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ALI REMEMBERED: HUMBLE AND FUNNY

By June 4, 2016Culture, Humility

To Stu from (FROM) Muhammad Ali, May 11, 1981” – When the champion admired and then signed the photograph I took of him years earlier, he accidentally wrote “FROM” a second time. He was simply distracted, most likely; though judging by his remarks that day at a political event in Sacramento, his humility and sense of humor could have contributed as well.

The Sacramento Bee covered the appearance, which added to my personal recollections:

Asked about a recent heavyweight bout, Ali said, “I was considering another comeback, but that wouldn’t be wise. I’m too old.”

“I think I might try running for something,” Ali said, noting that he gets many guest appearance invitations when politicians are running for re-election. Assemblymember Maxine Waters responded, “Just don’t run in my district. Run in (then-Assembly Speaker) Willie Brown’s district.”

About another function at which he left behind a key to the city, Ali joked, “I left it behind on purpose. The gold ain’t real.”

It’s been 35 years since Speaker Brown recognized Ali’s cultural influence, “Without a doubt one of the biggest heroes, image setters, that this country has ever known.”

Praising her late father, who died June 3, Hana Ali said he was a “Humble Mountain!”

Forever, “The Greatest.” RIP Muhammad Ali (1942-2016)

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