The first, of course, would have been the person whom I was chosen to study under. Needless to say, Frank and Oglivanna Wright were not too pleased when our family left Taliesin. Some years later, Oglivanna began a speech in a large auditorium by asking me when I was coming back to them! As much as I admired and loved that man, I just could not see myself wishing to become the second greatest architect in the world!

In 1957, our Marine company had the concessions for the annual Camp Pendleton rodeo. "Matt Dillon and Chester" both came into our tent for a beer. That was the first time I realized just how tall James Arness was! I was 6'1" and Dennis Weaver was about the same. Yet, Chester always looked so much smaller on TV!

That same year, I was also with a country and western band. We were often up to the Riverside Rancho on Friday nights and the Culver City Roundup on Saturdays. Red Sovine, Freddie Hart, Ferlin Husky and many others and strictly informal. Jam sessions afterward well into the early morning hours. And of course, movie stars too numerous to mention!

Then there were the D.C. visits in connection with one of my hobbies. Those who I sat down beside for luncheons were quite notable in that field. There was Sam Graveley, author of "Black Company", of which my copy is autographed. First black admiral in the US Navy. Another was Kemp Tolley, the last commander of the Yangtze River Patrol. He had tales that went on forever on how he managed to get out and escape to Australia! Another really full of stories was Stansfield Turner. Met him just before he took over the CIA. He had some great stories about his tour as Com6thFlt in the Med. There was also Elmo Zumwalt. I have his autograph as RAdm, VAdm, Adm, and CNO. Finally got to meet him at a Navy League meeting in Milwaukee as the youngest ever CNO.

And there's my racing hobby that some know about. I'm one of few who have owned cars which competed against the two eventual NASCAR champions from Wisconsin. Alan Kulwicki and I started out as owner-drivers at the same time in 1970. I quickly learned that my skills were in the pits, not as a driver. Being "new kids on the block", Alan and I would always park next to each other so we could share tools, advice, and manpower. He went to his grave still owing me a set of gears that he borrowed for the last race in 1971. The year that he won the NASCAR title, I purchased his ASA championship car from 6 or 6 years before. I still have it!

Then there is the second NASCAR champ to come from Wisconsin, Matt Kenseth. The car that I presently have has raced against him a number of times when he was just starting. The last time, my car started on the pole with my brother at the wheel, and Matt was back in 18th. Didn't take long and they managed to swap track positions without tearing up too much sheet metal!

Martin

As a junior high student ,I was the ballboy for the local college football team (Pacific University-Forest Grove, Ore.). The Dallas Cowboys very first Spring Training Camp was on the Pacific campus. Since I was a veteran, the coach told The Cowboys(not named that originally, but still the Cowboys) coach Tom Landry I would do OK. Coach Landry hired me to pick up after the team, both on and off the field. He paid me every day out of his pocket....a whole quarter! I would have paid him to let me do it. What a good summer it was; finally I was cool in the eyes of most of the kids in town.

Through my son playing football at Iowa, Hayden Fry and Chuck Long visited with us about my son playing for them. On that team were a few stars who played in the pros; we got to know Tavian Banks and Tim Dwight(still with the Patriots).

As a college trackster, I spent time hanging around Dick Fosbury and Jim Ryan. I ran against some olympians, but only saw their backsides as they went across the finish line.

My father was a very good friend of Muddy Waters. All kinds of blues musicians used to come to our house when I was growing up. They loved my grandmother. The good Italian meals she made were probably the best they would eat for months.
When I was a teen my father, opened a now closed but very well know Niagara Falls bar called the Imperial Garage. My father had been a drag racer and worked for Chrysler so that's where the name comes from. We still have a reunion party with bands every summer.
All kinds of famous people played there that I got to meet. Some of course were a one time meeting, but some you got to know because they would play every so often. Let's see... well Muddy of course, a lot of the guys from the Blues Brother movie like Matt Guitar Murphy, Johnny Winter, John Lee Hooker, Ginger Baker, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Box Car Willie, BB King, and a lot more.

Sammy Terry...for those who even know who he is.

Sue

My son and I met New Jersey acting Gov. Cody. He lives in our town and we met him at the dry cleaner, he was bringing in his own clothes. Very nice and very down to earth.
When I was in college my friend and I waited outside a theater to meet Frank Langella.
Tamar

No too many famous people here.

When I was in HS my mother and I would go to NYC twice each year to get me TALL girl clothes and shoes that would fit my big feet. Went to see the original West Side Story and Johnny Ray ( Little White Cloud that Cried) sat behind us and introduced himself.

When I lived in Denver I met Terry Maytag, as in appliances, when she was active in politics. She asked me to fly with her in a company jet to Palm Springs for a short Holiday at her parent's place there. Went to dinner one night and at the table next to us was Andy Williams in pancake makeup so thick you could scrape it off. And he was surrounded by a bevy of beauties and had his one hand under the table at all times, if you catch my drift. LOL He left when we did and knew Terry's parents and stopped by to say hello to Terry and that's how I met him.

