Joe DiMaggio

Joe DiMaggio was born Giuseppe Paulo DiMaggio in Martinez, California in 1914. At a young age he started playing baseball in his San Francisco neighborhood despite his father's encouragement to follow in the family business and become a fisherman. After dropping out of high school at age 16 and working odd jobs, DiMaggio was recruited by the San Francisco Seals to play shortstop. After a record-breaking season with the Seals, the team sold him to the New York Yankees for $25,000.

Joe DiMaggio when he played for the Yankees (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_DiMaggio)

DiMaggio started playing baseball for the Yankees in May of 1936. He lead the Yankees to four consecutive World Series titles in the coming years. He earned the nickname "Yankee Clipper" for his agility and skill on the baseball field. DiMaggio was the first rookie player to play in an All-Star game. While the government concentrated on the second world war that was occurring overseas, the nation was in awe of "Joltin'" Joe DiMaggio's talent on the baseball diamond.

In 1942, DiMaggio enlisted in the Army. Although he continued to play baseball for three years on a military service team, he was eventually assigned to Special Services at the Santa Ana Air Base in California. Despite never seeing an actual battle, DiMaggio was honorably discharged from the Army in 1945. He returned to play with the Yankees in 1946.

Joe DiMaggio with second wife Marilyn Monroe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_DiMaggio)

DiMaggio continued to captivate the nation's attention when he married Marilyn Monroe at the San Francisco City Hall in 1954.

The entrance to the Joe DiMaggio Children's Wing (http://www.jdch.com/)

In addition to breaking records on the baseball field, Joe DiMaggio is remembered by the people of Hollywood, California for establishing a children's wing at Memorial Regional Hospital, in 1992. The motto of the children's wing is, "Whether rich or poor, no child is turned away." Even after his death due to complications of lunch cancer in 1999, his legacy continues to raise money to operate the foundation. Joe DiMaggio kept the nation in awe of his athletic ability during World War II and will continue to effect the lives of children for years to come.