ATLANTA, July 31,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Postal Service today
dedicated the Hank Aaron stamp during a ceremony at Truist
Park in Atlanta. The new
forever stamp is now being sold at Post Offices nationwide and
online at usps.com/shopstamps.
"We hope this stamp serves as a reminder of Hank Aaron's success
on the baseball diamond and his work to champion equality," said
Thomas Marshall, the Postal
Service's general counsel and executive vice president, who served
as the dedicating official. "Whether it's breaking baseball's most
famous record or opening the door for future generations, Henry
'Hammerin' Hank' Aaron inspires all of us to swing for the
fences."
Marshall was joined by Terry
McGuirk, chairman and CEO of Braves Holdings LLC, the parent
company of the Atlanta Braves and Braves Development Co.;
Howard Bryant, author of "The Last
Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron"; and
Allan Tanenbaum, secretary, Hank
Aaron Chasing the Dream Foundation, and attorney/advisor for the
Aaron family.
"I'm deeply grateful for this phenomenal recognition the United
States Postal Service has bestowed upon my beloved husband,
Henry Louis Aaron," said
Billye Suber Aaron, widow, and chair
of the Hank Aaron Chasing the Dream Foundation. "We sincerely
appreciate all who join us as we honor the 50th anniversary of his
historic achievement. I hope that his stamp will inspire a new
generation to remember Henry for his incredible grace and
determination in the face of tremendous opposition. Henry will live
on forever in our hearts and minds, and to have a stamp prominently
bear his likeness is an honor fitting the wonderful man we love so
dearly."
News about the stamp is being shared on social media using the
hashtag #HankAaronStamp.
Background
A giant of baseball both on and off the field, Aaron (1934-2021)
rose from humble beginnings to rewrite the baseball record books
while prevailing in the face of racism. Despite retiring nearly 50
years ago, Aaron still holds the record for most RBIs, total bases
and Major League Baseball All-Star Game appearances while remaining
in the top five in many other categories. He spent 21 years as a
member of the Braves organization — first in Milwaukee, where he led the team to the 1957
World Series title — then in Atlanta, where he hit home run No. 715 on the
night of April 8, 1974, one of the
seminal moments in the history of the game. Aaron closed his career
with the Milwaukee Brewers before being inducted into the National
Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.
Henry Louis Aaron was born on
Feb. 5, 1934, in Mobile, AL, as the third of eight children
living in a three-room house built by his father. As a boy, unable
to afford equipment, he would play using a stick to hit bottle
caps. After hearing his idol Jackie
Robinson speak in Mobile in
1948, Aaron dedicated himself to becoming a professional baseball
player. Aaron played local semi-pro ball around Alabama before joining the Indianapolis Clowns
of the Negro Leagues. In 1952, his only season in the league, he
led the Negro American League with a staggering .467 batting
average.
In 1952, Aaron signed with Major League Baseball's Boston Braves
organization and was assigned to their farm team, the Eau Claire
Bears, in the Northern League. He started his career as an
infielder and was named rookie of the year. The next season he was
assigned to Jacksonville in the
segregated South, where he was one of five players to break the
South Atlantic League color barrier. They were forced to stay in
different accommodations than their white teammates and, during
games, he faced racial taunts. Nonetheless, he led the league in
batting average and was named the league's Most Valuable
Player.
Following a move to the outfield, Aaron earned a spot on the
Milwaukee Braves major league roster to start the 1954 season. He
made his debut on April 13, 1954, and
hit his first home run on April 23.
At age 20, Aaron finished fourth in voting for the Rookie of the
Year Award, hitting .280 with 13 home runs — the lowest number of
homers he would hit for the next 20 years.
In 1955, Aaron donned his iconic number 44 for the first time
and made his first Major League Baseball all-star team. The
following season, he won his first batting title, with an average
of .328. In 1957, "Hammerin' Hank" had a season for the ages. He
led baseball with 44 home runs and 132 runs batted in on the way to
being named national league most valuable player. The Braves
clinched their first pennant on Aaron's 11th-inning home run on
Sept. 23, 1957. In the World Series,
he hit .393 with three home runs as the Braves beat the Yankees in
seven games to win their first World Series title.
