Carla Koplin Cohn

Last updated

Carla Koplin Cohn
Born
Carla Koplin

(1947-01-17) January 17, 1947 (age 77)
Macon, Georgia, U.S.
Alma mater
Known forPersonal secretary to Hank Aaron; first full-time personal assistant to a Major League Baseball player
Spouse
Al Cohn
​
(died 2007)​
Children1

Carla Koplin Cohn (born January 17, 1947) is an American former secretary who served as the personal secretary to Henry Aaron, Hall of Fame baseball player and one of the greatest players in baseball history, during his chase of Babe Ruth's home run record of 714. She was the first full-time secretary ever written into the contract of a Major League Baseball player.

Contents

Early life and education

Koplin was born in 1947 to a Jewish family in Macon, Georgia. Her parents were Nora ( née Coolik) and Alvin Koplin. She graduated from Miller High School for Girls and then attended the University of Georgia for two years, after which she enrolled in a secretarial school in New York City. [1]

Career

After finishing school, Koplin applied for a position with the Atlanta Braves in 1969. Dick Cecil, Vice President of the Braves, hired her to work as the assistant of the director of a new youth summer camp. She worked in an office situated in the tunnel leading to the Braves' clubhouse, which was how she met Aaron. [1]

When Aaron hit his 600th home run and the possibility of him breaking Babe Ruth's record became inevitable, he asked Koplin to help out with his increasing mail. After a year working for both the summer camp and Aaron, with her workload becoming extraneous, he had Koplin written into his contract, making her the first full-time secretary to a baseball player. [2]

Koplin primary duty was to sort through Aaron's large numbers of mail; in 1973, he received approximately 900,000 letters. She organized the mail into congratulatory notes, and another pile for fans who sent baseball cards for Aaron to autograph. She sorted out hate mail and death threats, the latter of which she would report to the FBI. Koplin herself received death threats as well: "They knew I was white, Jewish, and working for a Black man." [1] Additionally, she also scheduled his personal appearances and handled his business correspondence. [3]

Koplin was present in the ballpark when Aaron hit his 715th career home run, passing Babe Ruth. Later on, when Aaron went to the Milwaukee Brewers, Koplin moved there with him and continued to work in the same position as she did with the Braves until Aaron's retirement. [1] She then moved to New York City and eventually Westport, Connecticut. [3]

Personal life

Koplin married Al Cohn and had one child with her, a daughter named Jennifer, through whom she has a grandchild. Widowed in 2007, she retired to Boca Raton, Florida in 2009. [3] Her daughter called Aaron "Uncle Henry". [4]

She and Aaron remained close for the rest of his life. Aaron attended her wedding and also spoke at her daughter's wedding. Cohn attended all of Aaron's major events. [4] When Aaron died in 2021, she was one of the few people allowed to attend his private funeral, gatherings at the time having been restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlanta Braves</span> Major League Baseball team in Atlanta, Georgia

The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. The Braves were founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1871, as the Boston Red Stockings. The club was known by various names until the franchise settled on the Boston Braves in 1912. The Braves are the oldest continuously operating professional sports franchise in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babe Ruth</span> American baseball player (1895–1948)

George Herman "Babe" Ruth was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", he began his MLB career as a star left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, but achieved his greatest fame as a slugging outfielder for the New York Yankees. Ruth is regarded as one of the greatest sports heroes in American culture and is considered by many to be the greatest baseball player of all time. In 1936, Ruth was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of its "first five" inaugural members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hank Greenberg</span> American baseball player (1911–1986)

Henry Benjamin Greenberg, nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank", "Hankus Pankus", and "the Hebrew Hammer", was an American professional baseball player and team executive. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the Detroit Tigers as a first baseman in the 1930s and 1940s. A member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and a two-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award winner, he was one of the premier power hitters of his generation and is widely considered one of the greatest sluggers in baseball history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hank Aaron</span> American baseball player (1934–2021)

Henry Louis Aaron, nicknamed "Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank", was an American professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1954 through 1976. Considered one of the greatest baseball players in history, he spent 21 seasons with the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves in the National League (NL) and two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers in the American League (AL). At the time of his retirement, Aaron held most of the game's key career power-hitting records. He broke the long-standing MLB record for career home runs held by Babe Ruth and remained the career leader for 33 years, until Barry Bonds surpassed his famous total of 755 in 2007. He hit 24 or more home runs every year from 1955 through 1973 and is one of only two players to hit 30 or more home runs in a season at least fifteen times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Mathews</span> American baseball player and manager (1931-2001)

Edwin Lee Mathews was an American professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 17 seasons for the Boston / Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves (1952–1966); Houston Astros (1967) and Detroit Tigers (1967–68). Inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978, he is the only player to have represented the Braves in the three cities they have called home. He played 1,944 games for the Braves during their 13-season tenure in Milwaukee—the prime of Mathews' career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claire Merritt Ruth</span> Second wife of Babe Ruth

Claire Merritt Hodgson Ruth was a native of Athens, Georgia, United States, who is most famous for having been the second wife of Babe Ruth.

