Former Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame Pitcher Fergie Jenkins to Serve as Keynote Speaker at Schaumburg's Volunteer of the Year Awards Luncheon
Former Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame Pitcher Ferguson "Fergie" Jenkins will serve as the keynote speaker at Schaumburg's Annual Volunteer of the Year Awards Luncheon to be held Thursday, April 20.
From 1967 to 1972, Jenkins played for the Chicago Cubs and accomplished an incredible achievement of six straight 20-win seasons, winning the 1971 NL CY Young Award as the league's top pitcher.
He played with a number of teams from 1974 through the early 80s before retiring after the 1983 season, returning to Chicago and retiring as a Cub, not long after recording his 3,000th strikeout. At the time, he was the only pitcher in baseball history to strikeout more than 3,000 batters while accumulating less than 1,000 walks (997), a feat only since matched by Curt Schilling, Pedro Martinez and Greg Maddux. In 2009, Jenkins' number, 31, was retired at Wrigley Field, enshrining him among the other greatest players in Chicago Cubs history.
Canadian-born, Jenkins is the first and only Canadian to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which occurred in 1991. He was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987.
While his career includes a number of accolades and awards including the Lou Marsh Award recognizing Canada's top athlete, Canadian Press Male Athlete of the Year and induction on Canada's Walk of Fame, Jenkins is also known for his off-the-field accomplishments.
In 2010, Fergie was honored with a Canadian Postage Stamp in conjunction with Black History Month. The following year, he traveled to 46 cities across Canada, promoting the stamp and speaking on behalf of Black History initiatives. His charitable foundation, the Fergie Jenkins Foundation, was founded in 1999 and continues to operate out of St. Catharines, Ontario, raising more than $4-million for hundreds of charities across North America. He also spearheaded the development of the Fergie Jenkins/Black History Museum, which celebrates his athletic and humanitarian accomplishments.
The village is pleased to have Jenkins discuss his career and legacy at the 30th Annual Volunteer of the Year Luncheon, which recognizes adults, young people and organizations who, through volunteer efforts, help to make Schaumburg a better place. The luncheon will be held at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, April 20 at Chandler's Chop House, 401 N. Roselle Road in Schaumburg. The event is open to the public; attendees do not need to be nominated or have someone nominated to attend. To register and purchase tickets, visit the village's website at http://bit.ly/2lgHcj0.
For additional information about the event, contact Schaumburg Special Events Coordinator Roxane Benvenuti at rbenvenuti@villageofschaumburg.com or (847) 923-3605.