Tigers Fans Who Always Care.

The Mayo Smith Society was co-founded in 1983 in Washington, D.C., by Dale Petroskey, Dale’s brother, Denny, and their friend, Bill Mackay, who were working on Capitol Hill for members of Congress. Establishment of the Society stemmed from the co-founders meeting for breakfast every Friday morning in the Longworth House Office Building cafeteria to discuss the latest political happenings with fellow Michiganders on the Hill. The conversations, however, would always shift to baseball, giving Dale, Denny and Mac the idea to start a Tigers fan club. They believed that the organization should bear the name of a Tigers player or manager whom only the most loyal fans would know, and who contributed significantly to the Tigers’ success. After much deliberation, they settled on the name “Mayo Smith Society” in memory of the man who piloted the Tigers to the 1968 World Series championship.

In addition to publishing the Tigers Stripes newsletter at least nine times a year to provide information, statistics and analyses of the Tigers you won’t find anywhere else, we also provide E-Mayo Flash updates in between newsletter issues, but particularly when the Tigers are in the playoffs.

Every March, the Society sponsors a trip to Lakeland, Florida, to watch the Tigers in spring training, and has an Annual Gathering in Detroit. Guests at previous events have included Hank Aguirre, Sparky Anderson, Al Avila, Gates Brown, Jim Campbell, Dan Dickerson, Dave Dombrowski, Mark Fidrych, Bill Freehan, Ernie Harwell, Willie Horton, Todd Jones, Al Kaline, George Kell, Mickey Lolich, Craig Monroe, Jim Northrup, Dan Petry, Dave Rozema, Pat Sheridan, Jason Thompson, Tom Timmerman, Jon Warden and Milt Wilcox.

The Society has nearly 1,000 members throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.

The Society’s motto is Tigers Fans Who Always Care. We care about the Tigers, regardless of their place in the standings, and we care about the less fortunate. Over the years, the Society has contributed to a variety of Michigan-based charities, including the Police Athletic League, Caring Athletes for Children’s and Henry Ford Hospitals (CATCH) and the old Clubhouse Scholarship Fund, which enables the young men who work in the Tigers’ clubhouse to further their education.

The people who serve the Mayo Smith Society’s members on a regular basis are:

• Todd Miller, Society Administrator
• Mark Pattison, Editor, Tigers Stripes
• Dave Raglin, Writer/Sabermetrician, Tigers Stripes
• Pete Wright, Membership Services Coordinator