The city of Atlanta lost an icon on Friday morning with the news of Hall of Fame baseball player Henry “Hank” Aaron passing away at the age of 86.
The city of Atlanta lost an icon on Friday morning with the news that Hall of Fame baseball player Henry “Hank” Aaron has passed away at the age of 86. A Braves legend on the field and a trailblazer in American society, Aaron’s death has caused an outpouring of support from the many people he impacted during his life.
While the Atlanta Falcons are busy putting together a new coaching staff, team owner Arthur Blank took the time release a statement on Aaron’s passing.
“We are heartbroken and saddened by this morning’s passing of baseball legend, trailblazer and icon, Henry “Hank” Aaron,” writes Blank. “He not only made a great impact on the diamond, but in society as well with his caring and genuine spirit, always taking the time to be a friend to all.”
Read Blank’s full statement below, as shared by the team’s Twitter account.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan also shared his thoughts on Twitter, calling Aaron “the gold standard for professionalism and humility.”
Sad to hear about Hank Aaron’s passing. He was the gold standard for professionalism and humility. He did so much for the progression of our city and the country. RIP
The home run king also set a record for most letters received by a private citizen in a single year in 1974. While much of that was hate mail, some were messages of support.
Hank Aaron was a 25-time All-Star, a World Series Champion and a winner of the National League MVP award. He passed away on Friday morning at the age of 86.
Aaron is most known for breaking the home run record, previously set by Babe Ruth, in 1974. But that same season, the slugger also set a Guinness World Record for most letters received by a private citizen in a single year. The US Postal Department confirmed that Aaron received nearly a million letters, nearly 3,000 per day, and even gave him a plaque.
But many of the letters that he received were classified as hate mail in its most visible and disgusting form. En route to breaking Ruth’s record, Aaron was the subject of extraordinary racist hatred.
Dusty Baker, who currently manages the Houston Astros, was teammates with Aaron from 1968 until 1975. He spoke about what he observed when Aaron would receive a vile message (via USA TODAY):
“As close as we were, he would never ever let us know. But he didn’t have to tell us. I would see him drop the letter on the floor, he would go to (the) training room, and I’d pick it up and read it. I couldn’t believe what was being said to him, but Hank was never scared. But we sure were.”
At one point, the FBI was screening his hate mail, and Aaron has said that he was “forbidden” to open his own mail for two or three years. The Braves had to hire a secretary, Carla Koplin Cohn, to separate the death threats.
My cousin Carla opening mountainssss of Hank Aaron’s mail as his personal Secretary in the 70s. RIP to an absolute legend pic.twitter.com/iLCz58Uf6a
When he released his 1991 memoir, I Had A Hammer, Aaron briefly touched on the impact these messages had on him (via New York Daily News):
“There’s no way to measure the effect those letters had on me, but I like to think every one of them added another homerun to my total.”
Some of the correspondences are archived at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown while others survive at Emory University’s Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (MARBL) in Georgia.
Aaron, however, actually kept much of the hate mail that he received during this chapter of his life. Back in 2014, Aaron told baseball writer Bob Nightengale that he would re-read them from time to time (via USA TODAY):
“To remind myself that we are not that far removed from when I was chasing the record. If you think that, you are fooling yourself. A lot of things have happened in this country, but we have so far to go. There’s not a whole lot that has changed.”
While some of the darkness that surrounded Aaron haunted him for his entire life, there were some glimmers of hope during this tumultuous time.
Shortly before he would break the home run record, according to CNN, the press started writing about the horrific messages that Aaron would receive in the mail.
It’s hard to fathom what Hank Aaron did in 1973 and ‘74, quietly chasing down Babe Ruth’s record while daily being assaulted by the very worst vitriol via mail and telegram. After 715 he declared on the field: “I’m glad it’s over.” Never has anyone deserved to wear a crown more.
This led to an outpouring of positive messages sent to Aaron, which was the subject of Sandy Tolan’s book Me and Hank (2000). Tolan sent an encouraging letter to Aaron, not expecting any response.
But to his surprise, he received a letter back from Aaron, thanking him for his support. The letter was signed, in blue ink, personally by the home run champion.
Another person who has a similar story is my father, Ron Kalbrosky, who wrote that he was a 15-year-old, Jewish baseball fan from New York. He told Aaron that he kept a scrapbook memorializing his quest to break Ruth’s record and that he wanted nothing more than to watch MLB history.
Aaron wrote back to my dad, too, expressing overwhelming gratitude for the warm wishes. This is what he said:
“Dear Mr. Kalbrosky:
I want you to know how very much I appreciate the concern and best wishes of people like yourself. If you will excuse my sentimentality, your letter of support and encouragement means much more to me than I can adequately express in words.
It is very heart warming to know that you are in my corner. I will always be grateful for the interest you have shown in me. As the so called “count down” begins, pleasure be assured I will try to live up to the expectations of my friends.
Wishing for you only the best, I am
Most Sincerely,
Hank Aaron
HA/ck”
For my immediate family, this letter from one of the greatest to ever play the game is considered one of our most sacred and cherished heirlooms.
Many fans had similar experiences with Aaron and this beautiful exchange was not unique to Tolan or my dad. Still, the letter showed that despite the most excruciating hatred, which was far too present in his life, Aaron was also the kind of person who acknowledged the love from his fans.
Sorry to hear the news of Hank Aaron’s death. Years ago, I found this letter from my parents’ safe deposit box. I understand he sent this letter to many, and the words were well chosen.
RIP to the great Hank Aaron… I have a few mementos I truly cherish… my Mom wrote him a letter during his home run chase of Ruth and she received this letter back. pic.twitter.com/bTlbWI93cw
It was a letter from Hank Aaron to my professor, in response to Dr. Alexander having written to congratulate him on breaking Ruth's record. Aaron, in the response, thanked him—noting that he'd received so few notes of congratulation that he was able to respond to them all.
Rest in power, Hank Aaron. One of my favorite pieces of memorabilia is a letter — probably a form letter and probably not actually signed by him — sent to 16-year-old me after I'd sent him a letter encouraging him as he chased Babe Ruth's all-time home run record in 1973. pic.twitter.com/eC8AouybmV
