Elaine Weddington Steward (born 1963) is an American lawyer working for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB) as an assistant general manager. She is an inductee of the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame.
Elaine Weddington Steward | |
|---|---|
| Born | Elaine Weddington 1963 (age 60–61)[1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | St. John's University St. John's University School of Law |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Employer | Boston Red Sox (1988–present) |
| Spouse | Chuck Steward |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame (2024) |
Biography
editAs a teen growing up in New York City, Steward was a New York Mets fan, and often was a babysitter for outfielder Félix Millán.[2] She won the Jackie Robinson Foundation program scholarship in sports management, and went on to attend St. John's University in Queens, New York. She graduated with honors earning a bachelor's degree in Athletic Administration in 1984.[3] She then went on to St. John's University School of Law and graduated with a J.D. degree in 1987.[4]
While Steward remained in school, she was an intern in the New York Mets' public relations department under Peter Ueberroth.
In 1988, Steward was hired by the Boston Red Sox as an associate counsel; she was promoted to assistant general manager in January 1990.[5][6] She became the first African American woman, and second female minority, to hold an executive position for a major-league baseball team.[7]
As of 1997, Steward and her husband, Chuck, had three children.[2]
Steward was selected as one of the "Ten Outstanding Young Leaders of Boston" by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce in 1999. She was also elected into the YWCA's Academy of Women Achievers. During her time at St John’s University, she received the Outstanding Alumna Award from the Black Alumni Association and the St. John’s University President’s Medal. Later on, she went on to receive the National Association of Black Journalists Sports Task Force’s Sam Lacy Pioneer Award, and the Jackie Robinson Foundation Sports Management award and scholarship.[4]
Steward was featured in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum's "Women in Baseball" exhibit in Cooperstown, New York.[8] She was inducted to the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2024.[9]
References
edit- ^ "HERStory: Elaine Weddington Steward (1963 - )". The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
- ^ a b O'Connor, Ian (April 13, 1997). "From Jackie's way to Fenway". New York Daily News. p. 44 (Special Section). Retrieved September 4, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Browne, Ian (February 23, 2017). "Red Sox exec Steward paved unique path". MLB.com. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
- ^ a b Muhammad, Siebra (March 1, 2013). "Women's History Moment: Elaine Weddington Steward, the First Black Woman Executive in Major League Baseball". blacknews.com. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
- ^ "Elaine Steward". MLB.com. Boston Red Sox. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
- ^ "Transactions". The Daily Argus. White Plains, New York. January 28, 1990. p. D-9. Retrieved September 4, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Leslie A. Heaphy; Mel Anthony May, eds. (2006). Encyclopedia of Women and Baseball. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0786421008.
- ^ "Major League Baseball: Not for Men Only". Ebony. Vol. 53, no. 12. October 1998. p. 48. ISSN 0012-9011. Retrieved September 4, 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ Abraham, Pete (May 29, 2024). "Dustin Pedroia and Jonathan Papelbon were obvious for Red Sox Hall of Fame but Trot Nixon was stunned to be in Class of 2024". The Boston Globe. Retrieved May 30, 2024.