IN THE FOREFRONT
San Diego is full of amazing people. Industry leaders. Rock stars. World-renowned artists. Champions of the homeless, animals and the environment. Now you can hear their story in their own words and find out the secrets to their success.
ORIGINALLY AIRED 04-01-2007 // FOREFRONT WITH KADIR NELSON
Kadir Nelson's paintings are easily recognizable. He's painted unforgettable images of the Negro Baseball Leagues, as well as dozens of modern sports legends.
Kadir started drawing at the age of three. Both of his parents were artistic and his uncle was an artist. As a young boy, Kadir spent several summers with his uncle, who gave him a strong foundation in art.
Kadir earned a scholarship to Pratt Institute and, not wanting to become a "starving artist," he majored in Architecture. After one semester he changed his major, realizing that art was his true love. He graduated with a degree in Illustrations in 1996.
Shortly after graduating, he was hired by DreamWorks Pictures as the conceptual artist for the feature film "Amistad," directed by Steven Spielberg. He also landed multiple jobs for Sports Illustrated. Kadir has done work for such high-profile clients as Coca-Cola and Nike and has also illustrated nearly twenty children's books.
But, he's most proud of his images of the men of the Negro Leagues. Kadir has created gripping images of players like Willie Foster, Buck O'Neil and Josh Gibson. He recently wrote and illustrated a tribute book about the Negro Leagues, "We Are The Ship" which has just been released in bookstores.
Kadir Nelson is an artist with a passion to create powerful images that educate and inspire and remind us of our human beauty.
Forefront with MacKinzie "Mac" Kline
At just 15 years old, MacKinzie "Mac" Kline is one of the top rated junior golfers in the country. And, she's accomplished this in spite of her congenital heart condition. Her talent, drive and attitude are truly inspirational.
Mac was born on March 30, 1992 with a heart defect described as heterotaxy syndrome. More simply, that means her heart has only one ventricle instead of two and three chambers instead of four. Mac underwent her first open heart surgery at 11 weeks old and a second surgery at 23 months.
The doctors informed Mac's parents that she would never be able to participate in sports or any aerobic activities. One of Mac's doctors suggested golf as a possible activity, and she has never looked back. She picked up her first club at age 5, had her first golf lesson at 6 and entered her first competition at just 7 years old.
Since then, Mac has had many memorable moments on the golf course. In both 2002 and 2003, Mac won the 12-and-under division of the California Girls Junior Championship. She's also played alongside some of golf's greatest including John Daly and Annika Sorenstam.
Mac has been the National Spokesperson for the Children's Heart Foundation since 2002, and set a personal goal of raising one million dollars to help other children who are born with heart defects. In June of 2007, Mac reached that goal and is now on her way to raising another million by the end of 2008. The 2008 Mac Kline Golf Classic fundraising tournament will be held in San Diego in April.
For more info: http://www.mackline.com