Betty Ruth Chatwood

a.k.a "Dodger Mom"

August 19, 1924 ~ October 5, 2010

Betty Chatwood, peacefully passed on October 5th, 2010 in Burbank ,CA

She will be missed by all who knew her, especially her surviving son John Chatwood.

She is preceded in death by her husband Carrol and sons Mel and Todd.

"Dodger Mom"

The best time to talk to players is before the game. They are usually looser and often more approachable than after the game when they want to get home. So I always made it a point to get to the park several hours before the game. The general entrance gates are still closed, not to open until 6:00 p.m. But the first fans of the day are already lined up, waiting for the gates to go up. At the head of the parked cars, talking to everyone who stops by under the protective umbrella, is Betty Chatwood- better known as "Dodger Mom."

Betty has been a baseball fan since she was a girl. She grew up near Wrigley Field on 42nd Street. Her father often took her to Angel games, but her strongest memory of the Coast League days was when George Raft and Slapsy Maxie Rosenbloom used to park in her family's driveway because Raft hated to park his Cadillac on the gravel in the stadium parking lot. The Hollywood stars sometimes paid for the kids to go to a game. In 1937, Rosenbloom even hired a limousine to ferry Betty's whole family to San Diego for an Angel-Padres game in thanks for the parking privleges. Raising a family took up most of Betty's time by the 1950's. She became a Dodger fan when the team came west, but raising her three sons tended to keep her away from the Coliseum or Dodger Stadium and at home in Burbank.

But life is an unpredicable thing, and it offered Betty Chatwood a series of heartaches. One of her sons died in childhood. A second, who worked for the Dodgers, was killed in a motorcycle accident. several years ago, her husband also passed on. As her own family was slowly decimated, the Dodgers gradually became another family for her. She started coming to the stadium regularly in 1972, sitting in the Left Field Pavilion. She has not missed a game in the last 17 years. Her remaining son now pays for her season ticket behind home plate on the Field Level.

Betty has had lots of favorite players over the years. Near the top of the list is current Giant coach and former Dodger outfielder Dusty Baker. He was the one who started calling her "Dodger Mom." Her first post was in "Cannon Country" in the Left Field Pavilion, and she loved to watch its namesake, Jimmy Wynn, "The Toy Cannon." Ron Cay, Bill Russell, and Steve Yeager are her other favorites from the late 1970's. Now she is especially fond Mike Scioscia and looks forward to games with the astros. They knew her son and all came over to offer condolences after hearing of his death. Joe Niekro and his wife, Nancy were especially kind.

Chances are Dodger Mom will be the first at the gate in 1990, also. She is looking forward to the Dodger centennial year and all the celebration that will accompany the games. She has a hard time getting around now because of arthritis, but she still never misses a game. betty can't wait until April, when she will get another chance to cheer on "her boys."