How did Willie Mays celebrate his 79th birthday?

On May 6, 2010, on the occasion of his 79th birthday, Mays appeared on the floor of the California State Senate where they proclaimed it Willie Mays Day in the state. On May 15, 2010, Mays was awarded the Major League Baseball Beacon of Life Award at the Civil Rights game at Great American Ball Park.

What was Willie Mays' professional baseball career like?

What was Willie Mays' professional baseball career like?
Mays' professional baseball career began in 1947, while he was still in high school; he played briefly with the Chattanooga Choo-Choos in Tennessee during the summer. A short time later, Mays left the Choo-Choos and returned to his home state to join the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League.

What happened to Willie Mays in the 1951 World Series?

What happened to Willie Mays in the 1951 World Series?
The Giants met the New York Yankees and Mays's boyhood favorite DiMaggio in the 1951 World Series, which the Giants lost in six games. In Game 1, Mays, Hank Thompson, and Monte Irvin comprised the first all- African-American outfield in major league history. Mays hit poorly while the Giants lost the series 4–2.

How old was Willie Mays when he graduated Fairfield University?

Though he turned 18 in 1949, Mays did not graduate from Fairfield until 1950, which journalist Allen Barra calls "a minor mystery in Willie's life". Mays's professional baseball career began in 1948 when he played briefly during the summer with the Chattanooga Choo-Choos, a Negro minor league team.

Did Willie Mays get a standing ovation in his last at bat?

Did Willie Mays get a standing ovation in his last at bat?
In the final Giants home game at the Polo Grounds on September 29, 1957, the fans gave Mays a standing ovation in the middle of his final at bat, after Pirates' pitcher Bob Friend had already thrown a pitch to him. "I do not recall hearing another ovation given a man after the pitcher has started to work on him," Mays biographer Arnold Hano wrote.