Many of us were greatly saddened to hear the news that Hank Aaron had passed away. He was not only a baseball superstar but a great American. As a teenager in the early sixties, I became one of his fans, not knowing much about his personal life and challenges, I only knew that he was a fantastic all-around baseball player. That was enough for me.

In the meantime, after reading the July 23, 2007 Sports Illustrated article about his quest to break the home run record of Babe Ruth (714), and reading his own auto-biography, “I Had a Hammer” published in 1991 (worth reading to hear his humble, but real voice), I admire him even more. His career was filled with obstacles, whether racism or being under-rated. When he ended his career with 755 home runs, he was also leading in the RBI and Runs Scored categories, as well as a formidable base stealer. Of course, he is now most remembered for his 715th home run in 1974 surpassing Babe Ruth. What many don’t realize is that his life and that of his family were constantly threatened, the closer he got to the goal. His daughter, Gaile, was under FBI protection because of a kidnapping threat, and his mother Estella greeted her son on the field after his home run with a bear hug meant to protect him from assassination.

When the Braves moved from Boston to Milwaukee in 1954, it put that city on the national map, a city that embraced him, and had a special place in his heart even though there was racism there too. On the other hand, moving to Atlanta in 1966 was a bad experience for him, a city in the Deep South that never appreciated him. To his credit, team owner Ted Turner, provided much needed support and encouragement.

Aaron was a classy but humble American, who would speak up and quietly advocate for civil rights and equality. He was also a strong defender of baseball, calling out cheating and bad behavior by players and owners. He criticized players asking the Baseball Hall of Fame to pay them for any items they provide, which he saw as greedy and unappreciative, since he and many players of his era donated items to the Hall for free.

When President George W. Bush awarded him the Medal of Freedom in 2002, the president was quoted as saying: “This Home Run King was not handed his throne, he grew up poor and faced racism as he worked to become one of the greatest baseball players”. We should add great American to that.

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