Douglas McCollam: A Requiem for Heavyweights

Politicians, like fighters, often don’t know when it’s time to leave the ring. My father, a champion in the field of law, didn't either.

Muhammad Ali (1942-2016) © Jan W Faul

By Douglas McCollam

At first, it was hard to accept my father’s decline. In many ways he still seemed the man I’d always known. Sharp, wise, funny. Possessor of a prodigious work ethic and a continuing mastery of his favorite subject, the law. He’d been showered with academic and professional honors from almost the ti…