[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 18]
[House]
[Pages 25823-25828]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  CONGRATULATING HENRY ``HANK'' AARON ON 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF BREAKING 
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL HOME RUN RECORD AND RECOGNIZING HIM AS ONE OF THE 
                 GREATEST BASEBALL PLAYERS OF ALL TIME

  Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 279) congratulating Henry ``Hank'' Aaron on the 
25th anniversary of breaking the Major League Baseball career home run 
record established by Babe Ruth and recognizing him as one of the 
greatest baseball players of all time, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 279

       Whereas Henry ``Hank'' Aaron hit a historic home run in 
     1974 to become the all-time Major League Baseball home run 
     leader;
       Whereas Henry ``Hank'' Aaron over the course of his career 
     created a lasting legacy in the game of baseball and 
     continues to contribute to society through his Chasing the 
     Dream Foundation;
       Whereas Henry ``Hank'' Aaron hit more than 40 home runs in 
     8 different seasons;
       Whereas Henry ``Hank'' Aaron appeared in 24 All-Star games;
       Whereas Henry ``Hank'' Aaron was elected to the National 
     Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, 
     receiving one of the highest vote totals (406 votes) in the 
     history of National Baseball Hall of Fame voting;
       Whereas Henry ``Hank'' Aaron was inducted into the National 
     Baseball Hall of Fame on August 1, 1982;
       Whereas Henry ``Hank'' Aaron finished his career in 1976 
     with 755 home runs, a lifetime batting average of .305, and 
     2,297 runs batted in;
       Whereas Henry ``Hank'' Aaron taught us to follow our 
     dreams;
       Whereas Henry ``Hank'' Aaron continues to serve the 
     community through his various commitments to charities and as 
     Senior Vice President and Assistant to the President of the 
     Atlanta Braves;
       Whereas Henry ``Hank'' Aaron became one of the first 
     African-Americans in Major League Baseball upper management, 
     as Atlanta's vice president of player development; and
       Whereas Henry ``Hank'' Aaron is one of the greatest 
     baseball players: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) congratulates Henry ``Hank'' Aaron on his great 
     achievements in baseball and recognizes Henry ``Hank'' Aaron 
     as one of the greatest professional baseball players of all 
     time; and
       (2) commends Henry ``Hank'' Aaron for his commitment to 
     young people, earning him a permanent place in both sports 
     history and American society.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Ose) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose).


                             General Leave

  Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on House Resolution 279.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Chambliss) control the time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.

                              {time}  1245

  Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, we are indeed privileged to be here today 
to honor and recognize a true American hero, and as we start this 
debate I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Isakson).
  Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I am honored today to join my Georgia 
colleagues but really join all of this Congress in paying tribute to 
Henry Aaron. Hank Aaron is no mystery to anybody in this room. He broke 
Babe Ruth's record and 25 years ago today hit his 715th home run. He 
was a distinguished player in the Southern League, throughout the 
South, then to Milwaukee and finally to Atlanta.
  He is known for his home runs, but there is so much more. Hank Aaron 
was a leader who played with determination, whether the team was good 
or the team was bad. In this day, in this era of high-paid athletes and 
prima donnas and egos, Hank Aaron always had the level temperament. He 
was a man of distinction, and probably his greatest distinction was the 
year in which he caught and surpassed the Babe, because he dealt with 
threats, he dealt with discrimination, he dealt with those that would 
undermine his effort; but he diligently and quietly and professionally, 
day in and day out, pursued and finally caught the Babe.
  Hank Aaron broke a lot of records in baseball. He may have broken a 
few hearts of teams that lost to him, but to all of us in Atlanta and 
in Georgia and around America we are proud that

[[Page 25824]]

