The King Arts Complex honored a true American Hero and Columbus Native, Mr. Wil Haygood who was their 2014 Legends and Legacies Award winner. Mr. Haygood is most recently and notably known as the writer of The Butler (and 4 other biographies) and is also an award-winning journalist with the Washington Post who has covered many defining moments that have shaped our history. We were taken on some of the most perilous journeys through Mr. Haygood’s recounting of his role as “rover”/journalist including being the first “national journalist” hitting the ground when the Rodney King story broke; spending 33 days in New Orleans and arriving in the immediate aftermath of Katrina; being outside of the prison when Nelson Mandela was released; covering the Somalia Civil War and being taken hostage by the rebels. He indeed has been a witness to history. Sitting in the historic Pythian Theatre in the presence of such greatness and listening to the conversation between Mr. Haygood and Mr. Moore, editor of the Denver Post, friend and confidante of Mr. Haygood, and learning about their respective roles of getting the truth out, we were awed and inspired by the acts of these men. We thought, “How do you thank such fortitude, bravery and moral character?” PFW has made a grant in honor of Mr. Haygood for the continuing work that KAC does with after-school and out-of-school youth as we were so impressed that he reached back to his past in Columbus and called out those people who helped craft his passion. KAC and its programming, we are certain, make that same type of impression and difference in many young people’s lives that it serves each year.
