Holocaust survivor, Nobel Peace Prize Winner, humanitarian, and author of Night, Elie Wiesel, died over the summer at his home in New York City. Wiesel died on July 2nd at the age of 87 due to a long-term illness. Wiesel was 15 when he was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland with his family in 1944.  Wiesel’s wife, Marion, remarked, “My husband was a fighter. He fought for the memory of the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, and he fought for Israel. He waged countless battles for innocent victims regardless of ethnicity or creed.” He was passionate about giving a voice to the voiceless.  In his memoir, Night, read throughout most sophomore English classes at Sahuaro, Elie wrote: “Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky. Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever. Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God himself. Never.”  Elie Wiesel will be remembered, and his inspirational story will live on in the hearts of millions. (CNN)

On June 3^rd, “The Greatest” Muhammad Ali died at the age of 74 at Honors Health Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center (Arizona) due to septic shock, a serious organ complication from bacterial infection. Muhammad Ali, who is one of the most celebrated and legendary boxers of all time, had been suffering from health problems over the past several years, including a urinary tract infection, pneumonia and of course his 32 year battle with Parkinson’s disease – a chronic progressive disease that affects one’s nervous system, making the muscles dysfunctional. As a young heavyweight in the 1960’s, Ali refused to serve in the Vietnam War and actively spoke out about American racism, once stating, “You my opposer when I want freedom. You my opposer when I want justice. You my opposer when I want equality. You won’t even stand up for me in America for my religious beliefs and you want me to go somewhere and fight but you won’t even stand up for me here at home.”  He claimed that after he was refused service at a soda fountain, he threw his Olympic gold medal into a river. His body was transferred back to his hometown Louisville, Kentucky a week later for funeral.  (CNN)