The commotion of Muhammad Ali was often accompanied by the tranquility of Howard Bingham.
He was the friend who did not get in the way of the bright sunlight and sudden squalls around Ali. He was just there, a benign presence, with camera, with talent. Howard Bingham captured Ali when the spotlights and microphones were not on, when something approximating normal life was transpiring. He brought peace. Now, peace back to Howard Bingham, who passed Friday at 77. The obits are flying onto the web – things I never knew about him. Son of a southern preacher. Flunked photography in college. Was accepted as trustworthy by the Black Panthers in the ‘60s but could not get his photos published for decades. So much to know about Howard Bingham, who never talked about himself. He just observed -- what artists do. At any Ali happening, Bingham might be taking photos, or he might be in a corner, watching. The boxing guys were puffing out their manly chests and urging Ali to perform more of that rope-a-dope. Take a few more shots in the head, Champ. The religion guys were all dressed up and looking important and slightly menacing, too. Business people getting their percent. Cheerleaders like Bundini shouting “Float like a butterfly! Sting like a bee!” The crowds chanting, “Muhammad Ali is our champ!” Family members. Hangers-on. I remember a cook from the Middle East who somehow came to America with the Champ. A tiny African pilot who flew Ali from Zaire to Louisville. PR people galore. Reporters, all insiders. What a crew. And on the periphery was the most solid of them all, Howard Bingham, who remembered names and faces and always said hello to me on my irregular visits. We watched. I thought of him as a friend I didn’t know very well. Bingham had a much more important admirer. I just read a very sweet obit that the Los Angeles Times had on line by Saturday morning. Esmeralda Bermudez describes Nelson Mandela telling Ali about his friendship with Bingham. But you should read the story in context: http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-howard-bingham-20161216-story.html I just want to say that today I am thinking about Howard Bingham, whose pocket of serenity and decency endures. 12/17/2016 11:05:45 am
Very moving story. George, I always enjoy your vignettists of little known but very special people.
George Vecsey
12/17/2016 04:01:35 pm
Alan, thanks. I've been lucky to meet a lot of people who merit a final salute. I'm still kicking myself for not suggesting Rabbi Martin Perley, my next-door neighbor in Louisville, who was a brave witness for civil rights in hard times. When he passed in 2003, I should have alerted the NYT's year-end tribute section. Attention should have been paid. Of course, I didn't have a web site back then. Now I can write about people who really matter. GV 12/19/2016 02:43:59 am
Nice piece, George. Odd that Bingham died just a few months after Ali's death. Thanks for the link to the LAT obituary, which also led to the obituary on Craig Sager. Is it me or does 2016 seem to be a year in which so many notable, visible people on the American landscape (sports and otherwise) have departed this world?
George Vecsey
12/19/2016 10:30:37 am
Hello, hard to say. Sometimes it seems that way. Speaking only for myself, it just seems I know -- have heard of -- so many people. Probably more to do with expanded info on the web, etc. and the experience of living. Zsa-Zsa Gabor? What do we have in common except Hungarian name? But in modern TV-web era, we just "know" so many people. I did know Craig Sager -- a gentle guy, with those bright jackets, never obtrusive for others doing their jobs. 12/19/2016 12:06:45 pm
I have long loved the NYT's obituaries. If I could write for any section of the paper, I'd probably choose obituaries over even sports. They're fascinating looks at the lives of people who happen to now
George Vecsey
12/19/2016 12:59:35 pm
I knew Alden Whitman when he was the pioneer at the NYT, early 70s. 12/22/2016 01:29:18 am
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John McDermott
12/24/2016 06:06:44 am
Dear, sweet Howard. A true gentleman and a lovely soul. I called him once, he wasn't at home and I ended up chatting with his elderly mother, who lived with him. Talking with her I understood where his gentle and kind nature came from. Only wish I had known him longer and better. I would say he never lost his child-like fascination with and love of photography, the thing that took him-and me-around the world. RIP. If you didn't like Howard you didn't like anybody. 5/13/2017 07:38:08 am
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