The Queen & Her Maids

Out of My League

Once upon a time there was a touring girls softball team named -- you guessed it -- "The Queen & Her Maids".

Led by their father Royal Beaird, the team consisted of the 'Queen', Rosie (pitcher) and the Maids, sisters Eileen and Karen. Friend Debby Bevers and "Lotta Chatter" -- their brother dressed comically as a girl -- completed the team.

My dad took me to see the Maids the summer of 1971. Rosie was an incredible pitcher. Few who batted against her went home with bragging rights. But the show was more than just a gifted pitcher. Much like the Harlem Globetrotters, the Maids excelled both in their sport, and in entertainment. The big difference was that while the Globetrotters brought their own opposition along to ensure a perfect record, the Queen and Her Maids took on all comers. Oh, and the Maids were cuter than Meadowlark Lemon. Well, except maybe Lotta.

Royal Beaird was a true showman who kept the show going from the sidelines with running direction and humor. When a particularly rotund fellow came up to bat, Royal kidded, "Now, there's a man with his whole life in front of him!" I have to admit I still use that groaner from time to time.

Remember that in "those days" female athletes weren't taken very seriously.  Yet here was a team that was not only playing great softball, but were kicking full-grown men's butts in the process. It was really something. Especially to a particular 13-year-old fellow, i.e. your's truly.

Watching the game I was captivated by not only the team's mastery of their sport and the showmanship, but also by the smiling face of the youngest member, 13-year-old Karen. Somehow I managed to coax my dad into buying the team's "Official Souvenir Booklet".

I poured over the "Official Souvenir Booklet" hundreds of times. Every bit of Maids trivia was committed to memory.  Then, one day while looking at back cover, it occurred to me that since Royal was Karen's dad, if I wrote to her at the address listed for booking, he might give it to her. And if he did, and if I was lucky, maybe, just maybe, she would write back.

I don't remember much of what I wrote in that letter, other than I took a lot of time writing and re-writing to make sure it would make a good impression. I figured this letter had to stand out among the hundreds of fan letters they must get every day. The only thing I remember exactly was writing "I think you are very cute. You are the first girl I've ever told that to." Off the letter went to the mysterious land of Rolling Hills Estates California.

I should let you know that to this 13-year-old, The Queen & Her Maids were incredibly famous. After all,they had been on the "Steve Allen Show", "To Tell the Truth",  "The Dating Game", and "Truth or Consequences." How much more famous can you be than that?

Time went by, and life went on. Then one day a letter arrived marked AIR MAIL. I didn't get many letters, let alone one marked AIR MAIL. There was no return address. I opened the letter and couldn't believe my eyes; the letter was from Karen!

Over a span of many months Karen and I exchanged occasional letters. They were the kind of letters you would expect from young teens; a lot of talk about nothing much really. But each and every one made my day when it showed up in our mailbox, and like the souvenir booklet, I read each one over and over.

Then the big news. The local newspaper's sports section proclaimed "Superstar Rosie Hurls Here Again". The Queen & Her Maids were coming to town! It seemed like forever until the annual Seaway Festival heralded the return of the Maids, but finally it was upon us. I don't recall how I knew when the team checked into the Holiday Inn, but when they did I mustered up all my nerve and called. Royal answered the phone and sounded a bit wary of letting his young daughter speak to this unknown local fellow, but he relented. Karen was very nice. I asked her if she would like to go to dinner with me in the Inn's restaurant, but her father, being a good father, didn't think it was a great idea.

After some negotiation it was decided that it would be OK if I came to the hotel and talk to Karen on the lawn outside of their room. My problem was, my parents wouldn't drive me! Didn't they have any idea how important this was? I was about to go visit a beautiful, famous person. This was a bigger deal than Christmas morning!

Of course I'd been telling my friends for months about my upcoming rendezvous with beauty and fame. So when I jumped on my Stingray bicycle to ride the eight miles to the Holiday Inn -- the longest bike ride any of us had ever taken -- they came along out of curiosity and to lend moral support.