Hank Aaron came our way. He is a distinguished American. He is a 
distinguished Georgian, and all of us in Georgia today are pleased to 
honor the man we know as ``Hammering Hank.''
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I yield 5 
minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop) to 
make his presentation.
  Mr. BISHOP. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for Maryland (Mr. 
Cummings) for yielding this time.
  Mr. Speaker, Shakespeare wrote, ``Heights by great men reached and 
kept were not obtained by sudden flight but they while their companions 
slept were toiling onward through the night.''
  It was no sudden flight for Henry Aaron, from an area called Down the 
Bay in Mobile, Alabama, to an area called Toulminville, out near Carver 
Park and Edward Street, where he began his baseball career playing for 
a Toulminville Little League team; and as he demonstrated his prowess 
with a bat and with a glove, he achieved great heights over great pain, 
but there was much gain.
  It is my pleasure, Mr. Speaker, to join my colleagues today in 
celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hank Aaron's 715th home run, the 
blast that set the all-time career record. That was a great day not 
only for Hank Aaron and the Atlanta Braves but for the millions of fans 
in Georgia and throughout the country. It was just one of many shining 
moments in a lifetime of truly extraordinary accomplishments.
  In addition to hitting more home runs than anyone else, Hank Aaron 
had more runs batted in, more total bases, amassed a career batting 
average over 300, won three Golden Glove Awards as one of baseball's 
finest fielders, and earned a place in the Hall of Fame long before he 
retired from the game.
  Hank Aaron, as I said, was born and grew up in Mobile, Alabama, as I 
did. Needless to say, he was a hero to me and all of the kids in our 
neighborhood there in Toulminville.
  In recent years, now that we are both well-entrenched citizens of 
Georgia, I have learned from a fairly close vantage point about how 
much he has contributed to the State and the country, through his 
Chasing the Dream Foundation, and all his charitable and community 
activities.
  Over the years, I have come to appreciate all the more the 
characteristics that he has always exemplified; his unwavering 
commitment and dedication not only to the game of baseball but to the 
well-being of his fellow citizens as well, his grace and his humility 
under fire, his kindness and service of others, of outstanding 
leadership that he provides through example.
  Mickey Mantle once said that Hank Aaron was the most underrated 
superstar in baseball. Certainly, he was highly respected by everyone, 
but he was such a total player that sometimes people did not fully 
appreciate what he meant to his team. That is the kind of baseball 
player he was, and that is the kind of human being he has been as an 
executive officer with the Atlanta Braves, as a citizen of Georgia, as 
a leader in his community and his State and his Nation.
  Thank you, Hank, for the inspiration that you have given to me and to 
millions of Americans. Yes, ``heights by great men reached and kept 
were not attained by sudden flight but they while their companions 
slept were toiling onward through the night.'' Thank you, Hank. Keep on 
toiling.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I yield 3 
minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Barrett), another one of 
our colleagues from the Fifth District.
  Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, it is a real honor and 
pleasure for me to rise today to pay tribute to one of my heroes, Hank 
Aaron. I think anybody who is a baseball fan in this country knows what 
a tremendous person Hank Aaron is and everything he did for the game.
  For me, it is even more than that. It is a little difficult for me to 
talk here about Hank Aaron while the Braves are still alive in the 
playoffs because I am very careful to separate my emotions about the 
Braves from my emotions about Hank Aaron. The reason for that is I used 
to love the Braves. In fact, as an 11-year-old boy I went to 31 Braves 
games. Of course, they were the Milwaukee Braves then, and they were, 
for me, the team of my life. They broke my heart and they broke the 
hearts of thousands of other Wisconsin kids only to make thousands of 
Georgia kids happy several years later; but if one is an 11- or 12-
year-old kid and their baseball team pulls up roots and heads out of 
town, that is a pretty devastating event in their life at that time.
  I continue to root for Hank Aaron as much as I continue to root 
against the Braves, and I continue to root for Hank Aaron because he 
really was, I think for all of us, the ultimate hero. The grace, the 
way he handled pressure, the way he moved so gracefully through right 
field made all of us just joyful watching him.
  As a young kid playing baseball, he also gave a lot of credibility to 
those of us who were not good enough fielders to play anywhere but 
right field. He made right field respectable, and as a right fielder I 
appreciate what he did for those of us who did not have the speed to 
play center field.
  I am here today because Hank Aaron did so much for this game and so 
much for this country. I think he has done so much for the kids in this 
country, because he has given them someone to look up to. Kids need 
heroes. Kids need good role models. Hank Aaron is a hero, and he is a 
good role model.
  Thank you, Hank, for everything you have done.
  Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin. I yield to the gentleman from Milwaukee, 
Wisconsin.
  Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Barrett) for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I am somewhat older than my colleague, the gentleman 
from Wisconsin (Mr. Barrett), although I attended those games at County 
State, and I sat in the bleachers. We could recite the entire team from 
Vel Crandel to Joe Adcock, Billy Bruton, and naturally Hank Aaron. I 
was disturbed like the gentleman was when the team sort of left one 
evening and ended up in another State, but nevertheless the background 
and the things that Hank Aaron stood for are still alive in all the 
hearts of those who watched those games from not only Milwaukee but 
Wisconsin.
  In my office here in Rayburn I have a ball that is signed by Hank 
Aaron that he gave to me a couple of years ago at one of our bratwurst 
days or hot dog days or whatever it was. So, Hank, thanks for all the 
memories.
  Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), who has a very interesting 
experience to relate about Mr. Aaron.
  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. 
Chambliss) for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, on April 4, 1974, Hank Aaron made history at River Front 
Stadium in Cincinnati by hitting home run number 714 off Reds pitcher 
Jack Billingham to tie Babe Ruth's all-time home run record.
  It was opening day and it was Hank Aaron's first swing of the 1974 
season. The Cincinnati Enquirer described it, and I quote, ``as a 
towering shot over the left-field wall.''
  Well, I can confirm that because I was sitting out in left field on 
April 4, 1974, at the Reds' traditional opener for all of major league 
baseball, and it was the only time I had ever cheered when somebody hit 
a home run against the Reds. Millions of Americans have felt the same 
way watching Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, and it did not matter which 
team Hank Aaron played for to be cheered for. He was doing something 
bigger than baseball itself.
  Hank Aaron's achievement reminded Americans that nothing is 
impossible. It taught us that any individual can do anything if he is 
willing to make the sacrifices to make it happen.
  Mr. Speaker, in a few years they are going to tear down River Front 
Stadium and build a new ball park on the Ohio River, but Henry Aaron's 
achievement will stand forever, and I urge my colleagues to support the 
resolution.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

