hank aaron

Honoree

Widely considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time, Hank Aaron is an inspiration both in and out of the baseball diamond. His Major League Baseball (MLB) career spanned the years 1954 through 1976, Aaron remains the greatest home run hitter of all time.

Born in Mobile, Alabama, on February 5, 1934, Hank Aaron rewrote baseball’s hitting record book during his 23-year career. He holds more Major League batting records than any other player in the game’s history. His most famous home run came on April 8, 1974, when he hit his 715th, breaking Babe Ruth’s seemingly untouchable record before a sellout crowd of 53,775.

Since retirement, Aaron has been giving back to his community as a humanitarian. His Chasing the Dream Foundation was established to help children realize their dreams by providing grants to enable them to pursue advanced study in music, art, writing, dance and sports.

Aaron was almost unanimously elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame in January of ’82. Although he received many other awards, at his 65th birthday celebration in Atlanta on February 5, 1999, Aaron was honored for his lifetime achievements as both player and humanitarian. President Clinton, the Commissioner of Baseball, and Sammy Sosa were among those in attendance as MLB recognized Aaron’s talents with the introduction of the Hank Aaron Award.

Aaron and his wife, the former Billye Suber, live in Atlanta. They have five children, Gaile, Hank Jr., Lary, Dorinda and Ceci.