2007 Senate Resolution 11
ENGROSSED RESOLUTION
Relating to: commending the public service of Henry Louis Aaron.
Whereas, Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron was born on February 5, 1934, in Mobile, Alabama; and
Whereas, Henry "Hank" Aaron who, when his family could not afford baseball equipment, undeterred by poverty, learned to play the sport by hitting bottle caps with sticks; and
Whereas, Henry "Hank" Aaron, who after much discipline and hard work earned the nickname the "Hammer," would go on to play baseball for the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League; and
Whereas, on June 14, 1952, Henry "Hank" Aaron, signed a contract to play baseball for the Boston Braves and began playing for their farm team, the Eau Claire Bears; and
Whereas, on April 13, 1954, he made his major league debut for the Milwaukee Braves, becoming the last Negro League player to play in the major leagues; and
Whereas, he spent the majority of his 23 major league seasons playing with the Milwaukee Braves and the Milwaukee Brewers, during which time he led the Braves to the 1957 World Series title; and
Whereas, he hit 755 home runs, breaking Babe Ruth's career home run record and was thought to have been one of the most complete players of his era; and
Whereas, he courageously endured bitter racial discrimination, hate mail, and death threats in the course of breaking that record and overcame Jim Crow laws requiring him to make separate living arrangements during the season, even in Milwaukee; and
Whereas, in spite of those hurdles, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982, his first year of eligibility, receiving 98 percent of the vote; and
Whereas, he has spent much of his post-playing career promoting programs to encourage minority participation in baseball and, in 2002, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor; and
Whereas, the adoption of this senate resolution is supported not only by the senate, but also by members of the assembly, including specifically Representatives Sheridan, Schneider, Young, Grigsby, Vukmir, Sinicki, Mason, Fields, Benedict, Turner, and Hintz; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the senate, That the senate of the state of Wisconsin honors the remarkable life and achievements of Henry "Hank" Aaron, both on and off the field of baseball.