[[Page 25825]]

  Mr. Speaker, as I sat here listening, I could not help but think 
about how wonderful it is that we from both sides of the aisle stand 
here today to recognize a great American, and I say that very clearly, 
a great American.
  Hank Aaron has certainly touched the lives of so many, and just 
listening to the statements that were just made from my friend, the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner) and my friends from Georgia and from 
Wisconsin, those are only three States. I am sure that Hank Aaron 
touched the lives of many, many boys and girls, women and men, 
throughout all 50 States, touched them in some way or another, all 
being in a very positive way.
  The wonderful thing about this resolution is that it acknowledges 
Hank Aaron for all the things he has done and all of the things he 
continues to do. Even on his 25th anniversary of breaking the major 
league baseball career home run record established by Babe Ruth, quiet 
and unassuming Hank Aaron holds more major league batting records than 
any other player in history, including most home runs and most runs 
batted in.
  In 1970, Mr. Aaron became the first player to compile both 3,000 
career hits and more than 500 home runs. In 1972, Mr. Aaron's salary 
increased from a lofty $125,000 per season to a hefty $200,000 per 
season, at the time, unbelievably, making him the highest paid baseball 
player in baseball history.
  He accomplished all of this despite the enormous amount of hate mail 
received prior to breaking Babe Ruth's record.
  If anyone has had an opportunity to listen to Mr. Aaron talk about 
the pain that he felt during the time that he was trying to break the 
record, if one could hear him talk about the threats that were made on 
his life and the threats made on his family's life, one would have to 
add another very important word to describe him. He is indeed a 
courageous man, for he went out and he did what he had to do anyway; 
and while he was doing it, it may have caused him pain, but it surely 
brought him glory and it surely put an imprint, a positive spirit, in 
the DNA of every cell of every baseball fan throughout the country.
  Today, Mr. Aaron divides his time among many jobs. For Turner 
Broadcasting, he serves as corporate vice president of community 
relations and is a member of the Turner Broadcasting board of 
directors. He serves as senior vice president and assistant to the 
president of the Atlanta Braves. Mr. Aaron also spends a great deal of 
time working with young baseball hopefuls from underprivileged Atlanta 
communities. He often talks about the situation the way it was when he 
came up, the fact that many opportunities to play baseball were not 
there; and he has made a tremendous commitment never to forget from 
whence he has come. He has made a commitment, and he has synchronized 
his conduct with his conscience by lifting others up as he has gone up 
the ladder of life.
  The Hank Aaron Rookie League, coordinated with the Atlanta Housing 
Authority, has gotten many youngsters off the street and on to the 
playing fields.
  He has also worked extensively with Big Brothers and Big Sisters 
organizations throughout our country. Despite all that he has done, 
Hank Aaron does not classify himself as a role model because of his 
athletic abilities.

                              {time}  1300

  He is quoted as saying,

       Role models are something you have to be careful about. Dr. 
     Martin Luther King, Jr. is a role model. Abraham Lincoln is a 
     role model. A teacher can be a role model. My mother is a 
     role model to my seven brothers and sisters. I played 
     baseball. I just happened to have a gift that I was blessed 
     with. But Hank Aaron the baseball player is not necessarily a 
     role model.

