In July of last year, we posted about Captain Bill Pinkney‘s induction into the National Sailing Hall of Fame with a Lifetime Achievement Award as an “Enthusiastic Trend Setter.” Captain Pinkney was the first African American to solo-circumnavigate the world via Cape Horn. Born on September 15, 1935, in Chicago, he attended public schools in Chicago and joined the U.S. Navy after graduating from high school in 1954.

Now, on the 30th anniversary of returning to the U.S. from his historic 22-month solo sail around the world, Captain Pinkney will be honored as “Hero of the Game” at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago on Thursday, June 9.

The White Sox honor a member of the military at each home game. At a designated half-inning break, Captain Bill will be honored on the field and featured live on the centerfield videoboard as the public address announcer salutes both his service to our country and his solo voyage.

A native Chicago South Sider, Captain Bill Pinkney served in the US Navy from 1953 to 1960, becoming active in 1956. He served in both the Korean War and the Vietnam War as a hospital corpsman on several ships including the aircraft carrier USS Franklin Delano Roosevelt deployed in the Atlantic Fleet and the seaplane tender USS Albemarle, deployed to the Atlantic Fleet based in Puerto Rico. Captain Bill is currently active with the U.S. Merchant Marine in Puerto Rico, where he is a licensed Captain for vessels with up to 200 gross tons.

Captain Bill is in Chicago from his home in Puerto Rico to introduce and sign his new children’s book Sailing Commitment Around the World. The book, illustrated by noted Chicago artist Pamela C. Rice, aims to inspire readers from 8 to 12-years-old with stories, adventures, and sights of the voyage and the lessons Captain Bill learned at sea: dream big, persevere, and don’t be distracted by hurdles that come with moving forward.

Pinkney will be signing his book and telling stories of his adventures on Wednesday, June 8 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Chicago Maritime Museum in the Bridgeport Art Center at 1200 West 35th Street. Children will be seated in a special reading circle to hear Captain Bill read from his book and participate in a question-and-answer session.

Thanks to Mary Ann O’Rourke for contributing to this post.