>>
>> AT
>> AT MOREHOUSE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, HANK AND KEISHA LANCE
BOTTOMS NINE AARON HAVE BEEN
MORE THAN MAJOR SUPPORTERS OF
THE SCHOOL.
THE SCHOOL. MORE THAN CHERISHED FRIENDS OF
THE INSTITUTION, THEY ARE
FAMILY.
FAMILY.
FAMILY. IT IS WITH GREAT HONOR AND
SADNESS THAT I STAND BEFORE YOU
TO PAY TRIBUTE TO HENRY LOUIS
AARON, , HANK AARON. GENEROSITY
AND KINDNESS.
AND KINDNESS. KINDNESS. A TRUE ICON.
THE WORLD KNOWS HIM AS A
TRAILBLAZING ATHLETE. A MAN WHO
FACED INCREDIBLE ODDS AS HE BEAT
BABE RUTH'S HOME RUN RECORD.
BUT TO THE MOREHOUSE SCHOOL OF
MEDICINE AND TO ME, HE WAS ALL
THAT AND MUCH MORE.
HE WAS A STELLAR CITIZEN AND A
BUSINESS PERSON. HE WAS AN
ADVOCATE AND A PHILANTHROPIST,
A MENTOR, AND OUR FRIEND.
HANK AARON I KNOW WAS
INCREDIBLY GENEROUS WITH HIS
TIME, HIS TALENT, AND HIS
TREASURE. HE WAS DEVOTED TO THE
MOREHOUSE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
AND OUR MISSION FOR EQUITY.
THAT INCLUDED CREATING THE
STUDENT PAVILION.
STUDENT PAVILION. A FITTING TRIBUTE TO HIS WIFE'S
LONG-STANDING TRIBUTE. FOR ONCE
, THIS DECISION TO HONOR HER
WAS NOT OF HER KNOWING.
IN FACT, MR. AARON AND I, ALONG
WITH MY TEAM STARTED SCHEMING
MONTHS BEFORE OF A WAY TO
ACKNOWLEDGE HER WORK WITH THE
UNITED COLLEGE FUND AND WITH A
SCHOLARSHIP. SO, I HOSTED A
LUNCH AT THE COMMERCE CLUB WITH
THE TWO OF THEM, MYSELF.
CLOAKED IN THE OPPORTUNITY TO
EXPAND THE SCHOLARSHIP. WE HAD
A PRESENTATION AND STARTED TO
SHARE VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF
A BUILDING THAT WE WERE
THINKING ABOUT.
THINKING ABOUT. IT WOULD SUPPORT OUR EXPANDED
CLASS SIZE. AS I WAS SHOWING IT
TO HER, HER NAME APPEARED ON
THE BUILDING.
THE BUILDING. IN ONLY THE WAY THAT SHE CAN
DO, SHE FLUTTERED HER EYES AND
SAID OH NO, NOT FOR ME. IN THE
SAME BREATH, SHE SAID, HOW MUCH
WILL IT COST?
>> I CALMLY SAID $3 MILLION
WHICH WILL BE MATCHED BY A
FOUNDATION DONOR.
FOUNDATION DONOR. HER EYES WIDENED AND THE
FLUTTERING STOPPED.
FLUTTERING STOPPED. SHE SAID, NO, NO, HANK, THAT IS
TOO MUCH.
TOO MUCH.
TOO MUCH. >> SMILING ALL THE WHILE, HE
SAYS, BILLYE, I'VE GOT THIS .
>> SHE WAS STILL NOT CONVINCED
AND HE ASKED US TO GIVE THEM A
MOMENT.
MOMENT.
MOMENT. SO, WE STEPPED OUT FOR NO MORE
THAN FIVE MINUTES. WHEN WE
RETURNED, SHE WAS BEAMING FROM
EAR TO EAR. I NEVER KNEW WHAT
HE SAID TO HER DURING THAT
PERIOD OF TIME UNTIL SHE SHARED
WITH ME THE OTHER DAY. GUESS
WHAT?
WHAT?
WHAT? YOU
WHAT? YOU WON'T KNOW WHAT SHE SAID
AND SO THAT'S BETWEEN US.
>> WHEN WE DECIDED TO HONOR
WITH THE VANGUARD AWARD IN 2017
, THERE WAS NO QUESTION HE
DESERVED IT.
DESERVED IT. HE WAS NOT JUST ABOUT THE OVER
$4 MILLION THAT HE AND MS.
AARON HAD GIVEN TO SUPPORT OUR
STUDENTS . IT WAS TO APPLY THE
GENEROSITY AND SO MANY OTHER
AREAS. THE CHASING THE DREAM
FOUNDATION HAS SCHOOLED AS A
CONDUIT FOR SO MANY STUDENTS TO
PURSUE THEIR DREAMS BY
ATTENDING COLLEGE.
ATTENDING COLLEGE. AND WHILE FINANCIAL GIFTS ARE
IMPORTANT, IT IS THE PRESENCE,
HIS PRESENCE THAT HAVE MATTERED.
HIS PRESENCE AND HIS SMILE AND
HIS NOD. PERSONALLY, I HAVE HAD
THE HONOR OF KNOWING MR. AARON
AND BILLYE MANY YEARS.
WE WERE INTRODUCED BY A COLLEGE
MAID AND LIFELONG FRIEND. WHEN
I ATTENDED SOCIAL EVENTS, THEY
ALWAYS INVITED ME AND MY
HUSBAND, MELVIN, TO SIT AT
THEIR TABLE.
THEIR TABLE. THEY TREATISE LIKE FAMILY AND
THEY ARE FAMILY. WHEN I WOULD
ASK FOR HELP, SUPPORT, OR
COUNSEL, HE WOULD BE THERE.
SMILING WITH A SOFT LAUGH.
BECAUSE OF ALL OF HIS
PROMINENCE, HE WAS A HUMBLE
PERSON WHO ALWAYS REMINDED ME
TO WORK HARD AND TO STICK TO MY
VALUES.
VALUES.
VALUES. AND AT A UNITED COLLEGE FUND
DINNER , HE SAID TO ME, STOP
WORRYING AND DON'T TELL
EVERYBODY WHAT YOU ARE DOING,
JUST SHOW THEM. JUST KEEP
SHOWING THEM. THAT IS HOW HE
LIVED EVERY DAY OF HIS LIFE.
SO, WHILE MR. AARON WILL BE
REMEMBERED FOR HOMERUNS THAT HE
HIT, HIS TRUE LEGACY IS SEEN IN
THE LIVES HE HAS CHANGED FOR
THE BETTER.
THE BETTER. HE USED HIS GIFT TWO TO MAKE A
LIVING AND HE USE THE PROCEEDS
TO MAKE A LIFE. HE INSPIRED US,
MOTIVATED US, ENCOURAGED US AND
SET A SHINING EXAMPLE OF WHAT
IT MEANS TO BE A GOOD PERSON.
AT MOREHOUSE SCHOOL OF
MEDICINE, WE SAY THE WORLD
NEEDS WHAT WE DO BEST.
>> TO BILLYE AARON AND TO THE
AARON CHILDREN INTO EXTENDED
FAMILY AND FRIENDS, WE HAVE
MOREHOUSE SCHOOL OF