  Hank Aaron considers Abraham Lincoln a role model. Little does he 
know that the House Committee on Government Reform considered this 
resolution at the same time H.R. 1451 honoring Abraham Lincoln was 
being considered. Both bills passed out of the committee on a voice 
vote. The bill honoring Abraham Lincoln passed the House just 2 weeks 
ago.
  Hank is right. He is not a role model because he was a great baseball 
player. He is a role model because, in addition to being a great 
baseball player, he has integrity and courage. He has fought to break 
color barriers and still, to this day, continues to give back to his 
community.
  As did Abraham Lincoln, Hank Aaron has contributed to the colorful 
and diverse fabric of this Nation, and he did so when the tide was 
against him.
  So to you, Mr. Aaron, we say, thank you for all that you are and 
thank you for all that you are not.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support H. Res. 279 honoring Hank 
Aaron, a true legend.
  Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to 
the gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert) who happens to represent 
Cooperstown, the home of the Hall of Fame.
  Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia for 
yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Hank for making today necessary. He is one of 
America's truly great heroes. It is my privilege to represent 
baseball's mecca, Cooperstown, New York. So in a way, I am a surrogate 
congressman for Mr. Aaron.
  Let me read to my colleagues from the plaque from the baseball 
shrine, the Hall of Fame, when Mr. Aaron was inducted in 1982. It 
reads, ``Henry `Hank' L. Aaron, Milwaukee National League, Atlanta 
National League, Milwaukee American League, 1954-1976.
  ``Hit 755 home runs in 25-year career to become majors' all-time 
homer king. Had 20 or more for 20 consecutive years, at least 30 in 15 
seasons and 40 or better eight times. Also set records for games played 
(3,298), at-bats (12,364), long hits (1,477), total bases (6,856), runs 
batted in (2,297). Paced National League in batting twice and homers, 
runs batted in and slugging percentage four times each. Won most 
valuable player award in National League in 1957.''
  Those of us who are baseball fans are statistics freaks. We go for 
RBIs and batting averages. That is how we judge the man. This man 
excelled. But he has excelled off the field as well.
  Let me read to my colleagues from Hank Aaron's own words: ``I know 
that most people, when they think of me, think of home runs; or if they 
really know about the game, think of 755. But what I would like them to 
remember about me is not the home runs or the hits or the runs batted 
in, but that I was concerned about the well-being of other people. You 
have to reach out, and you have to speak out.''
  Mr. Aaron goes on to say, ``I have tried to be a home run hitter off 
the field, too. I may not have hit the huge home runs that Jackie 
Robinson hit or that Martin Luther King and Jesse Jackson hit. But at 
least I am hitting line drives. And maybe some of them will clear the 
fences.''
  Mr. Aaron, you have hit grand slam after grand slam. You are a hero 
on the field. You are an inspiration off the field. It is my honor to 
stand in this well of the people's House and pay tribute to you.
  Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/4\ minutes to the gentleman 
from Ohio (Mr. Kasich), the distinguished chairman of the House 
Committee on Budget and a great baseball fan.
  Mr. KASICH. Mr. Speaker, my colleagues ought to know that the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss) is asking for unanimous consent 
that Mr. Aaron be added to the lineup tonight in this critical game in 
Atlanta. Without objection, I think, Mr. Speaker, it ought to be in 
order.
  I wanted to just take a second to pay tribute to Hank Aaron. I do not 
know all of the statistics. I know that he broke Babe Ruth's record. I 
remember the night that he hit his home run in Cincinnati and then when 
he turned around and broke the record in Atlanta; obviously, one of the 
greatest men to have ever played baseball.
  But the reason why I wanted to just say a few words about Mr. Aaron 
today is because I think our country is in dire need of heroes of the 
real thing, the real McCoy. Today we have some great heroes that I 
think that Henry Aaron would give a nod of agreement

