The Cubs announced Thursday details for Saturday’s memorial service in honor of Ernie Banks at Fourth Presbyterian Church and the procession that will pass Ernie Banks’ statue in Daley Plaza and Wrigley Field.
Earlier this week the team announced public visitation and memorial services for Ernie Banks would be held Friday, January 30 and Saturday, January 31 at Fourth Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Banks would have turned 84 years old on Saturday.
Tom Ricketts, Joe Torre, Billy Williams, Fergie Jenkins and Lou Brock will be among those in attendance at Ernie Banks’ memorial service along with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Governor Bruce Rauner.
WGN-TV Ch. 9, CLTV, WGNTV.com, Comcast SportsNet Chicago and CSNChicago.com will televise Mr. Banks’ memorial service.
WGN’s coverage will begin at 9:30am CST and Comcast SportsNet will begin its telecast with David Kaplan and Todd Hollandsworth at 9:00am CST.
Saturday’s memorial service will begin at 10:00am and will include remembrances, readings and tributes from the following dignitaries who will speak in the order listed below:
- Tom Ricketts, Chairman of the Chicago Cubs, with a remembrance on behalf of the Chicago Cubs
- Joe Torre, Chief Baseball Officer, with a remembrance on behalf of Major League Baseball
- Billy Williams, Hall of Fame teammate, with a personal remembrance
- Fergie Jenkins, Hall of Fame teammate, with a reading
- Lou Brock, Hall of Famer and Cubs roommate, with a reading
- The Hon. Bruce Rauner, Governor of Illinois, with a remembrance on behalf of the State
- The Hon. Rahm Emanuel, Mayor of Chicago, with a remembrance on behalf of the City
- The Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., with a personal tribute
- John Rogers, Friend of Ernie Banks, with a personal tribute
- Jerry and Joey Banks, twin sons of Ernie Banks, with personal tributes
Following the memorial service at Fourth Presbyterian Church, the procession will embark on a route that will pass Ernie Banks’ statue in Daley Plaza and Wrigley Field. Due to the restoration of Wrigley Field, fans gathering at the ballpark are asked to view the procession from the following locations: the southwest corner of Sheffield Avenue and Addison Street in front of the Captain Morgan Club; along the south side of Addison Street between Sheffield Avenue and Clark Street; or along the west side of Clark Street between Addison Street and Waveland Avenue.
At the end of the service, the procession will leave Fourth Presbyterian Church and drive south on Michigan Avenue, west on Randolph Street, south on Clark Street and east on Washington Street, where it will pass the Ernie Banks statue in Daley Plaza. The procession will then head to Lake Shore Drive to the Belmont Avenue exit. The procession will head west on Belmont Avenue, northwest on Clark Street, north on Sheffield Avenue and west on Addison Street to Clark Street, where it will pass the Wrigley Field Marquee.
No. 14 flags will continue to be flown at Wrigley Field in Mr. Banks’ honor and the Banks family created a Facebook page for fans to pay their respects online to Ernie Banks, “Ernie Banks Remembered.”
Friday, January 30, 2015
- 12:00pm – 8:00pm CST
- Public Visitation
- Fourth Presbyterian Church | East Chestnut Street (at North Michigan Avenue) | 126 East Chestnut Street | Chicago, IL 60611
Saturday, January 31, 2015
- 10:00am CST
- Memorial Services for Ernie Banks (Limited Public Seating Available)
- Fourth Presbyterian Church | East Chestnut Street (at North Michigan Avenue) | 126 East Chestnut Street | Chicago, IL 60611
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Ernie’s memory to Cubs Charities at the below address or by visiting www.cubs.com/give and clicking on “Donate Now”.
Cubs Charities | In Memory of Ernie Banks | Wrigley Field | 1060 West Addison | Chicago, IL 60613