The incomparable Muhammad Ali died on Friday evening at the age of 74. There are about a million people far better equipped than I to eulogize his life. The only time I ever saw him in person came in September 1977–I’m thinking it was Sunday the 19th. I had been working on the mayoral campaign of Bella Abzug, which ground to a halt on September 9th due to a lack of support. In the run-off between Ed Koch and Mario Cuomo, Bella eventually decided to endorse Cuomo. He also managed to get the endorsement of Ali, and for whatever reason, the campaign decided to package the announcements together. I was with a cheering group somewhere on Central Park West, although this photo looks very Harlemish to me. Maybe they did a tour. Mario said something to the effect that would have to be a good mayor, because if he failed, Ali would punish his body, and Bella would punish his soul. One day I’ll ask my current boss if he was at that event.
