I was delivering a lecture earlier this week to the International Society of Business Communicators, when a question was asked of me. "What is the most memorable picture that you have ever taken?" I replied  "wow, there have been many that stand out in my mind for different reasons, that is a very difficult question to answer." The woman shot right back with another question,  "then, name the most memorable person that you really loved photographing" After a few seconds of thought I remarked "that one is actually fairly easy to answer, while I have had the good fortune to photograph a Pope, Bill Gates and several Presidents including Obama, spending a few minutes with Muhammad Ali is at the top of my list." The date was December 10, 1976, I was a "Pregnancy Replacement" for Pam Spaulding at The Courier-Journal and Louisville Times, I had been assigned to photograph an exhibition boxing match between Ali and a little known Louisville boxer, Greg Page at Trinity High School. I made my way to Ali's locker room, after awhile Ali  got up, gathered from his trainer all of the materials needed to tape his hands and said "I need a few minutes to get ready", he then walked into a private men's restroom. I waited, before I knocked on the door "Champ may I come in?"I shouted and from the other side, came a one word answer "sure".

When I entered the tiny room, Ali was in the middle of taping his own hands before putting on his boxing gloves, he was all alone, no handlers, no trainers, no onlookers other than me,  suddenly I felt that I had interrupted a routine and ritual that he had preformed thousands of times before, over the years, quickly I snapped two frames on my camera, said "thanks" left the room and shut the door. Those moments will be forever be tattooed in my memory. Ali was at the time 34 years old and wrapping up his career, I was 22 just beginning mine.