{"id":526,"date":"2012-02-16T20:53:50","date_gmt":"2012-02-16T20:53:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=526"},"modified":"2020-04-08T11:47:20","modified_gmt":"2020-04-08T15:47:20","slug":"henry-hank-aaron-baseball-superstar-humanitarian-gentleman-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/henry-hank-aaron-baseball-superstar-humanitarian-gentleman-2.html","title":{"rendered":"Henry \u2018Hank\u2019 Aaron: Baseball Superstar, Humanitarian\u2014& Gentleman"},"content":{"rendered":"

As regular readers of this blog know, GenealogyBank\u2019s<\/a> historical newspaper archives are a great resource to research your family history and fill in details on your family tree. These newspapers are also a terrific window into the past, letting us learn more about important people and events in our nation\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

For example, let\u2019s see what these old newspapers have to tell us about one of the outstanding athletes in American history: Henry \u201cHammerin\u2019 Hank\u201d Aaron, the superstar who played baseball in Milwaukee and Atlanta for 23 seasons, from 1954 to 1976. Aaron is famous as the baseball player who broke Babe Ruth\u2019s all-time home run record of 714\u2014and, as expected, there is plenty of newspaper coverage of his historic home run and other baseball exploits.<\/p>\n

The newspapers also tell us much more about his life than this: in addition to being a rare and gifted American athlete, Henry \u2018Hank\u2019 Aaron was a humanitarian\u2014and a true gentleman.<\/p>\n

The sports media and baseball fans were whipped into a frenzy as Hank Aaron approached Babe Ruth\u2019s magical number in the 1973 Major League baseball season. Although 39 years old that summer (an age when most baseball players have retired) Hank Aaron was on target, hitting 40 home runs\u2026but ended the year with 713 home runs, still short of the goal of 715. He had to wait all winter for another opportunity to break baseball\u2019s home run record the next spring.<\/p>\n

When the 1974 season began, Aaron wasted no time. He hit the record-tying 714th<\/sup> home run on his first at-bat that year, in Cincinnati. On April 8 the Atlanta Braves returned to Atlanta for their home opener, and 53,775 wildly cheering fans attended the game hoping Aaron would get the record that night. Hammerin\u2019 Hank did not let the crowd down, hitting home run number 715 in the fourth inning. He received a thunderous standing ovation from the Braves\u2019 baseball fans while fireworks lit up the sky above the stadium.<\/p>\n

\"Hank<\/a>
Augusta Chronicle (Augusta, Georgia), 9 April 1974, page 1.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition to details of the baseball game itself and Aaron\u2019s record 715th<\/sup> home run, the newspaper article provides this detail:<\/p>\n

Aaron broke away from his mates and rushed to a special box adjacent to the Atlanta dugout where he clutched his wife, Billye, and parents, Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Aaron, of Mobile, Ala.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never knew she could hug so tight,\u201d Aaron said of his mother.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The following newspaper article tells us something about the character of Hank Aaron. Although he was one of the greatest American baseball players ever, he kept his ego in check; Aaron was widely recognized as a good teammate and a quiet, respectful man\u2014a true gentleman.<\/p>\n

\"Hank<\/a>
Wichita Times (Wichita, Kansas), 2 May 1974, page 5, (African American Newspapers).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As this newspaper article relates, Hank Aaron was sensitive to the disruption his teammates had to endure while the press thronged around him night after night in 1973-74 covering his chase of the home run record. When it was finally over and the champagne celebration in the Atlanta locker room after the game was ready, Aaron thought immediately of his teammates:<\/p>\n

The Braves had opened the champagne and were ready to pour, but Hank Aaron had something he wanted to say first to all his teammates.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for being patient,\u201d he said, his sincerity moving them. \u201cThank you for putting up with all that you have\u2014the newspapermen, the photographers and all the other distractions. I know how difficult it was sometimes, and I appreciate the patience you\u2019ve shown.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hank Aaron doesn\u2019t make many speeches. Everybody in the room knew he meant this one.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Away from the spotlight and the glare of media publicity, Aaron had another career: he was a great humanitarian. He devoted countless hours to helping others, especially children, as shown in the following newspaper article.<\/p>\n

