Like a kid in a candy store, 90-year-old Northbrook man right at home at Wrigley Field

Bob Poor's first time at Wrigley Field came in 1951, when he found that in the fourth inning he could get into the bleachers at half-price, 25 cents.

Times obviously have changed. And now, the Cubs pay the 90-year-old Northbrook resident to serve as a Premier Lounge ambassador, greeting fans and directing them to the ballpark's premier areas, five clubs and 67 suites.

“I love it. It's a dream come true,” said Poor, who lives at Covenant Living of Northbrook and in his second season as a Cubs greeter. “I always dreamed of being involved with some kind of sports activity. I was never a good athlete and never thought I could be involved, and now I am.”

Out of the blue in January 2022, Poor received an email from the Cubs reading, “We think you'd make a good member of our team,” with an application enclosed, he said.

Thinking it a scam, Poor said he ignored it until curiosity got the best of him a couple weeks later. He opened the application, saw the requested information was innocent, filled it out and hit “send.”

After a nearly immediate response he lined up a remote interview on a Friday. On Saturday, he had a job offer.

After undergoing orientation and training before the Cubs' 2022 season, management assigned Poor to the “Premier Team.”

“One of my better moves,” said Premier Team supervisor Donna Orman of St. Charles. “I just think he's a dear, dear man. I think anyone who encounters him in the lobby, his personality just stands out. Even if you're in hurry, you're going to run into Bob and you're going to take a minute to talk to him because he's such a dear man.”

Poor's Wrigley experience is the latest in a life of twists and turns for the Jamestown, New York native.

Born into a single-parent home, a rarity in the 1930s, he and his mother were “on welfare, as we called it,” until he was 8.

Figuring college was not in the cards, by the time Poor graduated high school he was an apprentice auto mechanic.

He underestimated his resourcefulness, studying first at North Park University in Chicago, attaining a teaching certification at the State University of New York (SUNY) and a master's degree in education administration from Chapman University in Orange, California.

He was married in 1953 to his late wife, Marilyn.

Over a 40-year professional career, Poor worked in several education-related posts in California, at North Park and in New Hampshire.

Poor became a pastor in his semiretirement, serving three years at a church on “a remote mountaintop in Pennsylvania,” he said, and eight years as an assistant pastor in Bradenton, Florida.

“We enjoyed moving around, we enjoyed what we did, we were very happy wherever we were,” he said.

The Poors, who have three children, eight adult grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, moved to Covenant Living of Northbrook in 2006. Almost immediately, Bob and Marilyn took jobs as concierges at Covenant Living's Brandel Care Center.

After a long illness, Marilyn died in October 2021. Bob had resigned from Brandel two months prior to be with her, but after her passing he sought something to do.

The email from the Cubs came right on time and with mutually beneficial results.

“He always has a smile on his face and a welcoming attitude, which is part of our goal here ... to provide the world's best guest experience for our fans. He is a great example of that,” said Julian Green, Cubs' senior vice president of communications and community affairs.

He said Poor is “like a kid in a candy store,” and that's why the 50-minute drive to Wrigley Field doesn't bother him. Nor does the fact that aside from giving an elevator operator a break he's basically on his feet from two hours before first pitch until he leaves a half-hour after the last pitch.

Bill Murray is among the many celebrities Poor encounters. He's on first-name basis with hall of fame Cub Billy Williams. He also greatly respects Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts for his courtesy to fans and employees.

Poor celebrated his 90th birthday June 27 on the job. The Premier Lounge had been decorated with numerical balloons showing his age, and he got an “It's My Birthday” tag slapped on him. Poor's daughter, Jane Johnson of Lisle, came with a cake devoured before the doors opened. Then the fans, many now friends, also saluted Poor.

“They extended more love than I'd ever seen in my life,” Poor said. “I have had a wonderful life. I attest it to my faith. I have a strong faith, and that's what supports me.”