WILSON BOROUGH, Pa. — An old boxer who got the worst of it over 13 brutal rounds with Larry Holmes so many years ago rose to his feet and applauded.
Four seats away from 68-year-old Gerry Cooney, Holmes remained seated beside wife Diane in the main lobby of St. Luke’s Hospital’s Easton Campus, where a watercolor portrait of him was unveiled to honor his longtime work with the hospital and the community.
Dressed in a blue sports coat, white button-down shirt and blue slacks, Holmes, 75, dabbed a white handkerchief at a single tear that had escaped from the corner of his right eye as he got his first look at the portrait by local artist Andrew Kish III.
Upon the unveiling, more than 100 family members, friends, well-wishers, dignitaries and hospital staff members applauded wildly.
Cooney knows why.
“This is what you get when you grow up in a town, travel all over the world, but you never left home for good,” he said, smiling over at Holmes, who was being mobbed for photos.
“Larry is such a great guy. We get together often; I live in Jersey. Larry could live anywhere. But he chose to stay in Easton, where they love him for just being Larry. He stayed and gave back to the community, to the hospital.
“This kind of love doesn’t happen everywhere. I know how Easton feels about him. That’s why I had to be here.”
A piece of art
The event, titled “Celebrating Larry Holmes: A Community Champion,” was highlighted by the watercolor portrait by Kish, an Allentown native and internationally renowned artist.
“I think it looks like me from back in the day,” Holmes said. “He did good.
“It’s nice to be here for these things; I’m not dead in the grave yet. Easton has helped my wildest dreams come true. This is why I love Easton.”
Nicknamed the “Easton Assassin,” Holmes was heavyweight champion from 1978-85. He finished with a record of 69-6, with 44 knockouts.
Holmes has also been a winner with St. Luke’s since 2011, when he represented its orthopedic service line, and later became a St. Luke’s community ambassador.
The idea of honoring Holmes with a portrait finds its roots nearly 10 years ago. Kish had painted it to coincide with a celebration for Holmes that didn’t come to fruition.
Kish visited Holmes at his former Easton restaurant and looked over photos, magazine covers and a painting of the boxer by noted impressionist artist LeRoy Neiman, just to get a sense and feel of the type of portrait he wanted to do.
“Your nickname was perfect for the ring. But outside of it, you’re not an assassin, you’re a great man.”Richard A. Anderson, president and CEO, St. Luke's Hospital
The portrait remained unsold in Kish’s studio, then at the Banana Factory. Five years ago, St. Luke’s Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Ken Szydlow took watercolor painting classes with Kish. He remembered the Holmes painting when St. Luke’s was brainstorming a Holmes celebration day at the hospital.
“Ken said, ‘Andrew, I remember the piece you did of Larry when they were going to honor him years ago,’” Kish said. “He asked if I still had it, because he wanted to use it here for the celebration.
“When you make a portrait of somebody, the number one thing is you want to capture their emotion, their soul, as much as possible. I wanted to capture in the portrait that embodied how he saw himself as a fighter, of a time period. I feel I accomplished that.”
'A great ambassador'
Richard A. Anderson, St. Luke’s president and CEO, addressed the gathering before the unveiling.
“Larry, you’ve been a great ambassador for St. Luke’s,” he said. “You talk to the kids. You talk to people. You make everyone feel you’ve known them all your life.
“Your nickname was perfect for the ring. But outside of it, you’re not an assassin, you’re a great man.”
Said Linda Gross, president of St. Luke’s Easton Campus:
“Larry’s life isn’t only about winning titles, but about making a difference. Your legacy is far greater than your titles.”
As the portrait ceremony was concluding, Diane Holmes was asked what this kind of day means to her husband.
“I had a talk with him the other day,” she said. “I told him how special this honor would be.
“I told him, ‘Do you know how many people never get to smell these roses while they’re still alive? These people love you for what you do for the people here in Easton.’ Enjoy this.”
As the portrait ceremony concluded, Holmes and his wife were being escorted to a dinner reception at St. Luke's. Those on hand smiled, applauded and chanted his name.
Former New York Giants running back and Super Bowl MVP O.J. Anderson, a family friend, watched the reaction and said, "Larry brings out the best in people. Here in Easton, there's a connection.
"These people know this, for him, is home."
