Muhammed Ali often said, “Service to others is the rent we pay for our room here on earth.” This year, as we observe the fifth anniversary of his passing, we are reminded of how his deeds showed his commitment to those words.
His memorial service was in Louisville’s Yum Arena, a large sporting venue. So many wanted to attend and pay their respects that tickets to the service had to be issued. The demand for tickets was so extraordinary that the line stretched into another state. The broadcast was watched by over a billion people worldwide.
While his larger-than-life public persona is well known, perhaps he is best defined by the impressions left, not in the ring or front of a camera, but from moments in his everyday life. His life was ruled by principles. An early controversy came as he declared himself a conscientious objector when drafted during the Vietnam War. He was suspended from boxing. Dr. Martin Luther King said of Ali, “He is giving up his fame, He is giving up millions of dollars in order to stand for what his conscience tells him is right. No matter what you think of his religion, you have to admire his courage.” Ali’s stand was the impetus in Dr. King taking a public position against the war. Ali’s case made it to the United States Supreme Court. After numerous twists and turns, the Justices voted 8-0 to reverse a lower court’s decision that had denied him conscientious objector status.
Louisville TV host John Ramsey was a friend and confidante with Ali his entire adult life. Along with former President Bill Clinton, comedian Billy Crystal and Bryan Gumbel, he was a eulogist at Ali’s funeral service. In that speech, Ramsey said of Ali, “The combination of compassion, kindness and the ability to lift us up made him a once in a lifetime person.”
Ramsey recalled traveling with Ali to the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. There they attended a boxing final. Needed no introduction in the arena, Ali was greeted by a crowd loudly chanting his name. Afterward, Ali met, visited with, and took photographs with the winner. He then turned to John and said, “I want to meet the loser.” An official showed them to the loser’s locker room, out of sight of cameras and reporters. There they met the discouraged fighter. Although the athlete did not speak English, Ali was able to connect with him. He began shadowboxing with the young man, gave him words of support, and, in moments, changed the young man’s entire disposition.
On a 2009 trip to Ireland, Ali and Ramsey had a telling encounter with a fan in Dublin. The man, a huge Ali fan, had a book he wanted Ali to sign. Unfortunately, the book was at his home, three hours away. Ali told Ramsey that they would wait for the man to retrieve his book. The wait was long enough that the pair had two meals in the interim, but the man returned, Ali signed his book, and another person had a memory of Ali that would last a lifetime.
Ron DiNicola is an attorney from Erie, PA. Shortly after graduating from law school, he moved to LA to begin practicing Entertainment Law. His classmate from Harvard, George Jackson, later the President of Motown Records, was also in LA. Jackson introduced Ron to Howard Bingham, a close friend of Ali’s. One day Bingham offered up an opportunity to meet Ali, who also was living in Southern California at the time. Ron jumped at the chance. Soon Ali became a client as well as a close friend. One of Ali’s best-known moments is his lighting of the Olympic flame in Atlanta in 1996. That same week, he also attended Ron’s wedding. Over the years, they traveled the world together, and Ron gained insight into his giving nature.
