FORT WORTH – The Texas Rangers Baseball Club, has been selected the 2019 recipient of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce Vandergriff Award.
The annual award, established in 2011 in memory of Tarrant County Judge Tom Vandergriff, honors a legacy individual or organization whose contributions positively impact Tarrant County on a national scale.
The award will be presented to Kellie Fischer, executive vice president and CFO of the Texas Rangers, during the Chamber’s State of the County event Thursday, September 26 at the Worthington Renaissance Fort Worth Hotel. Judge Glen Whitley will keynote the State of the County luncheon, which is sponsored by Ciera Bank.
“Because of the Texas Rangers, Tarrant County has been a destination for thousands of major league baseball fans for 47 years,” said Bill Thornton, president & CEO of the Fort Worth Chamber. “The Rangers bring hundreds of direct and indirect jobs, tourism revenue, valuable exposure and family fun to our region. The new Texas Live! project will take all that to a new level. I know Judge Vandergriff would be pleased to see the club receive his namesake honor.”
Major League Baseball came to the North Texas region in 1972 courtesy of Vandergriff, who was then Arlington’s mayor. The Senators were aptly renamed the Texas Rangers.
“Tom Vandergriff played an integral part in bringing the Texas Rangers to Arlington, and we are honored to be receiving an award honoring his legacy,” said Texas Rangers Co-Chairman and Managing Partner Ray Davis. “We are dedicated to enriching our home in Tarrant County and look forward to contributing to the growing success of both the county and the organization.”
The Texas Rangers have captured the American League West title seven times, and won the American League pennant in 2010 and 2011. The Rangers have retired six numbers in the history of the franchise, including the addition of Michael Young’s number 10, and Adrian Beltre’s number 29 this season.
In addition to the Rangers’ economic initiatives providing growth to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, the organization is also devoted to the community. The Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of residents – especially children, the military and first responders and their families – through educational, health, and athletic programming and partnerships that bring meaningful change to our communities.
In 2018, the Rangers Foundation’s Richard Greene Scholars program was honored with the Allan H. Selig Award for Philanthropic Excellence.
From Rangers PR staff reports
