Elmer Blasco, who worked in marketing for Rawlings, passed away last Friday. Blasco was responsible for inventing the concept of the Gold Glove Award.
"I felt that since we represented defense with our gloves we should do something to honor the best in that area," Mr. Blasco, a 50-year resident of Mount Prospect, told the Daily Herald in 1981. "And what better way than with a glove, a golden glove at that."
He was a graduate of the University of Illinois and won his own Gold Glove for his effort in creating the award.