Board of Directors
Joyce Stearnes Thompson
DIRECTOR AND PRESIDENT
Joyce Stearnes Thompson is the youngest daughter of Norman “Turkey” Stearnes, the Negro Leaguer/Major Leaguer posthumously inducted into 4 baseball Hall of Fames, including the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Joyce graduated from Cass Technical High School with a Performing Arts degree and earned a Bachelor of Science in Education and a Master of Education in Administration (4.0 GPA) degree from Wayne State University. She studied voice with a baritone from the Metropolitan Opera when she was 18 years old, was a soprano soloist with the Brazeal Dennard Chorale for 25 years and performed with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and a Mid-Ecumenical chorale in Europe. Joyce sang the “Star Spangled Banner” at Comerica Park in 2009 and has been singing it with her sister Rosilyn, since 2010. She recorded her CD, Turkey Stearnes’ Daughter Sings “Church Favorites” in 2006. Joyce retired in 2010 after teaching deaf and hard of hearing students for 36 years in the Detroit Public Schools and Bloomfield Hills Schools districts and was a Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) basketball official for 7 years. Currently, Joyce is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), the Negro Leagues Family Alliance (NLFA), and the African Descent Lutheran Association (ADLA). She enjoys playing handbells and giving concerts and motivational speaking presentations about her father’s career. Joyce is interested in developing partnerships with organizations and schools to preserve the legacy of her father and the Negro Leaguers, through mentorships, education and community sports events held on Norman “Turkey” Stearnes Field at Historic Hamtramck Stadium.