We can’t wait for you to meet the Lambeau Ladies!

My daughter Katherine and I are so excited to announce that our book, “Lambeau Ladies: The boundary-breaking women behind Lombardi’s Packers” will be released August 4th.

Our project, which includes a six-episode podcast, celebrates all our favorite things — admirable women, lifelong friendships, abiding love stories, and the greatest franchise in the history of the NFL (in our humble opinion).

Published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press, the book is equal parts sports, history, comedy, romance and there’s even a tragic unsolved murder we’re hoping gets reopened.

It took us three years to interview our subjects and the people who knew and loved them, write the book and podcast scripts, sign a book deal, edit the book, record the podcast, collect and approve the artwork, and send the whole project off to the printer.

In that time, Katherine got engaged, married, got pregnant and had a baby. So, our three generation project became four.

It’s been a prolific few years!

In some ways, the book grew out of this post, which I wrote 13 years ago. It described a spontaneous trip down memory lane in Green Bay with three women who had fascinating stories to tell. Ruth Pitts, Vicky Aldridge Nelson and my mom, Peggy Kostelnik, wives of Elijah Pitts, Lionel Aldridge and Ron Kostelnik, spent nearly a decade as Packer wives during a pivotal time in both the NFL and the country at large.

In their reminiscence, Vicky and Ruth introduced us to another key character in the story of Lombardi’s Packers, Flo Bettis.

We can’t wait for you to hear her story.

We have so many other great stories to share with you! You’ll meet the wise Marie Lombardi, who took her role as the head coach’s wife so seriously she inspired the next generation of coach’s wives to do the same. We’ll introduce you to the graceful Sheila Wood, a renown ballerina, paint a broader picture of the hilarious Cherry Starr, and reveal which wife attended the two coldest games in NFL history.

Helen Toburen’s story will touch your heart, Gwen Jeter’s dedication will inspire you, and Marilyn Hart’s escapades will crack you up. One of the wives fulfilled her lifelong dream of becoming a radio disc jockey, another, who was one of the first Black teachers in the Green Bay School District, became a decorated educator with a reputation for turning around troubled schools.

We interviewed a wide range of people as we fleshed out the stories of the women who came to Green Bay in the 1960s, and each conversation left us both tickled and impressed.

It’s been our honor to represent the Packer WAGS of the 1960s.

We’d love for you to join us at any of our book-signing events, including our big launch on August 6th at the Appleton Public Library. You can find more information about our book, our podcast and our book signing schedule on our website, http://www.lambeauladies.com.

Go Pack Go!

P.S. If you follow us on our Lambeau Ladies social media sites, you’ll get a sneak peak at some of the cool photos and stories the ladies and their families shared with us, and some that didn’t make it into the book.