D-backs owner Ken Kendrick added to Hall of Fame board of directors

Arizona Diamondbacks managing general partner Ken Kendrick has been added to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s board of directors, it announced Thursday.

There are now 17 people on the board of directors, which also includes legends like Joe Morgan, Phil Niekro, Brooks Robinson and Cal Ripken Jr., among others, as well as White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf and current MLB commissioner Rob Manfred.

“Ken Kendrick has been an unwavering friend of the National Baseball Hall of Fame for years, and we are honored to welcome him to the museum’s board of directors,” board chairman Jane Forbes Clark said in a statement. “As one of the original members of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ ownership group, Ken has helped build the organization from the ground up with a vision for baseball’s future and a love of its past.

“His knowledge of the game, and his dedication to the sport, will help guide the museum’s ongoing mission to preserve history, honor excellence and connect generations.”

Kendrick got his start with IBM after graduating from West Virginia University. He eventually founded a software company that later sold for $3.5 billion. He became managing general partner of the D-backs in 2004.

His philanthropic achievements include being chairman of the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation, along with serving on the boards of UMOM New Day Centers, the Phoenix Art Museum, the Buddy Program and more.

Kendrick owns the famous T206 Honus Wagner baseball card, the holy grail for baseball card collectors, and some of the cards in his collection were once on display in the Baseball Hall of Fame in an exhibit called The D-backs Collection. They were also on display at the Phoenix Art Museum.

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