Muhammad Ali and Mike Forrester chat in Los Angeles International Airport in 1967.

Of the many aspects Muhammad Ali, a remarkable American, I loved to see his sense of humor. There was nothing very light about his public change of religion or his refusal to enter the military or his high drama title fights. But his humor, limericks and pranks helped fill out a whole and admirable — to me, anyway — man.

When Ed Bradley of “60 Minutes” interviewed Ali at his home in 1996, the boxer and his wife tricked the journalist. While Muhammad sat in a deckchair with eyes closed and head down, his wife said he was pretty hard to communicate with because he slept so much. As Bradley took notes, Ali suddenly threw a left jab that fell short of the reporter’s chin. Laughter all around. Ali also seemed always to be ready with card tricks.

I had the privilege of being in on Ali humor in the late 1960s when I worked for the Associated Press in Los Angeles. My editor asked me to go to the airport to interview the heavyweight champion. He was on a plane from Las Vegas where arrangements for a fight had fallen through.

Ali suggested we talk on the way to the main terminal where he was meeting long time photographer friend Howard Bingham. Anyway, as the three of us stood in the terminal facing each other, I heard one of them say “Man, I really gotta go.” The reply was “Don’t go here, man, no, no!” And then I felt something dropping on my shoe. The “drops” turned out to be tiny pebbles which were part of Ali’s entertainment arsenal.

The reminiscences on his life on television have moved me to read books by Ali and about him. When he spoke about the military draft and an individual’s conscience, he was eloquent and powerful. His words were homespun, but he communicated with a capital C. He did not hold back a thing. I think he was great.

Mike Forrester of Pendleton is a member of the EO Media Group board.