It's sadly fitting that in the same year the world lost boxer Muhammad Ali, arguably the 20th century's greatest athlete, Prince George would also lose boxer Harold Mann, arguably the best athlete the city produced in its first century.
Mann died Sunday at the age of 78, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy of accomplishment, guidance and grace.
A national and international champion, Mann is a member of the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame, the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame and the Canadian Amateur Boxing Hall of Fame.
After his fighting days were over, he coached five local boxers, one of them his son Laurie, to national championships of their own. His experience and expertise were called upon by the country's top boxers for national and international competitions.
For all of his success as an amateur and professional boxer, there were two fights he could not win. Even a fighter like Mann was no match for Alzheimer's, a horribly cruel disease that robs individuals of their very identity before eventually taking their life. Before he became ill and his memories vanished, however, several essential items were also stolen from him.
In 2007, his gold medal from the 1962 British Empire Games, the precursor to the Commonwealth Games, as well as his three gold meals from his national titles in 1958, 1961 and 1962 were taken from a Prince George Sports Hall of Fame exhibit at The Exploration Place.
To this day, they have not been returned.
The theft wounded Mann deeply. Rightfully so, he was intensely proud of his victories and never tired recalling how he felt when those medals were placed around his neck and the national anthem was played in his honour.
While he appreciated the City of Prince George's presentation of replica medals, they were also a reminder of what had been taken from him.
His son Cory recalled how many people asked him why he didn't sue the city and the museum.
"He was a total class act," Cory said. "He wasn't interested in the money (from a potential lawsuit). That wasn't what he was about."
Put another way, the boxer in Mann knew which battles were worth fighting and which weren't. A lawsuit might give him a victory in court and financial compensation for what was taken from him but that would not bring back what he wanted most. He had learned how to suffer tough losses in his career inside and outside of the ring, which helped him move on, but as everyone knows, some defeats in life leave scars on the heart and soul. The theft of those medals was one of those losses.
Hopefully one day soon, the stolen gold medals will be returned to Mann's family. Even at the height of his powers, Mann would certainly have been aware that one day he would die but those medals would be forever, something for his family and friends to treasure.
"I've got my three sons and I've got my grandchildren and it's a family heritage," he told The Citizen's Jason Peters in 2007 in the immediate aftermath of the robbery. "My dad was my coach when I won the gold medal in Australia, and it's a family thing. I just wanted to have my medals in Prince George for my friends and my family (to see)."
Thieves don't think of these kinds of things when they steal priceless valuables, whether it's from Mann or Ali. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that some artwork had been stolen this week from an exhibit at the Muhammad Ali Center, a museum dedicated to honouring the great boxer in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Maybe some people think they're entitled to pieces of other people's greatness.
Or maybe they're just selfish jerks.
Mann shared himself, his talents and even his medals with local residents in the hope he could inspire others to reach for the same heights he attained. What an amazing gift he was to the city he loved his whole life.
The Mann family can't get him back but it would be nice for them to have what was so dear to him and what he wanted them to have, to remember him by long after he was gone.
-- Managing editor Neil Godbout
