Charles Albert Bender: National Hall of Fame Pitcher

Charles Albert Bender invented the slider. He was a World Series-winning pitcher and the first Minnesotan inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He grew up poor on a farm where he worked in the fields. He lived far away from his home and family while attending an Indian boarding school in Pennsylvania. Charles Albert Bender worked hard all his life and defined his success by the amount of effort he put into something. His story is a Minnesota Native American life. The Minnesota Native American Lives Series includes biographies of Charles Albert Bender, Ella Cara Deloria, and Peggy Flanagan. Read all three!

About the Author :
Kade Ferris is an anthropologist and historian with over twenty-five years of experience working with Ojibwe and other tribal communities across the upper Midwest. Kade received a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of North Dakota and a master's degree in anthropology from North Dakota State University. His research focuses on the history and culture of the Anishinaabe people. Kade has written several books and maintains a historical website, dibaajimowin, which chronicles small, interesting stories that can be used to learn more about the unique history and culture of the Indigenous peoples of Minnesota, North Dakota, and southern Canada. Kade is of Turtle Mountain Chippewa and Canadian Metis descent. He is a proud husband and father of five sons. He presently resides in Minnesota, where he continues his work with the Ojibwe people in tribal cultural preservation efforts. Tashia Hart grew up in the wilds of Minnesota. She loves animals, writing, drawing, plants, and cooking. She is the author of Gidjie and the Wolves (Intermediaries, volume 1) and Girl Unreserved (Broken Wings and Things, volume 1). Her forthcoming wild rice cookbook, in partnership with the Minnesota Historical Society Press, is set to be released in the fall of 2021. She writes essays and recipes about wild foods for various organizations and tribal programs, and is an avid beader with thirty years of experience. She believes Indigenous people should control how their stories and likenesses are portrayed, and so has recently started the independent publishing company (Not) Too Far Removed Press. The mission of the press is to uplift fellow Indigenous authors and artists of the Midwest region. Tashia is Red Lake Anishinaabe. tashiahart