On Friday, February 13th, the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation hosted its eleventh annual Aspire Gala. This is an incredible event, with some incredible people, who allow the Foundation to work with such great coaches and mentors in order to reach as many children as possible. At the Aspire Gala each year, the Foundation recognizes a few individuals for their #uncommon achievements. At this year’s Aspire Gala, we recognized Joe Maddon, Dave Winfield, and George Haley. These are three incredible people who positively impact people all over the world in one way or the other. However, the person I want to talk about right now is George Haley.
Since 1969, George Haley has served in seven presidential administrations, in roles like chief counsel of the Federal Transit Administration, Associate Director for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and as its General Counsel and Congressional Liaison. He also served as a United States delegate to the Second International Conference on Assistance to Refugees in Africa and as a member of the Presidential Delegation to the 4th African-American Summit held in Harare, Zimbabwe.
While these accomplishments are nothing short of spectacular, it is Haley’s journey to get here that impresses me the most. Haley’s journey makes stops in the military, Morehouse College with Martin Luther King, Jr., and the University of Arkansas, all in the heart of the civil rights movement.
It is how he travelled this journey that made him such an #uncommon individual. Read the story of George Haley’s indomitable spirit as told by his brother and Pulitzer Prize winner, Alex Haley.