Cardinals mourn loss of icon Marty Hendin
Team executive served ballclub & its fans for 35 years

01/14/2008 11:27 AM ET

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals organization was saddened late last night by the passing of Marty Hendin, the team's Vice President of Community Relations. Hendin, 59, had worked for the Cardinals since 1973, holding positions in Public Relations, Marketing and Community Relations.

"If you were a Cardinals fan over the past 35 years, there was a good chance that you had either met Marty or heard his name," said Cardinals Chairman Bill DeWitt. "He was friends with everyone from Hall of Famers to the casual fan. If you were a Cardinals fan, you were a friend of Marty. The entire Cardinals organization extends its sincere condolences to Marty's family and countless friends."

Hendin, born March 16, 1948, was the son of Pearl and Sholom Hendin. Marty graduated from University City High School in 1966 and from the University of Missouri - St. Louis. Hendin was elected into the UMSL Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. He founded the university's first spirit club "The Steamers" and was sports editor of The Current, the university's student newspaper.

Hendin served many St. Louis area civic and charitable causes, including the team's charitable foundation; Cardinals Care. Many who were fortunate to meet Marty were also introduced to the vast collection of Cardinals memorabilia that graced his office in old Busch Stadium which was known as "Trinket City". He loaned parts of his prized collection to the UMSL Student Center for display after the Cardinals moved into their new downtown stadium offices.

"No one cared more for the Cardinals then Marty," said Cardinals President Mark Lamping. "He was an institution in the St. Louis community for many years and will be missed by his co-workers and by the thousands of Cardinals fans across the country who had the pleasure of knowing him."

Hendin is survived by his mother, Pearl; wife, Ronna Hendin; a son, Rob Hendin; daughter-in-law, Lauren Aronson and his sister, Linda Harber. Visitation will be held Tuesday, January 15 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at B'nai El Temple, 11411 North Outer 40 Dr, St Louis, MO 63131. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Marty Hendin Fund at B'nai El, Cardinals Care, March of Dimes and the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of St. Louis.