LOSS
LOSS HAS
LOSS HAS BEEN FELT ACROSS THE GREAT NATION.
HANK AARON WAS A GIANT OF
A MAN.
A MAN.
A MAN. HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS WERE QUITE
LITERALLY THE
LITERALLY THE STUFF OF LEGENDS.
WE MUST BE LISTENING TO THE
SAME
SAME
SAME BROADCAST BECAUSE I DO THINK IT
IS AMAZING.
IS AMAZING. THERE
THERE
THERE WERE SO MUCH MORE TO HANK AARON
THAN WHAT HE DID ON
THE FIELD, HANK AARON WAS NOT
JUST A GREAT PLAYER,
HE WAS A GREAT MAN.
HANK AARON CARRIED HIMSELF WITH
A SENSE OF DIGNITY.
WHEN YOU WERE AROUND HIM YOU
COULD SENSE AN AURA OF
GREATNESS.
GREATNESS. PEOPLE WERE
PEOPLE WERE NATURALLY DRAWN TO HIM.
THE GREAT MOHAMMED ONLY ONE
SAID THAT HANK AARON WAS THE
ONLY MAN I IDOLIZED
MORE THAN MYSELF.
HANK AARON WAS HUMBLE.
I KNEW
I KNEW
I KNEW HIM FOR TWO DECADES, I NEVER
ONCE HEARD HIM TALK
ABOUT HIS OWN ACCOMPLISHMENTS
ON THE FIELD.
IN
IN
IN FACT,
IN FACT, WHEN OTHERS WOULD TALK
ABOUT HIS GREAT CAREER
HE WOULD ACKNOWLEDGE THAT
CONVERSATION ONLY WITH
THAT WONDERFUL SMILE OF HIS.
HIS HUMILITY ALLOWED
HIM TO BE GENEROUS IN HIS
PRAISE OF OTHERS.
EACH
EACH
EACH YEAR
EACH YEAR AT THE WORLD SERIES HANK
WOULD AWARD THE AWARD
THAT IS NAMED AFTER HIM TO TWO
OF OUR GREAT
MAJOR-LEAGUE PLAYERS, HE WOULD
OFFER A GENUINE
COMMENTARY ON THE PERFORMANCE
OF THOSE PLAYERS.
IT
IT
IT WAS
IT WAS THAT PERSONAL COMMENTARY
FROM HANK THAT MADE THE
AWARD THAT BARES HIS NAME SO
COVETED BY ALL PLAYERS.
HANK AARON WAS AN AGENT OF
CHANGE IN SOCIETY.
AS HE
AS HE
AS HE CHASED BABE RUTH'S RECORD HE
RECEIVED RACIST
RECEIVED RACIST THREATS, THROUGH AT WRENCHING
PERIOD, HE
PERIOD, HE COURAGEOUSLY DEMONSTRATED THE
STRENGTH TO KEEP
GOING.
GOING.
GOING. HE
GOING. HE PERSEVERED COVER HE
DELIVERED TO ALL
AFRICAN-AMERICANS IN
AFRICAN-AMERICANS IN ACCOMPLISHMENT IN WHICH THEY
COULD TAKE PRIDE.
HE ALSO DELIVERED TO HIS RACIST
DETRACTORS THE MESSAGE THAT
GREATNESS, GREATNESS IN
A MAN FROM THE DEEP SOUTH, A
BLACK MAN FROM THE DEEP
SOUTH, COULD NOT BE SUPPRESSED.
JUST AS JACKIE
ROBINSON WAS THE PERFECT PERSON
TO CHANGE THE GAME
IN 1947, HANK AARON WAS A
PERFECT PERSON TO MEET THE
HISTORIC MOMENT HE CREATED IN
1974.
1974.
1974. HANK AARON WAS
AN EDUCATOR.
AN EDUCATOR. TWO YEARS AGO WE DECIDED TO
RENAME OUR
RENAME OUR PREMIER YOUTH EVENT, THE ELITE
INVITATIONAL AS HE
HANK AARON INVITATIONAL.
WE HAD A NICE PRESS
CONFERENCE, MADE THE
ANNOUNCEMENT THEN CONTINUED
PLANNING THE EVENT, AS THE
EVENT DREW NEAR THE PHONE
RANG IN MY OFFICE IT WAS HANK
AARON.
AARON.
AARON. I
AARON. I ASSUMED THAT
HE WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THE
BASEBALL ACTIVITIES THAT
LAY AT THE HEART OF THE
INVITATIONAL BUT I WAS
WRONG, HANK AARON WANTED TO
KNOW ABOUT THE
EDUCATIONAL PART OF THE
PROGRAM, THE HISTORIC SITES
THAT WE PLANNED TO VISIT, THE
ACTIVITIES THAT WE HAD
PLANNED OFF THE FIELD, MOST
IMPORTANT, THE LESSONS
WE WERE TRYING TO TEACH ITS
BANK THE VALUES WE WERE
TRYING TO INSTILL.
HANK CARED ABOUT THE NEXT
GENERATION, IN HIS PHILANTHROPY
AND BUSINESS IN
DANVERS THIS CELEBRATED POWER
HITTER WAS ALL ABOUT
EMPOWERING OTHERS.
EMPOWERING OTHERS. IN CLOSING I HOPE YOU WILL
INDULGE ME IN A PERSONAL
OBSERVATION.
OBSERVATION. I KNEW HANK
AARON FOR TWO DECADES, OUR
RELATIONSHIP WAS A TRUE
HONOR IT IS MY PLEASURE FOR ME.
IT WAS HONOR TO
KNOW ONE OF THE BEST, IT WAS A
PLEASURE TO SPEND THE
TIME WITH A MAN OF HUMILITY,
WHO HELPED TO CHANGE IN
AMERICA IT BACK HAVE THAT MAN
SHARE A LITTLE BIT OF
HIMSELF WITH ME.