By Dr. Joel Goodman
For Saratoga TODAY
After a recent trip to Mexico, I received an email from my son, Adam, letting me know that Meadowlark Lemon had just passed away. That brought back a rush of memories— including the time in 2001 that I was taking Adam back to college at Tufts University. We made it a point to stop in Springfield at the Basketball Hall of Fame. I made a beeline to see #36, the jersey of Meadowlark Lemon. Meadowlark was inducted into its Hall of Fame three times: once as the most popular member of The Harlem Globetrotters, then as an individual contributor to the sport, and finally with its highest honor, the John Bunn Award for Lifetime Achievement.
That inspired me to contact Meadowlark to invite him to Saratoga Springs the next year to participate in The HUMOR Project’s annual international conference at the City Center on “The Positive Power of Humor, Hope and Healing.” I was tickled when Meadowlark accepted… and I was delighted to present him at the conference with the Humor and Altruism Award to honor his good humor and his good heart. Meadowlark was warm and gracious during his visit to our conference in Saratoga Springs… and also made a powerful, poignant, and playful presentation entitled “Up-Close and Personal with the Clown Prince of Basketball: Living and Laughing Your Dreams.”
This paragraph is the description of his featured talk:
Start whistling Sweet Georgia Brown because the legendary Clown Prince of Basketball is going to score some points for you on such topics as: how to achieve your dreams; why attitude matters more than talent; how to have a 100% positive mental attitude all the time; tips to maximize motivation, teamwork, and excellence; the secret to life (loving what you do and doing it with all the joy it deserves); why the most meaningless statistic in life is the half-time score. You’re in for a real treat being in the presence of this great ‘humoritarian’ whose mission is to bring joy into people’s lives by putting smiles in their hearts and laughter on their faces. This session will show that when life hands you a (Meadowlark) Lemon, you can make Lemonade with laughter and inspiration.
Meadowlark was an Ambassador of Good Humor for more than 60 years as he traveled more than five million miles and generated more than five billion smiles around the globe. From Algeria to Zimbabwe, Meadowlark holds the world record for playing over 16,000 games in over 100 countries in front of popes, presidents, kings, queens, and millions of others while proving that “laughter has no accent.” (An NBA player would need to play 80 games a year for 200 years to reach this record.) This all began when Meadowlark was a kid with no money— he rigged up a makeshift hoop with an onion sack and coat hanger and used an empty milk can as his first basketball.
Meadowlark’s luminous smile, charisma, and combination of hook shots and hilarity brought him acclaim everywhere. Wilt Chamberlain (named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History who also played one year for The Harlem Globetrotters) proclaimed, “Meadowlark was the most sensational, awesome, incredible basketball player I’ve ever seen. People would say it would be Dr. J or even Michael Jordan. For me, it would be Meadowlark Lemon.”
Al Roker (who keynoted our Saratoga Springs conference) observed, “To be able to make people laugh is a gift. To be able to make them laugh and be a superb athlete is a blessing. Meadowlark Lemon's ability to entertain and amaze, has left countless fans laughing and wondering 'how did he do that' for over 50 years. I remember seeing him at Madison Square Garden when my dad took my brother and me to see him in 1967. I'm probably one of the only people who still has the sound track album from the early 70's Globetrotters cartoon series. To say that I am a fan is an understatement.”
To say that Meadowlark had a giving heart is also an understatement! As his daughter Angela said to me, “Meadowlark loves people! That’s why he does everything!” Meadowlark’s mission… both on and off the court was to spread joy throughout the world. Giving was always a central part of Meadowlark’s life. His Meadowlark Lemon Foundation seeks to change the world by changing lives. He has made a positive difference in the lives of so many people through his heartfelt Inner City Youth Outreach, Youth Prison Work (helping gang members turn their lives around), Camp Meadowlark Youth Drug Awareness (a coed sports camp to educate and offer children alternatives to the dangers of substance abuse)… and more!
Having Meadowlark here in our city was a real ‘smilestone’ for The HUMOR Project… and it also was a stepping-stone for more. I have had the good fortune to be the featured speaker for the past 12 Aprils at the annual Doo Dah Parade festivities in Ocean City, New Jersey (this is a tongue-in-cheek celebration of humor and the end of tax season). I nominated Meadowlark to be the Grand Marshal of the Doo Dah Parade the year after our Saratoga conference… as another opportunity to honor him.
After the parade, Meadowlark went to a gym and was surrounded by young people. While there, I witnessed the most amazing shot I have ever seen. In his street clothes and without any warm-up, Meadowlark casually sauntered over to a basketball. He picked it up and launched his patented hook shot from deep in the corner… swish… nothing but net.
In Meadowlark’s words: “The birds named meadowlark are known for their sweet and happy songs. I always tried to put a song in the hearts of my fans.” I am glad to use this article to sing the praises of a man who left us LOL — Legacy Of Laughter.
Recipient of the International Lifetime of Laughter Award with Meadowlark Lemon, Dr. Joel Goodman is founder and director of The HUMOR Project, Inc. (www.HumorProject.com), and is a Globetrotter himself: One of only two professional speakers in the world to present in all 50 states and on all 7 continents.