[[Page 25826]]

to: Mark McGwire; Sammy Sosa; Lance Armstrong, who overcame cancer to 
win that great victory in the bicycle race; Roger Staubach for what he 
has done and to take his career on the field; Tom Landry, also 
interestingly enough from the same team, athletes that our young people 
can look up to today.
  I am always disappointed when I read in the newspapers or in the 
sports magazines about the athletes who sometimes forget that it was 
only through the grace of God that they were given the talents that 
they were really permitted to develop. I think, as Mr. Aaron would tell 
us, no athlete can be great without hard work. But no athlete can be 
great without the grace and the gifts that God gave them.
  I think what Mr. Aaron represents in a way is a permanent hero, a 
permanent representative, a permanent model of the way that the modern 
athlete ought to conduct himself or herself, remembering at all times 
that the kids are watching, that the kids learn to admire and emulate 
integrity, playing by the rules, being able to play hard, but without 
vindictiveness, being able to be a good loser, and, most important, 
being able to be a good winner, and, in all times, remembering that 
one's career is only one injury away from being over, and it is only by 
the blessings that one has that one becomes a great performer.
  I would just like to say to Mr. Aaron, thank you for what you 
represent. I hope that you will pass this on as often as you can to the 
young athletes today who can be the kind of heroes to the kids that 
grew up in your era, like me, that these young people can be to our 
young children today.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Clement).
  Mr. CLEMENT. Mr. Speaker, the gentlemen from New York (Mr. Boehlert) 
and myself and others just got back from Cooperstown, New York. The 
first time I had ever been there. I had the opportunity to look and 
review the Hall of Fame.
  I saw the pictures and all the honors that Hank Aaron had received by 
being inducted into the Hall of Fame. I was there in Atlanta, Georgia, 
just happened to fly from Nashville, Tennessee to Atlanta. That 
particular day, I was chairman of the Tennessee Public Service 
Commission in our great State, and I flew down there just hoping that 
that would be the day that Hank Aaron would break the record of Babe 
Ruth.
  I loved Babe Ruth. I will remember that great man always, knowing 
that another great man broke his record by the name of Hank Aaron who 
has made us proud in so many ways. I am proud of baseball; I am proud 
of its tradition. I am proud of what it means to America and to the 
world.
  Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 1 minute to 
the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Oxley), who is the coach of the Republican 
baseball team.
  Mr. OXLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia for 
yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise also in honor of a great American, Hank Aaron. I 
had the opportunity to see Hank Aaron in 1958 in Milwaukee County 
stadium when I was visiting there with my parents. I had a chance to 
see him play a number of times after that. But I remember so well that 
experience.
  I remember I was a big sports fan, still am, reading the sports 
magazines, Sports Illustrated and others, how Hank Aaron came up from 
Mobile, Alabama. He started out as a cross-handed softball player. I 
always wondered how anybody could hit cross-handed at all. Come to find 
out that, with his talent and drive and ability, he was able to set so 
many records, including the home run record because of that dedication 
and hard work and true talent.
  He has been one that has made us all proud to be Americans in what he 
has been able to accomplish on the baseball field and off.
  My hat is off, as the Republican manager, the successful manager, by 
the way, of a 17 to 1 victory this summer.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished 
gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Meek).
  Mrs. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
Maryland for giving me this time to honor this amazing American hero, 
Hank Aaron. I wish we had more Hank Aarons, Mr. Speaker, a man who 
remained humble, despite all the honors he achieved, a man who set a 
record, not only on the baseball field, but in the lives of the young 
men and young women of this country.
  We all admire Hank Aaron. It is an honor that he is here today to 
bring a freshness to this House, to bring honesty to this House, to 
bring a dedication to this House. We are so very glad to have him here 
and honor him for what he really is, and that is a true American hero 
who remained humble, and he still is. He has still given to the world 
the best he has, and the best is coming back to him.
  Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to yield 3 minutes to 
the distinguished gentleman from Mobile, Alabama (Mr. Callahan), the 
home of Hank Aaron.
  Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia very 
much for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, let me tell my colleagues I am proud to stand here in 
this well today just as I stood in the well of the House of 
Representatives in the State of Alabama during the glorious years of 
Hank Aaron's career and in the State Senate also, Hank, when, if you 
may recall, we presented you with a resolution I passed through the 
Senate which gave to you the exclusive use of number 715 on Alabama 
State license tags, which is the number of home runs that you hit in 
order to achieve the first world record. I do not know if you are using 
that license tag or not, but it is still available.
  But representing Mobile, Alabama and seeing your career blossom and 
seeing you rise to the pinnacle that you have, watching your brilliant 
career knowing all along that I know Hank Aaron, he is from my 
hometown, and now to stand in the well of the United States Congress 
and to tell you today, how proud I am to represent you and how proud 
the people of Mobile, Alabama are of you.
  We recently built a first-class stadium for the Mobile Bay Bears in 
Mobile, Alabama. It is a class act. The stadium is one of the finest in 
America. The Mobile Bay Bears are doing great. But the people of Mobile 
honored, once again, Hank Aaron by naming it the Hank Aaron field.
  So, Hank, I look forward to visiting you later on this afternoon. We 
look forward to visiting you and Mrs. Aaron. I will tell your friends 
and family back in Mobile hello.
  I understand you are going to be living in Georgia. I hope that when 
you fully retire that you will remember your roots, and that you will 
come back to Mobile, Alabama. I hope that you are there so I can 
recognize you when I see you driving down the street. I hope you will 
display that tag number 715 that the State Senate gave you exclusive 
authorization to use for the rest of your life.
  So welcome to Washington. I join my colleagues in giving you the 
highest of praises for your brilliant career, but most of all for this 
extreme character that you represent in America here today.

