I was saddened to hear of Muhammad Ali’s passing on June 3. I recall with vivid memories welcoming the boxing legend to the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, California, where I worked at the time as Director of Public Relations, and where the international celebrity stayed during his April 1999 visit to Silicon Valley. Muhammad Ali, who was accompanied by his wife, Lonnie, and good friend Howard Bingham, a photographer with Sports Illustrated, was in town to participate in Apple Inc.’s “Think Different” ad campaign.
The wide responsibilities of my PR job encompassed the duty of a manager of protocol or “looking after” the famous guests. When I found out that Mr. Ali was coming to the hotel, I was very excited because of my father, who was an amateur boxer and a huge boxing fan. He used to attend many boxing matches in his and my native Lithuanian Republic of the then Soviet Union, and I remember him watching a lot of boxing broadcasts on television and quite often taking me along to the boxing matches.
Lina wearing boxing gloves autographed by Ali. Courtesy of Bruce Barton
By the time I welcomed Mr. Ali on his arrival to the Fairmont, his well-documented struggle with Parkinson’s disease had already long taken hold. The once-outspoken personality had become a man of few words. It was thrilling to observe the stunned guests as we walked in the hotel lobby when they encountered the famous boxer. They warmly greeted him as “Champ.” He smiled at them, jabbing a punch in the air. He was not just a boxer, he was a personality, larger than life.
Parkinson’s did not affect Muhammad Ali’s smile and the sparkle in his eyes, nor his sense of humor. He was very friendly, very sweet and considerate, even taking time to carefully sign boxing gloves that I had purchased for him to autograph, which was a challenging task for him.
Lina wearing boxing gloves autographed by Ali. Courtesy of Donna Katto
I was later informed that then-Vice President Al Gore was arriving to the hotel on the same afternoon, and I arranged to deliver to him the July 1998 copy of Sports Illustrated that featured Ali and Bingham on the cover, autographed to Mr. Gore by both of my generous guests.
When I casually asked Mr. Ali if he had met every President of the United States, the Champ smiled and replied with a wink, “Not George Washington.”
Upon his return to Washington, Vice President Gore responded with a thank-you note to Mr. Ali and Mr. Bingham as well as a lovely note of gratitude to me… But it was all in a day’s work for this director of public relations and the manager of protocol.
As the world continues to pay respect and a loving tribute to Muhammad Ali, I truly hope that the brilliant minds in the heart of Silicon Valley will find cure for the deadly Parkinson’s disease.
Lina Broydo writes about travel, art, entertainment, style, and sports. She worked for 22 years as director of public relations at a luxury hotel in San Jose, California, and is currently the president of STAR PR, Public Relations and Marketing Company. She lives in Los Altos Hills, California.
