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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE LIFE OF MUHAMMAD ALI
WHEREAS, on June 3, 2016, the world lost one of its greatest athletes and champions, Muhammad Ali; and
WHEREAS, born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. in Louisville, Kentucky, on January 17, 1942, Muhammad Ali began training at twelve (12) years old. At age eighteen (18) he won a light-heavyweight Olympic gold medal, and at age twenty-two (22) he defeated Sonny Liston to claim the first of three world heavyweight championships; and
WHEREAS, shortly after winning his first title Cassius Clay converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali; and
WHEREAS, after being drafted into the military in April 1967, Ali refused to serve on the grounds that his religious beliefs prevented him from fighting. He was found guilty of draft evasion and sentenced to serve five years in prison. His conviction was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1971; and
WHEREAS, during his legal troubles Ali was exiled from boxing, Ali resided on the South Side of Chicago on and off for nearly a decade. First, in the South Shore neighborhood and later in the Kenwood neighborhood; and
WHEREAS, after not fighting for nearly four years due to his legal situation, Ali returned to regain the heavyweight champion two more times: First, by defeating George Foreman in the 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” and again in 1978 by defeating Leon Spinks; and
WHEREAS, after his 1981 retirement, Ali announced that he had Parkinson’s disease in 1984. Ali raised funds for the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center, the Special Olympics, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and many others; and
WHEREAS, Muhammad Ali was married four times and was the father of nine children, some of whom continue to reside in Cook County; and
WHEREAS, Muhammad Ali is known and revered throughout the world as a champion of human and civil rights;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the President and the Cook County Board of Commissioners, on behalf of the residents of Cook County, do extend their deepest condolences and most heartfelt sympathy to the family, friends and fans of Muhammad Ali; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this Resolution be tendered to the loved ones of Muhammad Ali as a means of communicating our deep respect and reverence for his athletic achievements and commitment to humankind.end