2008 Hallmark Awards

2008 Hallmark Marv Samuel Award

Dick M. Schramm

After 30 years as a member of the Chicago Baseball Cancer Charities, Inc., Dick Schramm will reture at the end of the 2008 Annual CBCC Golf Outing and Hallmark Awards and Auction.

After playing College and Professional basketball on the East Coast, and a stint as an Option Broker on Wall Street, Dick became and important part in the start-up of the New York Americans on the formidable American Basketball Association (ABA.) He assisted the late Max Zaslofsky in the coaching of the Americans (later to become the New York/New Jersey Nets in 1968) until the team was sold in 1970.

After some ventures with 3M and other career opportunities, "Coach Schramm" then went into a career in the Diamond business where he successfully started his own company in 1989, of which he (with his partner, Bob Heflin) sold in 1997.

He joined the Chicago Baseball Cancer Charities Board in 1978.

Start-up is nothing new to Mr. Schramm, he has chaired the Auction Committee of the CBCC since its inception in 1992. The Auction efforts have successfully contributed nearly $1 million to the over-all efforts of CBCC's near $12 million contributions to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Children's Memorial Hospital.

Along with Billy Pierce, Dick was an integral part of the Shriner's fundraising activity, since 1978.

Dick became a member of the Executive Board in 1989 and received the CBCC's Hallmark Award for Civic activities in 1994.

Dick now lives in retirement in North Palm Florida with his wife Lola.

2008 Hallmark Executive Award

John McDonough

John McDonough developed the business strategy of marketing the Wrigley Field experience which has helped to catapult the Cubs into national prominence (1985.)

He created the Cubs Convention, which is now a prototype for professional team and league fan festivals. Since 1986 the Cubs Convention has raised more than $9 million for the team's charity, Cubs Care.

During his 24 years with the Cubs, the club has enjoyed its 24 highest attendance figures in teh 123-year history of the franchise.

He pioneered and orchestrated a series of "Beanie Baby" events starting in May of 1997, which is regarded as the industry's most successful sports promotion of all time. The Cubs held 14 such events, and all were complete sellouts.

Mr. McDonough is the architect of the celebrity "guest conductor" 7th inning concept at Wrigley Field, which commemorates the legacy of the legendary broadcaster Harry Caray.

He introduced to MLB the concept of cellular communication from dugout to bullpen in June 2006.

Mr. McDonough has also managed the Broadcast department for 18 years and participated in the hiring of the four current broadcasters.

During his 23 years overseeing the Marketing Department, the Cubs reached record revenues in all areas while introducing signage in select areas of Wrigley Field.

Mr. McDonough has been recognized with many awards and honors, including the Man of the Year Award (1989) by Chicago Baseball Veterans Committee, the Major League Baseball Marketing Excellence Award (1984) and the Pitch and Hit Club Bill Veeck Lifetime Achievement Award (2007) - just to name a few.