Gladys Goodding

Gladys Goodding (June 18, 1893 – November 18, 1963) was an American musician who served as the stadium organist at Ebbetts Field for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1942 to 1957, when the team left Brooklyn and moved to Los Angeles.

She began her sports career playing organ in Madison Square Garden. In addition to the Dodgers, Goodding also performed for the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers. After the Dodgers moved, she remained in New York City and played the organ at sporting events until her death in 1963.

Early life and career Goodding was born in Macon County, Missouri to Meribah and Joseph Goodding, the third of their four children. Her father was a businessman and amateur violinist and her mother was a piano teacher. Her parents died when she was young; she and her younger brother were then sent to St. Louis to live in an orphanage. During her time there, she fell in love with baseball.

When the Dodgers made their last appearance at Ebbetts Field before leaving Brooklyn for Los Angeles, Roscoe McGowan noted that she "played numerous tunes with the farewell motif" including "Thanks for the Memory" and "How Can You Say We're Through?" Jack Lang of the Long Island Star-Journal noted that she also played "California Here I Come" and "So Long, It's Been Good to Know You", ending the day with "Auld Lang Syne" as Dodger fans left the ballpark for the last time.

Goodding died of a heart attack in New York City, aged 70.