Muhammad Ali: A Rare Glimpse Into the Life of The Champ

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Gallery Show highlights “The Greatest,” Images of Muhammad Ali from Courier-Journal Photojournalists

GALLERY HOURS
Monday – Wednesday: 9:00 – 9:00
Thursday – Friday: 9:00 – 5:00
Sunday: 1:00 – 9:00
Jody Richards Hall
1665 Normal Dr.
WKU Campus, Bowling Green, KY

 

More than a dozen staff photographers for the Courier Journal documented Muhammad Ali’s rise to fame and his later years fighting a different fight, Parkinson’s Disease. Celebrated as one of the greatest boxers of all time, Ali (born Cassius Clay), was also an activist and a philanthropist. But it was his heavyweight career that made him one of the most famous sports figures of the 20th century. Ali remains the only three-time champion of that division.

 

Cassius Clay was born in Louisville in 1942, and it would be his home for his entire life, his funeral procession rivaled royalty. He was dedicated to Louisville and Louisville was dedicated to him. This gave the staff at the Courier Journal special access to the boxer during high times as well as later in life when his feeble body still resonated the spirit of The Greatest. Photojournalists like Bill Luster, C. Thomas Hardin, Larry Spitzer and Keith Williams were there to capture it all.

 

“No matter what stage he was on, how big it was, if there was someone from Louisville there, he’d always recognize you,” said former Courier Journal columnist Billy Reed.

 

On March 11th Western Kentucky University and the School of Journalism & Broadcasting will open a tribute to the photographs and photographers of Muhammad Ali. Picture: Muhammad Ali, a hard cover book will be celebrated in a 50-photo exhibit at Jody Richards Hall.

 

A reception at the JRH Gallery will open the exhibition at 4:30 pm CST, and comments from PSG Book Publisher Warren Winter will commence at 5 pm. There will be a roundtable in the JRH Auditorium at 6 pm, moderated by book editor Pat McDonogh featuring Courier Journal photojournalists Keith Williams, C. Thomas Hardin, Bill Luster and Sam Upshaw, Jr. All will be available for a book signing of Picture: Muhammad Ali. A portion of the sales will go towards a scholarship fund for WKU Photojournalism students.

 

The exhibition and roundtable are free and open to the public. Click here for more information about the book.

 

For more information contact Tim Broekema at tim.broekema@wku.edu or call 270-745-3005.

Michelle Hanks chosen to attend Danish School of Media and Journalism

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Michelle Hanks has been chosen to attend the Danish School of Media and Journalism this spring as part of an exchange program used to give students a chance of engaging in visual storytelling internationally.  The program, now in its 5th year, as brought students from Denmark to attend classes at WKU and in return has sent several of our students to Denmark for a semester.

Hanks, from Chattanooga, TN, is in her Junior year as a Photojournalism major.

This Fall Hanks documented Natasha a young mother battling with recovery with the hope of getting custody of her 4-month old baby. Her child was taken away from her four days after birth, because of her addiction to drugs.

Posted in: Through Our Eyes

WKUPJ KNPA Winners 2019

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WKUPJ Students win big at the 2019 Kentucky News Photographer’s Association competition.

Student Photographer of the Year: Gabriel Scarlet

After 19 days of imprisonment and 12 hours of transportation between facilities, Jose Luis Garcia is released to his family and friends. As one last added insult, ICE agents drove Jose around for hours to avoid the media seeing his release. After changing the release location twice, he was dropped on a street corner alone.

Sports Student Photographer of the Year: Silas Walker

Harlem Globetrotter’s guard “Flip” (19) swings off the hoop after climbing on it to block the Washington General’s shots during their performance on at E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, KY on Monday, Mar. 12, 2018.

Student Feature Picture Story:
1st: Grace Pritchett
3rd: Silas Walker
HM: Gabriel Scarlett

McFadden waits for daughter Amity to fall asleep after a long day. ÒFrom the outside I’m probably perceived as an adult who has her stuff together. I do not. I’m just making it up as I go along. I still feel like a child,” said McFadden.

