ATLANTA — Throughout his long and storied career and long after he retired from baseball, Henry Aaron had always been known for his kindness and generosity to others. On the week of his 88th birthday and just over a year after he passed away, the baseball “Hall of Famer” and former Atlanta Brave was honored at one of his favorite Atlanta area schools.
Happy Birthday, Hank 💙 pic.twitter.com/vqSf6P9myg
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) February 5, 2022
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For the second year in a row, Atlanta Technical College hosted its “Hank Aaron Celebration of Legacy” event Friday morning. The event highlighted Aaron’s five “Chasing the Dream Foundation” scholarships that he funded to help support academic excellence for students at the school.
Aaron’s wife Billye was at the ceremony, her first without Hank.
“For the school to celebrate in his name and memory, it warms my heart,” Billye Aaron said. “I’m very, very pleased.”
Channel 2′s Kristen Holloway spoke to Veronica Bass on Friday. Bass, who is now a marketing specialist, was the first woman to receive the scholarship.
“It’s people like him and Ms. Aaron. That union blesses people like me who didn’t graduate from high school and took a leap of faith and decided to go to college,” Bass said. “I didn’t know how I was going to pay for it and his generosity helped me do that, so I’m forever grateful.”
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Another honoree was Dr. Allan Tannenbaum, a close family friend of the Aaron’s. Tannenbaum announced his gift to the school on Friday, “The Allen Tannenbaum Family Fund”. He said the fund will support the Early Learning Center faculty and staff by providing resources to fund professional development.
Tannenbaum said it was Henry’s preaching about the importance of giving back that motivated him and that he dearly misses Aaron’s wise words and his friendship.
“I miss him every day,” Tannenbaum said. “I’ll miss him even more tomorrow.”
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Billye Aaron told Holloway she’s working on a plan to make a large contribution to the technical college as part of her husband’s legacy. She said the details are still being worked out, but Billye and several of Hank’s friends said they want to honor one of the legend’s most used quotes.
“If you have the ability to give back, do so.”
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