Hank Aaron's 80th Birthday Celebrations by Caselove Productions

Portrait by Ross R. Rossin

Henry Louis Aaron His Life and Legacy On February 5, 1934, Estella and Herbert

Aaron welcomed into the world their third child—a twelve pound baby boy whom they named Henry Louis. Because of his size they gave him the nickname, “Man.” “Man” turned out to be the biggest of Estella’s eight babies, making him special in the Aaron household. Mrs. Aaron dreamed of her “special child” becoming a teacher.

He won the Gold

Glove for fielding three times; led the league in home runs four seasons; got 3,771 hits; was the RBI Champion four times; and broke Babe Ruth’s home run record April 8, 1974 at Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

As he grew up, this twelve pound baby boy shed his baby fat and

became a skinny kid with an intense fire in his belly to play baseball. No matter his size, the nickname “Man” had stuck among his family members and became the name to which he responded. Mrs. Aaron‘s dream of her “special child” becoming a teacher was short-lived as it became more and more apparent that Henry’s passion was not school but baseball. He spent his free time on the sandlots of Mobile, Alabama using sticks for bats and bottle tops for balls.

After

brief seasons in the minor league, fate stepped in and opened the door to one of the greatest careers in the history of sports. Braves outfielder Bobby Thompson broke his ankle in spring training, and 20year old Hank Aaron was called up from the minor leagues to replace him. “Man” hitched his wagon to a “star” and rode off into the annals of history.

enry’s devotion to baseball paid off when he played with the Indianapolis Clowns in the Negro League and was later scouted and signed by the Milwaukee Braves who sent him to play in Eau Claire, Wisconsin in the Northern League and later to the Sally League in Jacksonville, Florida.

e played 23 seasons in the big leagues; was selected to play in 25 All-Star games; won virtually every hitting and fielding award; set more lifetime records than any player in history; won the World Series for the Milwaukee Braves in 1957 with an 11th inning homerun and was selected “Most Valuable Player” in the National League.

enry was traded at the end of the ’74 season to the Milwaukee Brewers and hit his last home run at Milwaukee’s County Stadium ending his career with 755 in 1976. That record stood until it was broken by Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants in 2007.

Painting by Simmie Knox

th Birthday

Three Special Visits by President Clinton

After retiring from playing

In 1982 he was inducted

baseball, Henry joined the Braves’ front office and became the team’s farm director, building the system that supplied the players that finished in first place 14 consecutive seasons. He continues to work with the Braves as senior vice president of the team.

into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first eligible year, receiving 97.8 percent of the votes, second only to Ty Cobb’s 98.2 percent.

enry and Billye co-founded the Hank Aaron Chasing the Dream Foundation, taking its name from the Academy Award nominated documentary Hank Aaron Chasing the Dream, produced by Mike Tollin and Denzel Washington. His foundation has given more than 800 youngsters the opportunity to develop their talents and to pursue their dreams.

Continuing his new dream, he became a suc-

cessful entrepreneur, founding two companies: Hammerin’ Hank Automotive with seven automobile dealerships, and the 755 Restaurant Corporation with 22 Popeyes and two Krispy Kreme franchises. He also serves on the boards of DSW Shoes and Medallion Financial.

At 755 Hank Aaron

Drive in Atlanta, visitors to Turner Field are greeted by a bust and an Ed Dwight sculpture of Hank. Another statue stands outside Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Streets have also been named for him in Mobile, Alabama and West Palm Beach, Florida. Milwaukee named a State Trail in his honor. His boyhood home has been moved to the Hank Aaron Stadium in Mobile where it is now a museum celebrating his life.

e was a special guest of President and Mrs. Clinton at President Bill Clinton’s last State of the Union Address and he was honored for the work of the Chasing the Dream Foundation. He has been honored by President Clinton’s presence at three of Hank’s birthday celebrations—his 65th and 75th in Atlanta, and his 77th in New York.

He has received many honors, awards and commendations which celebrate his exemplary service to the nation.

e has received honorary degrees from 15 colleges and universities including Morehouse, Spelman, Tufts, Dartmouth, Notre Dame and Princeton.

e was awarded the NAACP Spingarn Medal for outstanding achievement by an African American. He received the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund’s Thurgood Marshall Award.

ank Aaron was honored by Delta Air Lines with his picture on a 757 airplane.

At 80, Henry Louis Aaron continues to

dream and is working to make the Aaron Selig baseball stadium at Morehouse College a reality.

enry was presented the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Clinton in 2001. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian honor, from President George W. Bush in 2002 and recently attended the 50th anniversary celebration of the awarding of that medal.

On the 25th anniversary of breaking Babe Ruth’s record, Major LeagueCommissioner Bud Selig initiated an award in his honor—“The Hank Aaron Award”— presented annually to Major League Baseball’s top all-around best player in the American and National Leagues.

On his 80th birthday we rejoice in the celebration of

his most recent honor—the inclusion of his portrait in the National Portrait Gallery. Dream on “Man.” “Man,” dream on.

Hank & Billye Aaron

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.

Allan H. “Bud” Selig,

Commissioner of Major League Baseball

Aaron M. Turpeau, Sr.

Ralf Garr

Bob Uecker

Robin Yount

Frank Robinson

Jim Rice

Rickey Henderson

Reggie Jackson

Ozzie Smith

Wade Blasingame

Baseball Greats

Leading Ladies of Baseball

Hank & Billye Aaron with Thomas & AlmaTull

Hank Aaron’s Family

Billye Aaron’s Family

Special Friends of Hank & Billye Aaron

Howard Bryant

A Discussion with Hank Aaron

Hank & Billye Aaron with Thomas & Alma Tull

Ross & Ava Rossin

Ambassador Andrew Young

Emily Haydel

Uzee Brown, Jr.

Thomas Tull

Amyr Joyner

Khari Joyner

Dr. James Abbington

Jasin Joyner

Mason Morton

Bill Bartholomay

Allan H. “Bud” Selig

Frank Belatti

Victor Haydel

Quiana Lewis

Allan Tanenbaum

Congressman David Scott

Hank & Billye Aaron

Mayor Kasim Reed

Hank & Billye Aaron

Governor Jim Doyle

“If” If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise; If you can dream—and not make dreams your master; If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with triumph and disaster And treat those two imposters just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools; If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breath a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on”; If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch; If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And—which is more—you’ll be a Man my son! ~ A Poem by Rudyard Kipling

Casey McDaniel is a filmmaker, producer, and director from Pittsburgh,

Pennsylvania. Creativity in Film and Art is the key to Casey’s success. Owner and Creator of Caselove Productions, founded in 2003, Casey invokes her passion for telling her client’s life stories through her works. The name has become a trademark that represents the care she puts into every project. Casey currently resides in Atlanta, Ga where her works include documentary films, screenplays and photo journalism. Casey McDaniel, otherwise known as “Caselove” uses her talents as a photographer, videographer, graphic designer, writer, and editor to inspire others. A world renown photographer, Casey has traveled to Barbados, Spain, England, Germany, Denmark, and more. Casey holds her Masters in Fine Arts Degree in Film Production from Howard University.

Book composed and compiled by Casey McDaniel, Copyright © 2013 by the photographer Casey Elaine McDaniel and Caselove, LLC. The book author retains sole copyright to her contributions in this book. Copies of this book can be obtained by contacting the number or web address below.