Student Multimedia (Unlimited): Honorable Mention, Gabriel Scarlett
Student Sport Picture Story: 1st place, Silas Walker

Student News Picture Story:
1st: Gabriel Scarlett
2nd: Gabriel Scarlett
3rd: Silas Walker

More than a week after the arrest of her father Jose (who is a green card holder), Natalie Garcia tries to console her daughter Marley outside their home in Arleta, California from which Jose was taken.

Student Pictorial: 1st place, Silas Walker

Severe thunderstorms roll through Scott County causing damage in and around Lexington, KY on Friday July 20, 2018.

Student Portrait/Personality:
1st: Gabriel Scarlett
2nd: Grace Pritchett

Student Sports Feature: 3rd place, Grace Pritchett

Student Sports Action: 1st place, Silas Walker

Students Feature Picture:
1st: Gabriel Scarlett
2nd: Gabriel Scarlett
3rd: Gabriel Scarlett

Jennifer and Cameron share ice cubes and a few kisses on a hot evening in Tevistion, California. Both their parents emigrated from Oklahoma with the rest of the “Black Okies” in mid-twentieth century to work the fields of the Central Valley. Jennifer moved to the cities briefly but has been forced to return to her family’s crumbling home to raise her two children.

Student General News: 3rd place, Gabriel Scarlett

Student Spot News:
1st: Gabriel Scarlett
3rd: Silas Walker
HM: Gabriel Scarlett

Pueblo police clear abandoned houses in Bessemer on the city’s South Side that are suspected of being used for prostitution and drug use. Officers describe a difficult and delicate balance that must be walked between proactive community policing and the ability to flip a switch when called upon in violent situations. Nearly half of the police force has participated in officer-involved shootings.

Posted in: Contest Winners, Grants and Contest Information, Student Work

Through Our Eyes Week 2

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Below are some of our favorite photos from this week’s Through Our Eyes. Each week the selections are chosen by WKUPJ students. Stay tuned for more to come!

First Place

Rango, 33, squeezes back into the Mexico side of the border in La Playa in Tijuana, Baja California. Rango, who recently was living in the United States illegally was deported to Mexico after living most of his life in Sacramento. He demonstrated to a group of friends how easy someone can squeeze through the border fence. After people recorded videos of him on the San Diego side, he struggled to get back onto the Mexico side of the border. The day before, a Tijuana resident who was also deported commented “I may cross the border just one more time. When I was first deported they took my tablet, phone, wallet, clothes, nikes, X-Box, everything I own. I just want to see the beach again on the other side. I just want to see my family living in the United States. Making an affordable income and living life without having to be as cautious,” another deported citizen said.| Michael Blackshire

Posted in: Through Our Eyes

Through Our Eyes Week 1

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Below are some of our favorite photos from this week’s Through Our Eyes. Each week the selections are chosen by WKUPJ students. Stay tuned for more to come!

First Place

Saran Thompson got vitiligo when he was 23-years-old, he’s now 28. Thompson is a hip-hop and spoken word artist who uses his platform to provide representation for young kids who might be dealing with vitiligo as well. “The key is to be unapologetically you. When you are comfortable in your skin the thoughts of people will change. What stays consistent is what you think of yourself,” he said. | Ebony Cox

Runner Up

Austin Minton, 22, is an engineering student at Vermont Thread Gage and is dressed up as Jason Vorhees part 6 version at the Vette City Con in Bowling Green, Ky., At the National Corvette Museum on Sat. Jan 26, 2019. Minton has a background of being bullied as a kid and chose his favorite slasher villian. “Jason taught me to not let the bullies get to you,” said Minton. “Be yourself and don’t try to be like everyone. Be who you are.” This is Minton’s second year at the Vette City Con and comes to these events to show support to other creators and his passion for it. | Tyger Williams

