LEBANON — Mary Alice Gausman, fresh out of high school, wanted to see her first Major League Baseball game.

So, in 1960 — one year after graduating from Van High School in Van, W.Va. — Gausman took a bus from her home to Union Terminal in Cincinnati. Her dad gave her $45 for the trip.

Once in Cincinnati, the 18-year-old bought a newspaper and searched for a place to sleep. She found a couple that was renting a room, and she took a cab to their home. Nearby, she saw a “help wanted” sign in the window of Time Loan Co.

She interviewed for the clerical position and was hired on the spot.

The next morning, she watched her first Reds game at Crosley Field. Suddenly, she no longer depended on Waite Hoyt’s voice to describe the action on the field.

She was hooked.

For life.

She called her parents and asked them to mail her clothes.

Fifty years later, the Lebanon resident is one of the most devoted Reds fans in the area.

She was there for the last pitch at Crosley Field and the first at Riverfront Stadium.

She was there for the last pitch at Cinergy Field and the first at Great American Ball Park.

She was there for the last Spring Training game in Sarasota, Fla., and the first game in Goodyear, Ariz.

The 69-year-old has attended 45 Reds Opening Days, and when she was interviewed Friday, she was driving to the Reds game.

She is a member of the Rosie Reds and her dream is to perform a tandem skydive with the U.S. Army and deliver the game ball on Opening Day.

Her prediction for the postseason?

“I will be in attendance at the Reds World Series this year,” she said.

Don’t laugh. Her daddy did 50 years ago. 

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2842 or rmccrabb@coxohio.com.