The former West Merrell Street in Phoenix was renamed in June in honor of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali (submitted photo).
A street on the Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center campus, which houses Barrow Neurological Institute’s Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center, was renamed for Muhammad Ali on June 3. The street honors the Champ’s enduring legacy as the face of the fight against Parkinson’s disease.
West Merrell Street was renamed Muhammad Ali Way between Central and 3rd avenues. The new street signs were unveiled during a ceremony attended by Ali’s widow, Lonnie Ali, world champion boxer Earnie Shavers, local dignitaries, philanthropists, and patients and staff at the center.
The day marked the third anniversary of Ali’s death in Phoenix at age 74. The City of Phoenix also proclaimed June 3 “Muhammad Ali Day” in honor of all that he did for his adopted hometown.
Established in 1997 by Muhammad Ali, Dr. Abraham Lieberman and Phoenix philanthropist Jimmy Walker, the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center has grown into the most comprehensive Parkinson’s disease center in the world. The Center’s original 5,000 square-foot facility doubled in size in 2009 and again in 2014. The Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center is now 26,450 square feet and with more than 14,000 patients each year.
