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Just this week Muhammad Ali was awarded an honorary doctorate of humanities from Princeton University to honor his humanitarian efforts and his athletic achievements. He is truly an amazing person! He was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. I chose a Kentucky celebrity because Kentucky is the second Southern state where I lived for four years.
Did you know that Muhammad Ali was named Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. at birth? He was named after his father who was named for the 19th century abolitionist and politician. This is especially interesting to me because I attended Berea College which has ties to the abolitionist Cassius Clay. I'll do a post about that sometime.
In addition to his athletic accomplishments, he has devoted his life to helping people worldwide. Plus, he gives back to his home community as well. Please take a moment to read about the many ways that he has provided assistance to others. http://www.ali.com/greatest/
His daughter is one strong, beautiful woman. She has followed in her father's footsteps with boxing! She was recently a contestant on the show "Dancing With the Stars".
** Instead of my Sunday Celebrity Post, next week will be dedicated to Southern Daddies**
4 comments:
What a great example he is. I just read an article about his daughter the other day and was very impressed with her as well.
I still like his quote "Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee." He is a very interesting man who always has something to say. It is hard to see him ill now, but he still is very much presence!!!
It is hard seeing him with the Parkinson's disease that doctors say was brought on by so many hits to the head. I read that he has no regrets, though. I think that it's on his web site. He feels that he is able to help people the way he does because of his boxing career.
Muhammad Ali might be my all-time favorite athelete. He was always so animated, yet backed it up with performance. Plus, sports wasn't the most important thing to him. He gave up his belt to protest Vietnam, because it was the right thing to do.
I remember watching him light the Olympic torch (I think it was the Salt Lake City Olympics). His Parkinson's was already bad and he was so shakey. I thought it was so noble to expose himself like that, as frail as he was, and to show how much strength he still had despite the depletion of his physical abilities. He showed that people with disabilites still have a lot of dignity.
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