As a two-time Indiana state boxing champion, William Dale has been on the top.
However, he also knows what it is like to be at the bottom, having survived an abusive childhood, time in prison and other incidents that nearly took his life.
Now, his goal is to help others maintain their direction and strength, regardless of the circumstances that life brings.
“My message to people, especially to youth, is that they don’t have to give up,” Dale said. “No matter what they are dealing with, when they look at my story they will say, ‘if he can make it, I can make it too.’”
Those words ring true, especially when one considers that Dale has escaped the grasp of death several times, and now works at one of the fastest growing hospitals in the country.
Unbelievable odds
Some remember Dale as a two-time Indiana welterweight boxing champion. Before reaching such heights, however, he had to overcome tremendous odds.
Dale grew up in a rough neighborhood on the Near Eastside not far from what today is Kennedy-King Park. He was raised in a large family amidst poverty, learning early how to survive with limited resources.
“If you got home late for dinner you ran the risk of not being able to eat for the evening,” Dale said.
Although he had a loving relationship with his siblings, Dale was beaten as a child, particularly by a man with whom his mother had a relationship. He was severely beaten with an extension cord, among other items. According to records from the former Central State Hospital, Dale, as a 10-year-old, wore “disheveled” clothes and had “numerous scars over his entire body.”
Such treatment only worsened the symptoms of Dale’s mental conditions. After being born he had two convulsions, and later, after misbehaving and performing poorly in school was diagnosed with eight different mental illnesses that caused aggressive and potentially destructive behavior.
As a teenager, Dale was placed in both the local juvenile center and the former Central State Hospital for treatment of his conditions. However, after a brief time of improvement, in 1969, Dale, then 14, threatened to kill a teacher and cut her tires, shortly before causing a disturbance at a grocery store.
Ironically, that same year, he was released from Central State Hospital after the staff there said he had “reached maximum benefits” and not much more could be done for him.
“No one could control me, I was mean and violent,” he said. “But they should have never released me. They essentially threw a Black boy back on the streets to die.”
Dale also had the rare, strange and unique experience of having had two legal names. Until 1981 he went by the name William Telfair, but was later informed by government officials that his last name was actually Dale and was issued a new Social Security number.
Since some members of his family had been in trouble with the law, it was felt that Dale would follow suit, and after committing burglary, he was sent to prison for three years.
From the terror to ‘The Teacher’
Upon his release, Dale seemed destined for a life of crime and out-of-control behavior. However, faith and fate intervened.
Next week: Read about how William Dale overcame other challenges, how his life was transformed and how he is now offering hope to youth throughout the community.
