11] She also donated $100,000 to Columbia University, which then established the Eleanor and Lou Gehrig ALS Center on the school's campus.[12] Gehrig donated the remaining memorabilia in her possession to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.[13] 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.[14]

Lou and Eleanor Gehrig's headstone in Kensico Cemetery (the year of his birth was erroneously inscribed as "1905")