This year’s Roland Hemond Award recipient is Bloomingdale-native and selfless White Sox Volunteer Corps member Joan Morris. Volunteering her time at more than 250 Sox service events since joining the Corps in 2012, Morris returned to her nursing career after just a two-week retirement to work on the frontlines of the COVID-19 public health crisis. She then traveled abroad to lend her expertise at a refugee camp in Slovakia, working 12-15-hour shifts to further help Ukrainian evacuees needing medical assistance. The White Sox will present Morris with this award during a special on-field recognition, scheduled during Sox Serve Week on Friday, June 23 vs. Boston.
Roland Hemond Award
The late Roland Hemond, former White Sox general manager and three-time winner of Major League Baseball’s Executive of the Year award, dedicated his life to baseball, advocating for change and a forward-thinking enthusiasm that enriched the history and tradition of the game we all love.
Hemond revolutionized front office management and strategy during a seven-decade career in baseball while dedicating his time and influence to selflessly lend a hand to those in need. His lasting impact is forever commemorated through the countless stories told by those he gave opportunities, hope and inspiration.
Nominations
Each season, the White Sox invite fans to nominate selfless individuals who, like Roland, have gone above and beyond for others in their community. Winners have received a VIP White Sox Spring Training Experience, including an opportunity to throw a ceremonial first pitch before a game at Camelback Ranch, among other exclusive recognitions. Chicago White Sox Charities also will donate to the nonprofit organization or charity (501c3) of the award winner’s choice (mutually agreeable).
Nominations for the 2024 Roland Hemond Award are open now through April 30, 2024, with a recipient scheduled to be recognized during this season’s celebration of Sox Serve Week.
About the Roland Hemond Award
The first recipient of the Roland Hemond Award was Dr. Julian Lopez, who donated a kidney to White Sox vice chairman Eddie Einhorn in 2002 after having been his doctor and knowing of his struggles to receive a donated kidney. Among the list of distinguished award winners:
- 2004: Bill and Bonnie Cartwright – Foster parents who, after finishing raising their family, helped a young man fulfill his potential and lead an extraordinary life
- 2005: Sean Cary and Danny O’Hearn – Two nine-year-old Tinley Park natives whose lemonade stands raised thousands of dollars to support nearby children’s hospitals
- 2006: Ryan Devlin – Local Tinley Park man who organized a donation drive and auctioned off his 2005 World Series tickets to support Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts
- 2008: Anna Sherony – Founder of Wounded Heroes Foundation, supporting military members with care packages across the world
- 2010: Billy Pierce – Seven-time MLB All-Star recognized for his support of Chicago Baseball Cancer Charities and research and treatment efforts
- 2014: John Kazanas – Former MLB scout who assisted a woman and her children when their van was struck by another vehicle
- 2018: Karissa Frazier – University of Illinois Chicago softball pitcher who served as a Gift of Life ambassador and organized swab collections for the bone marrow registry
About Roland Hemond
Born: Oct. 26, 1929 at Central Falls, R.I.
Died: Dec. 13, 2021
Hemond possessed 59 years of professional baseball experience, including 23 seasons as a general manager with the White Sox (1971-85) and Baltimore Orioles (1988-95) and five seasons as Senior Executive Vice President with the Arizona Diamondbacks (1996-2000). He later served as Executive Advisor with the White Sox (2000-07) until rejoining the Diamondbacks organization. Hemond, who was considered the architect of the highly successful Arizona Fall League that began in 1992, also was a nationally recognized ambassador of the game, serving as president of the Association of Professional Baseball Players of America.
Beyond his contributions to the game, Hemond was widely known as a champion of service and philanthropy. The winner of the Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, Hemond also helped form the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation. Hemond, a military veteran of the United States Coast Guard, is the inspiration for two additional prominent MLB awards: The Baseball America Award, presented to a person who has made significant contributions in scouting and the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) award for the executive who has shown great respect for scouts.