Aaron continued to produce at an extraordinary rate, but his
team struggled. The franchise moved to Atlanta in 1966, becoming the first major
league team south of the Mason-Dixon line, placing additional
spotlight on their Black star player.
On July 21, 1973, Aaron hit his
700th career homer, and as Aaron approached Babe Ruth's record of
714 home runs, he received more than 900,000 pieces of mail that
year. While most of it was in support of his pursuit, it also
included many pieces threatening terrible violence against Aaron
and his family.
On April 8, 1974, in front of a
sellout crowd in Atlanta and a
national television audience, Aaron sent a fastball 400 feet over
the left-center fence for his 715th career home run, making him the
holder of baseball's most cherished record. While the event will be
remembered by generations of baseball fans as one of triumph,
breaking the record was more of a relief than a celebration for
Aaron, who endured so much hate on the chase to 715.
After the close of the 1974 season, he was traded back to the
city where his career began, this time playing for the Milwaukee
Brewers. His final home run came July 20,
1976, bringing his career total to 755. With his playing
career behind him, Aaron was named vice president of player
development with the Braves. He was one of the first African
Americans to be promoted to a front office position in Major League
Baseball and he pushed for more African American executives in the
game. In 1994, Aaron and his wife Billye started the Hank Aaron
Chasing the Dream Foundation to provide scholarships to underserved
youth.
For his achievements on and off the field, Aaron received
numerous awards. In 1982, he was elected to the National Baseball
Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, and in 1999, Major
League Baseball created the Hank Aaron Award to honor the best
offensive player in each league. In 2002, he received the
Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in
the United States. Three years
later, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund presented him with the Thurgood
Marshall Lifetime Achievement Award and established the Hank Aaron
Humanitarian in Sports Award in his honor.
Aaron died on Jan. 22, 2021, at
the age of 86. Later that year, when the Braves won the World
Series, their championship ring honored Aaron by featuring 44
emerald cut diamonds and a total of 755 diamonds. Following his
passing, the Atlanta Braves and Major League Baseball established
the Henry Louis Aaron Fund to continue to support Aaron's life-long
passion to increase minority participation in baseball on the field
and in front offices.
Succeeding amid racism at every step of his career, Hank Aaron
took the torch from Jackie Robinson
and carried it to levels unseen in the game of baseball. He
produced a Hall of Fame career and continued breaking ground off
the field. Aaron's trailblazing life transcends the game of
baseball and provides a constant source of inspiration for
generations who follow in his footsteps.
Stamp Design
The stamp art features a portrait of Aaron as a member of the
Atlanta Braves, based on a 1968 photo, showing Aaron's famous
right-handed batting stance from the waist up.
In the selvage is a digital painting of Aaron watching the ball
he just hit for his record-breaking 715th home run, based on a 1974
photo by Harry Harris.
Greg Breeding, an art director
for USPS, designed the stamp and pane with original art by
Chuck Styles and typography by
Kevin Cantrell.
The Hank Aaron stamp is being issued in panes of 20. The Forever
stamp will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail
1-ounce price.
A video about the stamps will be posted after today's event on
the Postal Service's Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter,
pages at facebook.com/USPS and x.com/usps.
Postal Products
Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products
through the Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps,
by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic or at Post Office locations
nationwide. For officially licensed stamp products, shop the
USPS Officially Licensed Collection on Amazon. Additional
information on stamps, first-day-of-issue ceremonies and
stamp-inspired products can be found at
StampsForever.com.
Please Note: The United States Postal Service is an
independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing
and to serve every American community through the affordable,
reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to 167 million
addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan
Board of Governors, the Postal Service is implementing a
10-year transformation plan, Delivering for America,
to modernize the postal network, restore long-term financial
sustainability, dramatically improve service across all mail and
shipping categories, and maintain the organization as one of
America's most valued and trusted brands.
The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for
operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and
services to fund its operations.
For USPS media resources, including broadcast-quality video and
audio and photo stills, visit the USPS Newsroom. Follow us
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Channel and like us on Facebook. For more
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National contact: Albert Ruiz
albert.ruiz@usps.gov
Local contact: Evelina
Ramirez
evelina.b.ramirez@usps.gov
usps.com/news
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SOURCE U.S. Postal Service