When asked why he didn't show his emotions
by kicking a bag, or throwing a bat, he said,
"I can't. It wouldn't look right."

HE WAS

the son of an Italian immigrant fisherman,

the gentleman who placed roses on the grave
of his former wife three times a week for 20 years,

the soldier who served his country during WW II,
and raised the morale of his fellow soldiers,

the Italian who lifted the spirit of Italian Americans
as they struggled to find work following The Depression.

the recipient of The Ellis Island Congressional Medal of Honor
for achievements on the baseball field, as well as for being
a worthy role model for past, present, and future youth of America,

the personification of dignity and grace, both on and off the field,

the "Yankee Clipper,"

the humanitarian who established the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital
Wing at Memorial Regional Hospital in Florida, whose motto is "Whether rich
or poor, no child is turned away,"

the boy who used a broken oar for a bat, and who became the man known as Joe DiMaggio.