Hank Aaron, one of the all-time great athletes and philanthropists, is no longer with us.
The Baseball Hall of Famer and long-time home run king passed away at the age of 86, according to CBS46.
He didn’t attend an HBCU — or any college for that matter— but education was important to him. And so were HBCUs. He spent much of his later years giving back to HBCUs.
His wife, Billye, worked for 14 years as fundraiser for the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and earned her master’s degree from Clark Atlanta University. The couple established the Billye Suber Aaron Legacy Scholarship. The Aarons also established the “Chasing The Dream Foundation,” which awards scholarships mostly to students attending small HBCUs.
Hank Aaron gave $3 million to the Morehouse School of Medicine in his wife’s honor in 2015. Last April, the Aarons helped out Bethune-Cookman in a time of immense need. The Aarons donated $250k to the school individually. Aaron’s foundation, Chasing The Dream, donated another $104k to the school.
“We are pleased to provide support for the achievements of young people with limited opportunities and enable them to develop their talents and pursue their dreams,” the Aarons said in a joint statement to the UNCF.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Aaron family and his close friends.
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