Honorable Mentions

James Muchina was our driver for the trip. We blistered up and down the red dirt roads for 18 days so many of us developed an attachment to James and our van. To the kids, James and his van meant the Americans were coming to the village. This is an artists rendition of our van titled, “America Car.” | Reed Mattison

Posted in: Through Our Eyes

Mt. Sterling: Gateway to the Heart exhibition

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Warm up your cold days by planning a visit to an exhibition of photographs and video short stories that will warm your heart and allow you a few moments to slow down and take in the some of the simpler things in life. Mt. Sterling and surrounding Montgomery County sit nestled between Kentucky’s bluegrass meadows and Appalachian mountains. A lovely town surrounded by rolling farmland, it is a place where people value their rich history and strive for a brighter future. With helping hands, a welcoming heart and a strong sense of identity, Mt. Sterling is the kind of place that feels like home.

During one week in October of 2018, a small army of visual journalists from across the country and around the globe descended on this community just outside of Lexington and documented her people and this place situated at the gateway to Eastern Kentucky. For more information about this event, visit the Mountain Workshops web site.

The exhibition is located on the campus of Western Kentucky University in Jody Richards Hall and is open Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. except for when the school is closed.

This exhibition is sponsored by The School of Journalism & Broadcasting’s Photojournalism department and Canon, USA Imageprograf.

Defying All Odds

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Defying All Odds

A mother’s determination to make a change for herself and family

By Kathryn Ziesig

Work hard, go to college, get a good job, meet your mate, settle down, have kids, and retire comfortably. The American dream, an idealized version of how one’s life is supposed to playout.

As defined by Merriam-Webster, “a happy way of living that is thought of by many Americans as something that can be achieved by anyone in the U.S. especially by working hard and becoming successful.” It is a goal people have been chasing for decades, but what happens when someone’s life doesn’t quite match up to the perfect outline?

The complete story can be viewed here

Posted in: Student Work, Web Narratives

Embody – by Srijita Chattopadhyay

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She had the life others could only dream of, a career as a musician in the music city – Nashville, Tennessee. She was talented, and she was beautiful. There was nothing that could stop her rise to stardom. Although, at the end of the day in the solitude of her dressing room she would weep because she was born a ‘she.’

Posted in: Photojournalism Projects Class, Through Our Eyes, Web Narratives

Spirit Bomb – by Ida Marie Odgaard

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In a world where wheelchairs seem to go as fast as “Sonic” and basketballs that can turn into “Dragonball Z spirit bombs,” 15-year old David Moore from Bowling Green, Kentucky might not see the world exactly as the other teenage boys in the neighborhood but he’s got his own hopes and dreams for the future – and is not letting autism stop him on his way.

 

Posted in: Through Our Eyes

Through Our Eyes Week 12

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Below are some of our favorite photos from this week’s Through Our Eyes. Each week the selections are chosen by WKUPJ students. Stay tuned for more to come!

First Place

Miles Hoskins, a lifelong resident of Mt. Sterling, KY., runs the Montgomery County Historical Society. Hoskins works to find, preserve, and share a wealth of historical resources regarding Montgomery County. | Nic Huey

Runner Up

Tyron shows his cousins Demarcus and Duke how to do a wheelie on a bike in Kentwood, Louisiana. “Man, I know y’all cant do a wheelie like me,” Tyron said. | Michael Blackshire

Honorable Mentions

Joseph A. Madrid, 11, of Henderson marches in remembrance of his uncle and namesake, Joseph R. Madrid who was lost to suicide in May of 2018. Madrid and his grandmother, Cathy Roy, carried 22 posters with the names of children lost to suicide. Roy is part of a Facebook group for grieving mothers who have lost children to suicide, and she wanted to honor as many lost children as she could said Roy. Bowling Green, Kentucky 2018. | Reed Mattison

Posted in: Through Our Eyes