1964-1979 ERA Name: Marshall "Rock" Waldo Inducted: 2011 Bio: Marshall Waldo began playing softball when he was eleven. He credits his mentor, the late school instructor / supervisor, Dick Lubera, for his success. Lubera spent hours on end teaching Marshall and other neighborhood kids the fundamental parts of the game. He played baseball at Amundsen / Mayfair Junior College and at the Navy Pier Campus of the University of Illinois. Marshall Waldo's career playing "major" softball began with the Jesters at Clarendon Park in the late 1960s. They were a sub-500 team but competed in a strong league that featured such legendary teams as the Bobcats, Sobies, Stompers, Lyons 45s, Dwarfs, Shooters, Murderer's Row, and the Gaffers. They disbanded after two years and Marshall then joined the Dwarfs. He stayed with them when they became the Amalgamonsters. Neither team won a world series title but did place second, third, and fourth thanks to the Bobcats and Strikers. They did win many tournaments and league championships at Clarendon and Kelly Parks, the top leagues on the North and South sides. While with the Dwarfs and Amalgamonsters, he played with numerous Hall of Fame players. On teams with that many power hitters and with his great speed, the left-handed hitter batted either leadoff or second. He could consistently hit between the shortstop and short center fielder and between the short center and second baseman. Fielders were rarely able to throw him out, and he often stretched singles into doubles. He was one of the better "on-base" hitters with an average close to .600. He made numerous all–star teams. Defensively, he played left and center fields. He retired from softball in 1979. He started playing racquetball in 1977 and soon became an accomplished player, winning numerous tournaments and many state, regional, and national titles. He was a nationally ranked player and was named Player of the Year by the Illinois Racquetball Association in 1989, the first male player in Illinois to receive that honor. He is in the Illinois Racquetball Hall of Fame. He has two children – Kimberly (Steve) Ruge and Bryan (Jennifer) Waldo and five grandsons: Dylan, Drew, Jackson, Jake, and Ryley. He lives on Chicago's North side.