It is at this point that my story becomes perhaps a bit poignant. While I had been writing to a pretty girl who's face I'd seen in person and in print, Karen had been writing to an unknown quantity. Who knows what image my prose had painted or my voice had implied. Truth be told, whatever image it was, it undoubtedly outstripped my actual looks. I'll never forget the reaction when Karen came outside to meet me and my band of merry men. It was obvious she was working very hard to be nice while simultaneously hiding her disappointment. But alas there was no hiding the truth. In her defense I will point out that I am the geeky lad in the striped shirt. The fellow in the blue windbreaker is my brother, in the yellow shirt is my best friend Mitch. The kid on the end; I don't remember, but man was he a sharp dresser!

Despite her apparent disappointment, Karen was very sweet and spent time talking with us and posed for this historic image.  Eileen, who was likely the family's designated chaperone, took the picture.

The next day was the big game. My dad took me and I was feeling just a little bit special because I knew the team. During certain exhibition portions of the game Karen circulated selling souvenir books and 8x10 team photos. I bought a photo, and after the game the entire team signed it for me.  Royal Beaird and "Lotta" signed the back. I remember everyone being kind and gracious. That team picture hung on my wall for at least a year.

I never heard from Karen after that meeting, so my take probably hadn't been too far off. But since she had been far nicer to me than any other pretty girl at that most awkward age, I had no complaints. For a shy kid from a small town with a quiet life, it had been quite an adventure.

Fast forward to Now

I find it surprising that despite the longevity and popularity of The Queen & Her Maids, there is virtually no trace of them on the web. The few references are those of someone wondering whatever became of them.

So with a feeling of deja vu, I sent a letter to the Beairds in California. However this time it was to ask the family permission to include the contents of their booklet on my web page. I figured it would be nice to have some actual Queen & Her Maids history here rather than just my story of adolescence.

A few weeks later I heard back from Eileen who was gracious enough to grant permission to post what I had, and included additional material for the site.

So without further adieu, here is The Queen & Her Maids Gallery including 1971 and 1989 Souvenir Books and a few photographs.

Comments and Updates:

From Eileen Beaird:

• Karen made her last tour with "The Queen and Her Maids: when she was 21 (1979).
• Sadly, Royal passed away in 1985.
• The team's name was changed to "The Queen & Her Court" to accommodate addition of male players. (Lotta not-withstanding)
• Rosie and Eileen ended their softball career in 1990. Without Royal it became difficult to invest the time and energy needed to run the team, and both wanted to concentrate on their families.
  

From Debby (Bevers) Van Dusen:

Those were some good years and alot of fun. You are right. I did play 2 years in the pro league before I got married. I just retired from UPS, in July 2005, after driving a package car for 28 years. My husband and I have been married for 30 years now and have two grown daughters. They both received scholarships and played softball in college. My youngest is now an assistant coach at the Div 1 level, and my oldest is a social worker.

By the way, you are right, Karen was a sweety as a youngster. She has a good heart, as the Beaird family all did. On the lighter side, you fellows were quite the fashion statement.

From visitors to this site:

• "I also remember seeing the "Queen and Her Maids"!  They were fun to watch!  I believe Debby Bevers played in the original Women's Pro Softball League of the '70s playing for the Santa Ana Lionettes in 1977.  Her name then was Debby Bevers-Van Dusen."
• "I think Rosie and Debby may have both played for the Southern California Gems in 1976, the first year of the International Women's Professional Softball League.  The Gems disbanded the next season.  This may have been when Debby signed with the Lionettes."
• "Two Beaird brothers played "Lotta Chatter" over the years: Marvin and Norman. Marvin passed away in 2001."
• "It sounds as though the whole group really got into tennis. I had heard (no surprise) that "Lotta Chatter" was an excellent tennis player.
  For me the whole group is frozen in time when the world was young, and I can still hear Royal Beard hollaring at me because I wouldn't throw as hard as I could to his 14 year old daughter."
• "They had their own school at one time and taught my kids how to play ball."
  

If you have any additional information on The Queen & Her Maids, please email me.

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