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 now closed. Additional information about this year’s Award recipient will be shared in the coming weeks.

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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
2023: Joan Morris - Longtime White Sox Volunteer Corps member who returned to her nursing career after just a two-week retirement to work on the frontlines of the COVID-19 public health crisis. Morris also traveled abroad to work 15-hour shifts helping Ukrainian refugees crossing the border to Slovakia and Poland in 2022.

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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.

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