Larry Holmes has been a champion of St. Luke’s longer than he was heavyweight boxing champion of the world.
The “Easton Assassin” was the king of the heavyweight division in boxing from 1978 through 1985 and has championed St. Luke’s since 2011, when he represented St. Luke’s orthopedic service line, and later as a St. Luke’s Community Ambassador.
In fact, Holmes was the first celebrity to work with St. Luke’s, a list of high-profile athletes that includes Phillies legend Steve Carlton, Eagles kicker David Akers and running back Saquon Barkley, and Hollywood actor/director/produce Daniel Roebuck.
Holmes, age 75, was honored by St. Luke’s for his work highlighting St. Luke’s exceptional health care including his work with sports performance and treatment for diabetes.
St. Luke’s hosted an invitation-only event called “Celebrating Larry Holmes: A Community Champion” at the St. Luke’s Easton Campus on Wednesday, Feb. 26.
“St. Luke’s is honored and privileged to recognize a special community champion like Larry Holmes,” said St. Luke’s President & CEO Rick Anderson. “Larry is the epitome of a humanitarian, philanthropist and true champion in every sense of the word and values his community.
“It is only fitting that in honor of his 75th birthday, and his 75 professional fights, St. Luke’s is unveiling a special watercolor portrait of the champ that will be located in the lobby of our St. Luke’s Easton Campus.”
Holmes (69-6, 44 KOs), without question, is one of the greatest heavyweights of all time. His storied left jab allowed him 48 successful title defenses and led to four more attempts at the title after his first loss.
Mr. Holmes, always a champion, engaged with St. Luke’s under the tutelage of John Graham, Senior Network Director, Fitness & Sports Performance, to maintain his fitness following his boxing career. In March of 2013, Larry required medical care when he was diagnosed with diabetes. Subsequently he filmed a documentary of his journey from diagnosis to treatment of diabetes under the care of St. Luke’s physicians.
“St. Luke’s has been there for me, first as a retired athlete, and then when I needed them most. My blood sugar had spiked to 900 and I was told to get to a hospital immediately,” Holmes said. “Just like in boxing, when I chose the best trainers, I chose the best hospital, doctors and medical care in St. Luke’s.”
Lehigh Vally resident, Andrew Kish III, whose artworks are in galleries worldwide, created the watercolor portrait of Holmes with a “stare” in a true boxer’s pose, gloved left hand slightly lowered.
“It was an honor to do this portrait of Larry,” said Kish. “The painting represents Larry in the prime of his career when he was truly the best heavyweight boxer on the planet.”
Holmes and his family are thrilled with the portrait, which now hangs in “Larry’s Corner” at the St. Luke’s Easton Campus.
Larry said: “Thank you to St. Luke’s for working with me. Thank you to Andrew for a great painting. Together, this whole celebration of me turning 75 has been fantastic. It’s a knockout.”
About St. Luke’s
Founded in 1872, St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network of more than 20,000 employees providing services at 15 campuses and 350+ outpatient sites. With annual net revenue of $4 billion, the Network’s service area includes 11 counties in two states: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. St. Luke’s hospitals operate the largest network of trauma centers in Pennsylvania, with the Bethlehem Campus being home to St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital.
Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke’s is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania. In partnership with Temple University, the Network established the Lehigh Valley’s first and only four-year medical school campus. It also operates the nation’s oldest School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 52 fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with more than 500 residents and fellows. In 2022, St. Luke’s, a member of the Children’s Hospital Association, established the Lehigh Valley’s first and only free-standing facility dedicated entirely to kids.
SLUHN is the only Lehigh Valley-based health care system to earn Medicare’s five-star ratings (the highest) for quality, efficiency, and patient satisfaction. St. Luke’s is a Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades Top Hospital and a Newsweek World’s Best Hospital. The Network’s flagship University Hospital has earned the 100 Top Major Teaching Hospital designation from Fortune/PINC AI 10 years in a row, including in 2021 when it was identified as THE #1 TEACHING HOSPITAL IN THE COUNTRY. In 2021, St. Luke’s was also identified as one of the 15 Top Health Systems nationally. Utilizing the Epic electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the Most Wired award recognizing the breadth of SLUHN’s information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling and online pricing information.
Information provided to TVL by:
Gary Blockus
