Ali Center a Unique Stop on a Trip Across America
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Dave Toolan (left) and Stuart Hamilton (right) took time out from their walk across America to visit the Ali Center |
Two men from England, Stuart Hamilton and Dave Toolan, set off from Delaware this past June to walk across the United States on the American Discovery Trail – over 3,000 miles from coast to coast. Knowing their journey would take them through the Ohio River Valley region near Louisville, Kentucky, they made a point to visit the Muhammad Ali Center while in the area. Both huge fans of Ali, Stuart and Dave spent an afternoon going through the exhibits and enjoying everything Ali the center has to offer.
“I wanted to come here specifically to explore Ali’s life journey as well as having an interest in the Civil Rights movement. I find what Ali was able to accomplish quite uplifting,” says Stuart.
“I really like Muhammad’s personality. He’s a real character. He makes me laugh,” says Dave. “What I find most intriguing is that Ali’s life seems to follow key historical events in American history.”
Stuart and Dave joked around before leaving England that maybe they would meet Muhammad Ali on their trip. Their slow progress on the trail worked in their favor because the day Muhammad and Lonnie Ali made a short visit to the center, the two adventurers were still in the area. Although Stuart and Dave were already 30 miles outside of Louisville, they immediately turned around for the chance to meet “The Greatest” and made a return visit to the center specifically to meet one of their idols and get their photo taken with him. Stuart and Dave summed up the experience simply by saying that they now know the answer to “what is the most memorable part of your trip?”