By Carla McCrary

For YourNewsColumbus

Posted 10-12-09

 

Supporters from as far away as Johannesburg, South Africa, came to the Lincoln Theatre Friday to hear Wil Haygood at the unveiling of his latest book Sweet Thunder: The Life and Times of Sugar Ray Robinson.

The throng included family members and close friends whom Haygood called his "corner men." A full house of his cohorts dressed to the nines in their extravagant evening wear.

Haygood read excerpts from Sweet Thunder, which tells about the humble beginnings and rise of boxer Sugar Ray Robinson. The fighter was famous not only for his grace and power-packed punches, but also for his prized pink Cadillac.

Robinson’s rhythmic technique can be compared to jazz artist Duke Ellington’s timeless classic Such Sweet Thunder, perhaps an inspiration for the book's title.

This biography weaves in references to influential figures in Robinson's life, including Lena Horne, Miles Davis and Langston Hughes, and capsulizes the cultural and political climate in which the fighter operated.

Like Haygood's previous books, Sweet Thunder appears to relate to his own story of struggle and success.

"I was a running fool as a kid trying to stay out of harm's way," he said.

Regardless of any strife he may have endured, Haygood embraces life with warmth and wit. As such, his work inspires and motivates.

Haygood is a journalist, Pulitzer prize finalist and the "finest American writer in our time," said Mayor Michael B. Coleman, who underscored Haygood's local ties.

"If you cut his wrist, it would bleed Columbus, Ohio," Coleman said.

 

As a staffer for the Washington Post, Haygood writes about the "famous, infamous and forgotten, said Mary Jo Green, spokeswoman for Time Warner Cable. Time Warner was a sponsor of Friday's event.

Short black-and- white film clips of Robinson in action livened the Lincoln crowd, drawing the same roars as the champ did in his heyday.

Being on the renovated Lincoln stage was "truly astonishing," said Haygood, whose childhood recollection of the old, rundown theater was: "It looked spooky."

It is definitely not "spooky" anymore thanks to Mayor Coleman and the community uniting to restore the grand structure.

 

Just like the Lincoln Theatre, Haygood dusted himself off and tried again after taking a few beatings from life struggles.

It seemed fated that he proclaim his latest work, Sweet Thunder at the grand Lincoln Theatre.

Haygood may be the first entry on the walk of fame soon to adorn the front of the theater, the Mayor said. If so, he will be immortalized like many of the legends he writes about.

Sweet Thunder, which is scheduled for release to the public on Tuesday, Oct. 13, was available exclusively at Friday's event. The reading was followed by a reception and book signing by Haygood. Also available were other biographies by Haygood featuring Sammy Davis Jr., Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and The Haygoods of Columbus which is a family memoir.