Ron Michaelson had a long and distinguished career in Illinois state government, first moving to Springfield to work for Gov. Richard Ogilvie. He still resides in Springfield and has always been physically active. Michaelson loves baseball. He started in Little League when he was eight and is still playing at 81. He competes in the Roy Hobbs Baseball World Series in Ft. Myers, Florida, in the 75-and-over division. He adheres to the saying, “You don’t stop playing because you get old – you get old because you stop playing.”
Michaelson was catcher and captain of his Maine Township High School baseball team in Des Plaines, which won the state championship. He played at Wheaton College and was inducted into its Hall of Fame. There were no local post-collegiate baseball leagues when Michaelson came to Springfield, so he switched to softball. He played fast pitch, then slow pitch and lots of golf. Michaelson got back into playing real baseball 17 years ago, when the Springfield High School athletic director enticed him to play in the Roy Hobbs Baseball World Series in the 60-and-over division.
Roy Hobbs Baseball is an amateur league for those 35 and over, with multiple age divisions. It is named for the fictional character in the movie The Natural. A signature event is the annual World Series, where over 200 teams from around the world play at the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins spring training facilities in Florida. Initially Michaelson wasn’t that enthused, but in 2005, four from Springfield joined a team mostly from the Chicago suburbs and played in the tournament. Michaelson still remembers the initial team meeting where the guys from the burbs had low expectations for the downstaters. “Without the four of us, they would have been awful,” said Michaelson, who was voted team MVP. From then on, he was hooked.
Over the years, the team gradually became predominantly Springfield players. Michaelson is player/manager for the team, now called the Avengers. There are 15 members, including some from other states. Six are 80 or older. Springfield-area teammates are Jim Auth, Dick Cordier, Kris Glintborg, Jerry Johnson, Mike Jurgens, Rick Rakowski, Bob Sagle, Larry Sample and Paul Smith. They compete against many teams that play in leagues year-round. That opportunity doesn’t exist in Springfield. The Avengers begin practicing around Labor Day.
The tournament lasts five weeks each October-November, with the oldest division playing last. The Avengers took third place in their division this year. Michaelson caught five games and pitched the sixth. He, along with more than 40 others, played in an 80s-and-up exhibition game. Next year there will likely be a new 80-and-older division.
There are some rule adjustments for those over 70. They play seven innings. There are no tag plays at home. A hit into the outfield earns an automatic first base. They can steal third base but not second, since catchers have a harder time making that throw to second base. That’s likely not the case for Michaelson, however, since he’s been a catcher since the 1950s. He catches, pitches and plays third base for the Avengers. All players use wooden bats. Michaelson is still going strong despite having his knees replaced in 2007 and 2008. “Every year, the bases seem longer and the throw to second seems longer,” jokes Michaelson.
The team won the championship three times, and Michaelson was inducted into the Roy Hobbs Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019. His teammates call him the heart and soul of the Avengers and say he has both a high IQ and a high EQ (emotional quotient).
In addition to sports, politics (which some call a blood sport) has also been a constant in Michaelson’s life. He has a master’s degree in political science from Northwestern University and a Ph.D. in political science from Southern Illinois University. He worked for Richard Ogilvie when Ogilvie was president of the Cook County Board and then moved to Springfield to work for Governor Ogilvie (1969-1973).
Michaelson also became an adjunct professor at Sangamon State University (SSU) in 1970, teaching politics and state government at night. After Ogilvie lost reelection, Michaelson taught full time until becoming the first executive director of the State Board of Elections in 1974. He served in that position for 29 years until his retirement in 2003. Throughout his career, he continued to teach evening classes at SSU and then University of Illinois Springfield, enlightening many students about the intricacies and importance of elections, state government and politics.
After retiring from the State Board of Elections, he taught full time at UIS for five years and then part time until he “retired for good” about four years ago. Now he continues to lend his expertise while wintering in Arizona. He volunteers at the University of Arizona, where he teaches an adult learning class. Last year his class reviewed the 2020 national election and next spring will focus on the 2024 presidential and congressional races. While wintering in Arizona, he also enjoys attending many baseball spring training games. He is a lifelong Cubs fan.
“You have to have balance in your life,” says Michaelson. Having a successful career in government while continuing to teach and enjoy sports provided balance for Michaelson. In addition to playing baseball, he also officiated more than 1,700 high school and small college basketball games over 37 years. In recognition, he was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He says all this was possible because he had a great staff at the State Board of Elections, and the board recognized that Michaelson’s teaching and officiating reflected well on the organization.
Michaelson has been married to his wife, Jan, for 56 years. They have two children and five grandchildren. Ron calls Jan his best friend. She’s very supportive but has never gone to the Roy Hobbs World Series, saying all the men do is eat, sleep and play baseball.
Why does he continue to play? “I love baseball,” Michaelson says. “I’ve played it all my life. I’m blessed with decent ability and good health and I don’t take that for granted. It is so much fun.”
Karen Ackerman Witter has often heard the story that her husband’s long lobbying career was a result of attending Ron Michaelson’s class at SSU in 1973 about gubernatorial politics. Bob Cook, CEO of the Illinois Association of Realtors, was a guest speaker. Michaelson introduced Randy to Cook, which led to Randy’s 48-year lobbying career and formation of the Cook-Witter, Inc. lobbying firm.
This article appears in Winter 2023.