                              {time}  1315


                Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Calvert). The Chair would remind the 
Members that remarks in the debate must be addressed to the Chair and 
should not mention the honored guests in the gallery.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time each 
side has.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) 
has 5 minutes remaining, and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss) 
has 8\1/2\ minutes remaining.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey).
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I grew up in Wisconsin as a Chicago Cub fan. 
That does not have much to do with baseball these days, I know, but I 
have to say that when the Braves moved from Boston to Milwaukee, I had 
the privilege of seeing Hank Aaron play in Milwaukee County Stadium 
many, many times.

[[Page 25827]]

  I think what we are doing here today is doing two things: first of 
all, yes, we are paying tribute to him for what he achieved in 
baseball. But even more than that, I think we are here simply to pay 
tribute to him for the way he played the game. He did not demonstrate 
just power, he demonstrated integrity, he demonstrated determination, 
he demonstrated at all times the qualities that we most admire in all 
Americans. And I think because he has been a role model not just 
professionally but personally, he has been a grace to the game and a 
grace to the country to whom his career has done great honor.
  Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Oklahoma (Mr. Watts), the chairman of the Republican Conference.
  Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, we have talked this afternoon 
about Hank Aaron's sports contribution. But let me read you what a 
couple of folks have said about him:
  ``He was a caring guy and self-effacing. He wanted things to be fair 
in an unfair world.'' ``He taught us to follow our dreams.'' And, ``He 
taught a kid from Eufaula, Oklahoma to follow his dreams.''
  The reason I like sports is because it is about effort and reward, it 
is about discipline and results, it is about going the extra mile and 
getting more out of it because you do. It is about knowing the rules 
and following them and hitting more home runs because you do.
  He knew some unfairness in his life, but he pursued his dreams 
anyway. He paid the price, he practiced and he didn't take no for an 
answer. Sports is about leveling the playing field in a real way. Henry 
Aaron proves that.
  Hammerin' Hank, thank you. Congratulations on this milestone in 
sports history. Thank you for wanting things to be fair in an unfair 
world. Thank you for teaching our kids that dreams can still come true 
in a sometimes unfair world.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. McDermott).
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, it is with a great deal of pleasure that 
I get up to acknowledge the man who broke the heart of a Chicago Cub 
fan over and over and over again. But, more importantly, was his 
stature and the way he carried himself in this country.
  I think he would really be happy today if, instead of all these 
speeches, the United States Senate had not turned down an African 
American judge that they brought out and humiliated on the floor of the 
Senate. That would mean we had moved somewhere.
  Mr. Robinson, Mr. Aaron showed us what it ought to be, but we still 
have a long way to go. We need people like Henry Aaron to show this 
country that we have to respect all the people in this society, even if 
they beat the Chicago Cubs over and over and over again.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, how much time do we have?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) 
has 3 minutes remaining, and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss) 
has 7\1/2\ minutes remaining.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, it certainly is an honor to stand here today and to have 
Hank Aaron in the audience. I cannot begin to express the thrill it is, 
I am sure for all of us.
  When I think of my own life as a little boy in south Baltimore, where 
we did not have grass fields, but we played on little play lots where 
vacant houses had been torn down; and where we did not have bats 
because we could not afford them, but we used broomsticks; and we could 
not afford baseballs, so we found any kind of ball that we could get 