\"Hank<\/a>
Milwaukee Star (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), 9 August 1973, page 8, (African American Newspapers).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Newspaper archives provide all sorts of surprising stories about the life of the person we\u2019re researching. How many people know that Henry Aaron was once a mayor?<\/p>\n

\"All<\/a>
Wichita Times (Wichita, Kansas), 13 March 1975, page 1, (African American Newspapers).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hank Aaron was born in Alabama, and in 1975 he was:<\/p>\n

\u2026sworn in as honorary mayor of Hobson City during ceremonies in which 75-year-old northeast Alabama all-black town dedicates new Town Hall.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There was a dark side to Hank Aaron\u2019s pursuit of Babe Ruth\u2019s home run record\u2014and the newspapers covered that as well: racism raised its ugly head. Throughout the 1973 Major League baseball season, during the offseason, and again in 1974, Aaron received hate letters mixed in with the supportive letters that were pouring into the Atlanta Braves\u2019 mailbox. Some even sent him death threats.<\/p>\n

\"What<\/a>
Augusta Chronicle (Augusta, Georgia), 9 April 1974, page 11.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the above very revealing newspaper article, Hank Aaron opens up about the threats he\u2019d been facing:<\/p>\n

Aaron\u2019s hero off the field is Dr. Martin Luther King. \u201cHe could walk with kings and talk with presidents,\u201d said Aaron. \u201cHe wasn\u2019t for lootings and bombings and fights but he wasn\u2019t afraid of violence, either. He was 20 years ahead of his times.\u201d<\/p>\n

King\u2019s death by assassination cannot, of course, be forgotten by Aaron. Sometimes Aaron wonders about that, too. He says that among the hundreds of letters he receives weekly, many are threats on his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I can\u2019t think about that,\u201d he says. \u201cIf I\u2019m a target, then I\u2019m a target. I can only worry about doing my job, and doing it good.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This same newspaper article says of Aaron:<\/p>\n

He has recently become identified with black causes. For example, he is now a close personal friend of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, a leading young black spokesman. Aaron, in winter, now is the organizer of a celebrity bowling tournament in Atlanta with proceeds going to research on sickle cell anemia, a disease that afflicts black people.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And this:<\/p>\n

Aaron is also outspoken on the progress, or lack of it, for blacks in baseball. He says that blacks are stagnating. \u201cWhatever so-called progress there is\u2014like blacks staying in the same hotels with the white players\u2014this came about from civil rights legislation, not from any leveling action by baseball,\u201d says Aaron.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy aren\u2019t there even no black managers? Why aren\u2019t there even no black third base coaches? There are token first base coaches\u2014a few. But what does a first base coach do? He has no duties. No responsibilities. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He\u2019s not expected to have any intelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aaron still feels some of the clich\u00e9s of being black. He remembers that once blacks were considered \u201ctoo gutless\u201d to be able to take the pressures of day-in, day-out major league baseball.<\/p>\n

\u201cJackie Robinson changed a lot of those beliefs,\u201d says Aaron. \u201cHis courage and intelligence showed what the black man could be made of.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Hank Aaron\u2019s stance on black rights is explored further in the following newspaper article.<\/p>\n

\"Hank<\/a>
USA Monitor (Fort Worth, Texas), 1 March 1993, page 17, (African American Newspapers).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As you can see, newspaper archives are filled with stories you may never have heard before. You can discover little known facts, view pictures and learn more about the personal lives of famous people and your family members with newspapers. \u00a0Have fun searching our newspaper archives for details about celebrities and your own ancestors\u2014you never know what you might find!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An article about Henry \u201cHammerin\u2019 Hank\u201d Aaron, who played baseball in Milwaukee and Atlanta for 23 seasons, from 1954 to 1976.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21069,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12285],"tags":[1150,1678,1687,2020,11769],"class_list":["post-526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-baseball","tag-hank-aaron","tag-henry-aaron","tag-newspaper-archives","tag-sports-history"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/photo-0216-2012-featured-graphic-hank-aaron.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=526"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}