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Members of Elite Cubs Fan Club: Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama and more

Published  October 27, 2016 10:15pm CDT
News
FOX 32 Chicago

FOX 32 NEWS - There’s a little-known society of Washington D.C. powerbrokers that's keeping a very close eye on the World Series.

FOX 32: you've got Hillary Clinton and Dick Cheney, both members of the same club?

“Yes, it's a bipartisan organization,” said Roger Hickey of Emil Verban Memorial Society.

Bipartisan, except when it comes to baseball. It's called the Emil Verban Memorial Society. Its members are devoted Cubs fans who live or have worked in the nation's capital. Roger Hickey, an international consultant here in Chicago, is a member.

“There are a lot of very prominent people in Washington D.C. that are huge Cubs fans,” Hickey said.

In addition to Hillary Clinton and Dick Cheney, the roster includes Senator Dick Durbin, Mayor Emanuel, former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, journalists George Will and Bryant Gumbel.

D.C. Lobbyist Bruce Ladd created the society in 1975, realizing having a Cubs connection opened a lot of doors.

“He had to come up with a name for it. And he could have used the Ernie Banks society, etcetera, but he chose Emil Verban who was really sort of an obscure player,” Hickey said.

Verban played second for the Cubs for three seasons, starting in 1948. Society records show Ladd selected Verban because he, quote, "most epitomizes the steady, non-flashy caliber of play that has been the Cubs hallmark...."

Society member Philip Rezvin is writing a book about the Cubs current season.

”I think it was just to kind of epitomize the fact that the Cubs weren't that great all the time during this era, which is of course all changed now,” Rezvin said.

The group was labelled a memorial society out of the mistaken belief that Verban had passed away. He learned of its existence when Ronald Reagan became a member, and was an enthusiastic participant until he died in 1989.

Bruce Ladd told FOX 32 Thurday that the Verban Memorial Society's activities, it's newsletters and luncheons, ended ten years ago when it became too much for him to handle. But its 850 members will remain members for life.

The society also boasts that President Obama is a member. He’s a White Sox fan and declined to join when he was nominated, but the society accepted him anyway.