our hands on; the fact is that we were following a dream. We were 
following a dream because of people like Hank Aaron.
  When we looked at him, we saw us. We had someone that we could look 
up to and be proud of. And so that although we were sliding onto bases 
that were made out of a piece of cardboard, oftentimes cutting 
ourselves because we did not have the grass fields; and although many 
times we found ourselves frustrated because when we hit a home run, the 
field was so small we usually broke somebody's window, the fact remains 
that we were still pursuing a dream.
  As I listened to my colleague, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. 
McDermott), talk, I could not help but think about an interview that 
was recently had with Mr. Aaron. I felt so proud of him because I 
realized that he would have traded in all of these compliments that are 
being made here today if he could see more African Americans and more 
minorities in every level of baseball. And he talked about that, and I 
am so glad he has done that.
  But I also say that Mr. Aaron made it clear that after the baseball 
playing days are over, and after the curtain goes down, and after the 
baseball players are unseen, unnoticed, unappreciated and unapplauded, 
he wants to make sure that they have opportunity. For I am sure it is 
clear to him that an individual can have all the genetic ability that 
anyone could want, and all the will that an individual could possibly 
want, but if that individual does not have the opportunity, they are 
not going anywhere fast.
  So we thank him for all that he has done. We thank him for lifting up 
little boys and giving them something to dream about. We thank him for 
giving Americans something to cheer about. But we also thank him for 
showing America what a true American is all about. And we say to him, 
God bless.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize a man of great 
athletic ability, a man who has a great passion for life, a man who had 
a great vision for where he wanted to go, a man of great compassion, 
and a man who had unbelievable leadership skills.
  Hank Aaron was born the third child of a rivet bucker of a 
shipbuilding company in Mobile, Alabama. While in high school, Hank 
Aaron began playing with the Mobile Bay Bears, a semi-pro team. One day 
in Mobile he was playing against the Indianapolis Clowns, which was on 
a barnstorming tour throughout the South playing other semi-pro teams, 
when the manager of the Indianapolis Clowns said, I have to have that 
guy come play for me, and he signed Hank Aaron to come play for the 
Indianapolis Clowns.
  A couple of years later, he was scouted by the Milwaukee Braves, and 
at that point in time, at age 18, he was signed by the Milwaukee Braves 
and was sent to the Northern League in Wisconsin. At that time, when he 
went to Wisconsin, one of the first times he had ever been away from 
Mobile, Alabama, Hank Aaron began chasing his dream. In 1952, he was 
rookie of the year in the Wisconsin league.
  The next year he moved to Jacksonville in the Sally League. He became 
the most valuable player in the Sally League in 1953. In 1954, he went 
to the big leagues, but they did not give him a chance to make it in 
spring training. It was only because of an injury to Bobby Thompson, 
who the Braves had acquired from the Giants during the off season, that 
Hank Aaron got a chance to play. But once he took over in left field, 
and he ultimately moved to right field, the rest became history.
  On April the 23rd, 1954, Hank Aaron hit his first major league home 
run. Twenty years later, on April 4, 1974, Hank Aaron hit home run 
number 714, as was witnessed by our friend, the gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. Boehner). Four days later, on April 8, 1974, at 9:07 p.m., Hank 
Aaron hit home run number 715 at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium.
  And those of my colleagues who have an opportunity to go to Turner 
Field today, which sits right across the street from where Atlanta 
Fulton County Stadium used to sit, ought to take a minute to go over 
and take a look at what is now a parking lot. There my colleagues will 
see a brass plate in the shape of a home plate. That is where home 
plate sat in Atlanta Fulton County Stadium. In the outfield, where home 
field number 715 used to be marked, there is the original section of 
the fence still existing today

[[Page 25828]]

