Ali Left A Legacy

The death of Muhammad Ali June 4 is generating many warm reflections, especially from those who met and admired him, as did I.

Some sampled below are from the sports world, including from two-time world heavyweight champion George Foreman, Ali’s most famous surviving opponent. Another is from boxing historian Thomas Hauser.

Ali’s legacy transcends sports, as Foreman eloquently stated in several Tweets soon after the death.

Included below is a remarkable CBS News video introduced by anchor Walter Cronkite showing Ali saving a man’s life as a Good Samaritan in 1981 by talking the troubled man out of jumping from a ninth-floor ledge in Los Angeles.

Also recalled below are other instinctive acts of charity and boldness by Ali, as when he declined to meet President Clinton in the White House unless the president reversed an arrogant aide’s sudden decision to exclude Hauser from a 1996 celebrity gathering in the Oval Office.

The power of these and other expert treatments cited below far outstrip my own experiences. But mine provide context that helps illustrate larger lessons. For one thing, we see from Ali’s life how each of us have the ability to learn from others, whether we have met in person or only by reputation.