On June 19, 1903, Willhelm and Anna Christina Gehrig gave birth to their first son, Henry Louis-or “Louie” to Anna. He was his parents only child to survive into adulthood, and survive he would. He would soon become one of the nation’s most beloved athletes and a leader in research for ALS. His father was absent most of the time, drinking beer and playing pinochle and so it was his mother whom he formed the strongest relationship with. He would later say that, “If it had not been for my mother, well, I’d be a good natured, strong-armed and strong-backed boy, pushing a truck around New York, loading and unloading boxes that less powerful truck drivers could not handle.”