with the number 715 painted on it. That is where Hank Aaron hit number 
715.
  The next year, after he hit number 715, Hank Aaron was traded back to 
Milwaukee, which was his original home playing area. He spent two 
seasons there playing for then the Milwaukee Brewers, and wound up, as 
we have already heard, hitting 755 home runs.
  He retired after the 1976 season, but here are some of the records 
which Hank Aaron still holds: obviously, most home runs ever hit in a 
career; 2,297 runs batted in; 6,856 total bases touched during his 
career; and 1,477 extra base hits during his career.
  Hank Aaron obtained these records because he was a model of 
consistency. In his 24-year career, he played in 22 All Star games. He 
hit between 24 and 45 home runs for 19 straight seasons. For 11 years, 
he had 100-plus runs batted in. For 15 years, he scored 100-plus runs. 
He won two batting titles and four Gold Gloves.
  After he retired, Hank Aaron came back to Atlanta and has been 
employed with the Braves organization since. Today, he is a senior vice 
president with the Atlanta Braves organization.
  Several years ago, Hank and his lovely wife, Billy, started the 
Chasing the Dream Foundation. Today, Hank Aaron recognizes that there 
are any number of young people out there who do not have the 
opportunity that he had and Hank Aaron and his wife, Billy, established 
this foundation to provide an opportunity for kids between the ages of 
9 and 12 to have the opportunity to improve themselves. They do not 
have to be athletes. They can be people who need rides to dance classes 
or people who need music lessons paid for. But if they exhibit an 
ability, if they exhibit good scholastic habits, they are available to 
apply for a scholarship from the Chasing the Dream Foundation, chasing 
the dream, just like Hank Aaron did many, many years ago in Mobile, 
Alabama.
  Today, this great American, Henry Louis Aaron, is still chasing his 
dream, his dream to make America a better place to live, and he is 
doing his part. Hank, we all salute you, my friend. God bless you, and 
thank you for everything that you do for America.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is fitting today, a day on 
which our Atlanta Braves play for the right to join the New York 
Yankees in the World Series, that the United States Congress takes the 
time to pause and honor the contributions of a great Brave, Mr. Henry 
Aaron.
  Number 44 for the Atlanta Braves is the all-time leader in home runs, 
a record that stands among the greatest in sports. And while records 
are made to be broken, the spirit of inspiration that Mr. Aaron's 
example offers to all Americans will stand for all time. I am pleased 
to join my Georgia colleague, Congressman Saxby Chambliss, in a truly 
bipartisan effort to ensure that the tremendous achievements of Henry 
Aaron, the baseball player and the man, are recorded by the U.S. 
Congress.
  We cannot forget the difficult times, the troubled waters, and the 
lonely bridges that Henry Aaron and his family had to contend with. 
When a young Henry Aaron dared to dream of being a professional 
baseball player, he could not have imagined the naked, raw, and 
uncaring face of discrimination that he would later confront virtually 
every day. But despite the hurdles that both baseball and life placed 
in his way, henry Aaron refused to allow his dreams to die. He fought 
on not only to merely play professional baseball but to surpass the 
records of Ruth on his way to becoming one of the greatest players of 
all times. Today I honor Henry Aaron, not only for the thrill of 
watching a great player swing his way into the record books but for the 
pride of watching a great man march his way into the history books.
  I rise, indeed I ask all of us to rise today in honoring the now and 
forever Number 44 of the Atlanta Braves, Mr. Henry Aaron.
  Mr. DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, public officials are used to 
scrutiny and, to varying degrees, accustomed to the sometimes harsh 
glare of the spotlight. But none of us have had to endure what Henry 
Aaron had to endure as he approached number 715. The pressure, I can 
only assume, must have been suffocating. Everywhere he went, cameras 
focused on him. Every step he took was followed by an army of reporters 
with the same probing questions. Hank Aaron was living in a fish bowl.
  And it wasn't a very warm bowl at that. A vocal minority of hate-
filled folks out there actually took umbrage at Aaron's success and 
tried, unsuccessfully, to undercut his courage. The manner in which 
Hank Aaron assumed the post of career home run leader speaks as much 
about the man as the feat itself.
  I am a baseball fan, and therefore I am a Hank Aaron fan. I remember 
the evening of April 8 with startling clarity: the first inning walk, 
the fourth inning shot off the first Al Downing pitch he swung at that 
night, the pandemonium that followed. It is a moment forever etched on 
my mind, and, indeed, on the American cultural landscape.
  Baseball fans love statistics, and when it comes to plain numbers 
there was none more impressive than the Hammer. 755 career home runs. 
2,297 RBIs, including 11 seasons with more than 100. 6,856 total bases. 
24 All-Star game appearances, two batting titles and four gold gloves. 
These are numbers that speak for themselves.
  But Hank Aaron gave us so much more, as a ballplayer and as a man. In 
this age of skyrocketing salaries and off-the-field soap operas, Hank 
Aaron provides all of us with a benchmark of professionalism and a 
shining example for our children of what success is all about.
  Later on in the evening of April 8, 1974, Aaron told reporters the 
record-breaking homer wouldn't have meant as much if the Braves hadn't 
won the game. What humility. Thanks, Hank: your feat meant so much more 
to the American people because of the way you accomplished it.


                Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair would remind the Members not to 
introduce occupants of the gallery.
  The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Georgia 
(Mr. Chambliss) that the House suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution, House Resolution 279, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was 
agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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