I was stunned when I got a call Sunday morning telling me that Vernon Forrest had been shot and killed in Atlanta. It took a few minutes to process what I had been told.
The three-time world boxing champion who started in the sport in Augusta had been killed during a robbery, according to police reports.
I was at a loss for words. Vernon and I had been friends for more than 30 years, and to hear the news that he was gone was just not something I wanted to believe.
The details of exactly what happened are still a little sketchy, but it appears Vernon tried to chase down a man after being robbed at a gas station near downtown Atlanta. He had retrieved a gun from his car but could not find the assailant. When he turned to go back to his car he was shot several times in the back.
To most of the world, Vernon was a boxing champion and former Olympian; to me he was a friend. I met Vernon in second grade at John Milledge Elementary School in Augusta. I had moved from Columbia County to my grandmother's house in Richmond County after my parents' divorce when I was 5 years old.
John Milledge had a huge playground behind the school, and it became my home away from home. I would be there from the time school let out until it got too dark to see the basketball goal.
There were plenty of kids who played on that playground, but there were four who were inseparable. There was me, my friend Jamie Rigdon, and the Forrest brothers -- Vernon and LaVert. We would play basketball, wrestle and do everything else 7-year-olds did in 1978.
There was no Wii, PlayStation, Sega or Nintendo. Back then, kids played outside and found their own entertainment. For us it was sports, especially basketball. It is where I fell in love with the sport. After fourth grade, I moved back to Columbia County; Jamie would move to the county four years later.
Even though we had moved away from the Forrests' neighborhood, we remained friends. We would still see them at the Boys Club on Division Street, and we would still battle on the basketball courts.
As we got older, Vernon took up a new sport -- boxing. I would occasionally hear that he had won a tournament and was racking up a terrific amateur record. By the time my senior year rolled around he was one of the premier amateur boxers in the world. By then, Jamie and I were playing three sports for Lakeside High School, but no matter how busy our schedule, we managed to catch up with Vernon from time to time.
When we would have parties during those days, we would invite Vernon, who instantly was a hit with all of our friends.
He would always keep us from getting into too much trouble.
When Vernon moved to the Olympic Training Center on the campus of Northern Michigan, a small group of friends in Columbia County followed his every move in the ring. Jamie and I would occasionally get updates from Vernon and we would share his latest news with his newfound friends.
By the time, I moved back to Columbia County after college in 1995, Vernon was an established pro, and his following in the county was as strong as ever. We would brag that our friend would one day be a champion. We told anyone who would listen that he had worked too hard and was too dedicated not to achieve his goals in the ring.
And Vernon did become a champion -- a three-time champion. He fought several nationally televised bouts, including eight on HBO.
Our friend had lived out his dreams, and we were thrilled for him. As scattered as we were by our careers, our group would still be on the phone every time Vernon fought. We loved to see our pal racking up wins.
He parlayed his success into becoming one of Atlanta's most charitable celebrities, founding Destiny's Child, an organization that provided a place to live for mentally challenged young adults and helped them lead normal lives.
I would have expected nothing less from the kid who always kept our group on the straight and narrow.
Oftentimes when people pass away, they are talked about in glowing terms. In this case, it is warranted. I can honestly say that Vernon Forrest was one of the classiest, most genuinely kind people I have ever known. He would absolutely do anything for a friend, and he was the type of person who made everyone his friend.
The boxing world lost a great champion, the world lost a great man, and I and a small group of former Lakeside students lost someone we were proud to call our friend.
Vernon, you will be sorely missed.
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