This is a list of award winners and league leaders for the Atlanta Braves professional baseball franchise, including its years in Boston (1871–1952) and Milwaukee (1953–1965). The awards are MLB-designated and other outside groups such as national press writers and national commercial product manufacturers.

Earl William Gillespie Jr. was an American sportscaster, best known as the radio voice of Major League Baseball's Milwaukee Braves from 1953 to 1963. Before 1953, he was the play-by-play announcer for the minor league Milwaukee Brewers, an affiliate of the Braves, who moved to Toledo, Ohio, when the Braves moved from Boston to Milwaukee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Downing (baseball)</span> American baseball player (born 1941)

Alphonso Erwin Downing is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers, and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1961 through 1977. Downing was an All Star in 1967 and the National League's Comeback Player of the Year in 1971. Downing allowed Hank Aaron's record breaking 715th home run on April 8, 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Bartholomay</span> American insurance executive (1928–2020)

William Conrad Bartholomay was an American business executive who made his living in the insurance industry in Chicago but became widely known as the owner who brought Major League Baseball (MLB) to the Southeastern United States with the Atlanta Braves in 1966. Although he sold the franchise to Ted Turner in late 1975, Bartholomay remained an executive with the Braves until his death, over 57 years since he acquired the team late in 1962 when it was still based in Milwaukee.

The 1957 Milwaukee Braves season was the fifth season in Milwaukee and the 87th season of the franchise. It was the year that the team won its first and only World Series championship while based in Milwaukee. The Braves won 95 games and lost 59 to win the National League pennant by eight games over the second-place St. Louis Cardinals. This season was the best season for the Milwaukee Braves (1953-1965) in terms of wins (95) and winning percentage (.617).

The 1974 Atlanta Braves season was the ninth season in Atlanta along with the 104th season as a franchise overall. The team finished third in the National League West with a record of 88–74, 14 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. During the season, Braves outfielder Hank Aaron became the all-time career leader in home runs, surpassing Babe Ruth. Ralph Garr was the league's batting champion with a .353 average. Pitcher Buzz Capra captured the ERA title (2.28) and Phil Niekro tied for the league lead in wins with 20.

The 1973 Atlanta Braves season was the eighth season in Atlanta along with the 103rd season as a franchise overall. The highlight of the season was Hank Aaron finishing the season just one home run short of Babe Ruth as baseball's all-time home run king. The 1973 Atlanta Braves were the first team to boast three 40 home run hitters. They were Aaron, Darrell Evans, and Davey Johnson. Also of note, it marked the only time in Johnson's career that he hit 40 home runs in one season.

The 1961 Major League Baseball season was played from April 10 to October 12, 1961. That season saw the New York Yankees defeat the Cincinnati Reds in five games in the World Series. The season is best known for Yankee teammates Roger Maris' and Mickey Mantle's pursuit of Babe Ruth's prestigious 34-year-old single-season home run record of 60. Maris ultimately broke the record when he hit his 61st home run on the final day of the regular season, while Mantle was forced out of the lineup in late September due to a hip infection and finished with 54 home runs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivan Allen Jr. Braves Museum and Hall of Fame</span> Former museum in Atlanta, Georgia, USA

The Ivan Allen Jr. Braves Museum and Hall of Fame (BMHF) was founded in 1999, to honor various players, managers, coaches, executives, and others who have been a part of the Atlanta Braves professional-baseball franchise during its years in Boston (1871–1952), Milwaukee (1953–1965), and/or Atlanta (1966–present). The Museum and Hall of Fame, named after former Atlanta mayor Ivan Allen Jr., was located in Turner Field on the northwest side at Aisle 134.

<i>Babes Dream</i> Statue of Babe Ruth in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.

Babe's Dream is a 1995 bronze statue of Babe Ruth, by Susan Luery. It is located at West Camden Street and South Eutaw Street, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore.

The original Majestic Park was one of the first Major League Baseball spring training facilities. The ballpark was located at the corner of Belding Street and Carson Street in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Today, the site is in use by Champion Christian College, National Park College, and travel/tournament baseball and softball. Majestic Park has been renovated by the City of Hot Springs. Babe Ruth, Cy Young, Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron are among the many who have played at the site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvey Haddix's near-perfect game</span> Baseball game on May 26, 1959

On May 26, 1959, Harvey Haddix of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitched a perfect game for 12 innings against the Milwaukee Braves, but lost the no-hitter and the game in the 13th inning. The game was played at Milwaukee County Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">600 home run club</span> Group of Major League Baseball batters who hit 600+ regular-season home runs in their careers

In Major League Baseball (MLB), the 600 home run club is a group of batters who have hit 600 or more regular-season home runs in their careers. Only nine players have qualified. Four of these—Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez—are also members of the 3,000 hit club.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Grisamore, Ed (February 1, 2021). "When the mail came, she was there for Hank Aaron". Macon Telegraph .
  2. ↑ Grabar, Henry (January 22, 2021). "The Woman Who Read Hank Aaron's Hate Mail". State .
  3. 1 2 3 Apstein, Stephanie (July 7, 2014). "Hank Aaron". Sports Illustrated .
  4. 1 2 Friedman, Richard (October 9, 2022). "For Carla Koplin Cohn, Milwaukee's Henry 'Hank' Aaron overcame hate was like family". Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.