Hank Aaron video screen at AT&T Park in San Francisco to congratulate Bonds on his accomplishment: Aaron lives in the Atlanta area. In July 2013, media reported that his home was burglarized. Jewelry and two BMW vehicles were stolen. The cars were later recovered. Aaron was awarded the Spingarn Medal in 1976, from the NAACP. In 1982, Aaron was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame during his first year of eligibility. In 1988 Aaron was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame for his time spent on the Milwaukee Braves. In 1999, MLB created the Hank Aaron Award, to commemorate
Hank Aaron practiced by hitting bottle caps with sticks. He would create his own bats and balls out of materials he found on the streets. His boyhood idol was baseball star Jackie Robinson. Aaron attended Central High School as a freshman and a sophomore. Like most high schools they did not have organized baseball, and so he played outfield and third base for the Mobile Black Bears, a semipro team. Aaron was a member of the Boy Scouts of America. Although he batted cross-handed (i.e., as a right-handed hitter, with his left hand above his right), Aaron established himself as a power