Manor resident Kenneth Z. and his wife Cynthia stand in front of a glass case containing Spurs memorabilia that’s located inside Kenneth’s room at The Manor. (Courtesy photo)

Upon stepping into Kenneth Z.’s bedroom at Morningside Ministries at the Manor, you’ll find two glass cases containing sports items related to two very different teams: the Chicago Cubs and the San Antonio Spurs.

Sports are an important part of Kenneth’s life, a 70-year-old Air Force veteran and native of Chicago who resides at Morningside Ministries at The Manor in San Antonio. He has been a faithful Cubs fan all his life even after moving to San Antonio in 1974, and now it’s all paying off as the Cubs have reached the World Series this year for the first time since 1945.

“I had a feeling they were going to do it this year,” he shared as he proudly sported his Cubs jersey and baseball hat. “I told my wife at the beginning of April, they’re going all the way.”

Kenneth’s love for sports is so great that they even played a role when he and his wife of 48 years, Cynthia, began looking at skilled nursing communities. She says that an important question they asked when looking for the right retirement community earlier this year was if “they were able to transmit the MLB channel” in resident rooms. It all worked out in the end as Kenneth moved into The Manor just this past summer, where he has been keeping up with the Cubs every step of the way.

And if that wasn’t enough to prove he is a a true Cubs fan, Kenneth is also a collector of rare Chicago Cubs memorabilia including baseballs signed by legends Harry Caray, Ron Santo and Ferguson Jenkins. He’s brought some of those items with him to The Manor, including a collectible signed by Ernie Banks, a shortstop and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs between 1953 and 1971.

Chicago is home to one of the most successful basketball franchises in history – the Chicago Bulls – but you won’t find Kenneth watching Bulls games on TV.

“I’m a San Antonio Spurs fan,” he declared proudly.