Do politicians count? When in Denver I was very active in politics during my so called Democratic stage and was up close and personal with Pat and Jim Schroeder, Dick and Dottie Lamb ( put the oldesters on an iceberg guy) and Garry and Lee Hart, ahem. LOL Changed party registrations a lot until I realized it was a waste of time since I voted for the candidate, not the party.

Oh, almost forgot a really famous person. Eleanor Roosevelt was having a long time affair with the then head of the NYS police named Earl Miller, this is all well documented as if many didn't already know it. She told Earl he had to get married to make it look more respectable, or whatever. So she bought a lot from my grandfather, who met her, and had a gorgeous house and swimming pool built for him when he married Simone who had two kids with him, Skippy, my brothers age, and Ann, three years younger.

Earl would ship off Simone and the kids when Eleanor was in Albany and she'd come out to the house. We neighbors would go up in the turret that was part of the Flint's house, with our binocs. LOL

Earl was a gorgeous guy and wore bikini swimming thongs before anyone else I knew of. He'd cut the lawn with those things on. My best friend Jackie and I would hit tennis balls back and forth on the road and deliberately hit them oved the fence on hot days and he'd yell at us to come get them and if we wanted to swim we could. We did the same thing by throwing things over the fence that seperated the Beebee's yard from his, and into the pool. That would make him mad and he'd insist we come over and go in the pool and get them out. LOL

Anyway, Earl and Eleanor would walk the 5 min to our farm and have a picnic lunch in the solitude of one of the peach orchards or whatever. Now I don't remember that but what I do remember are the stuffed animals she would bring for my brother and myself.

Carolyn, then there was Jay Roach, a kid I used to babysit for who grew up, went to CA and was the major financial backer for Sylvester Stallone in his first two movies, according to his father who was a retired cardiologist whom I saw when I'd go home summers from Denver.

I saw Jim McMahon at the Wichita airport a few years ago. Da Bears!

I seen John Travolta and his daughter at Disney Land probably in 1997 I think? I was on the boat for the Tom Sawyer Island and all of a sudden the boat started leaning to one side and then they anounced over the speakers for people to please stop staring at John cause we were all on the same side and the boat couldn't handle it! LOL

Oh and I've met Floyd Mayweather, and his sister, he comes into our store all the time to buy new phones every time a new one comes out. He's nice enough, sometimes lets us wear his jewlery and we always love to see which car he's driving and what sort of modifications are in it.

Richard Steele also comes into our office, he's super nice and very friendly! What a sweetheart.

I also met Muhamad Ali's daughter Laila Ali, her finance was a real jerk. But man is she pretty! I can't believe she followed in her fathers footseps and lets people punch her!!!

Oh and Randal Cunningham from the Eagles/Vikings lives by our office so we see him sometimes too. He's really nice, but really religous everytime he comes in he tries to convert me and come to his church...ugh..Rose who is happily Jewish...LOL

Living in Las Vegas I thought maybe I'd meet more but pretty much that all I've come accross.

~Rose

Rode an elevator with James Earl Jones once in the Four Seasons in Phila (said "good evening" in that deep, rich voice of his! I should have asked him to say "This...is CNN"!).

That's about it, and it is fine with me!

Craig

First celebrity I ever met was Red Skelton at a pizza place/bar after a show at the Garden State art center when I was 18.

Also knew Clarence Clemens ( Springsteens sax player ), from his pool hall and hanging at local bars around Red Bank, NJ.

Also hung out a little with Darryl Dawkins (Chocolate Thunder) when he lived nearby about 10 years ago in Jersey.

Most recently, met and talked with Christie Brinkley in 2002, while searching her private plane for ag items when she came into Ft. Pierce from the Bahamas. Wow, is she nice.

However, I would have traded all them for Heather Locklear! And to think she lived only a few miles from me in the 90's and never saw her once.

I ran a game of Q-Zar (laser tag) for Ric Flair and one of his sons once. He, uh, wasn't the nicest guy in the world. ^^;

Denna

My sons met Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn at the ice rink in L.A. while at the state finals. Their son plays ice hockey.

I'm not much for celebrities, so can't think of any I have even seen in person. I think of my daughter as a celebrity. :-) She was one of 5 teens featured in a video at the Billy Graham Crusade at Pasadena last year.

barb

i haven't really met anyone famous. in my previous home. i had some metro detroit tv news reporters for neighbors. my wife got around a bit more. when she was in the marines, she was in the band. her unit played a couple times in front of george h.w. bush. she was just a few yards away from him. she remembers the secret service agents taking apart their instruments before hand and shining lights down them. those were some intense people. she said you could just feel the energy coming off them. she also met psychoanalyst richard sterba when she was a pharmacy extern. he was one of the last surviving students of sigmund freud. she was considering going into the field, and when she learned the pharmacy she was at filled and delivered his meds, guess who volunteered to do that. they had several conversations over time. he wanted to analyze her, but she said no. he was nearing the end of his life, and she didn't want him dying on her once they started. she also met psychologist b.f. skinner.
john salley, former detroit piston used to come into a pharmacy in ferndale where she worked. you could always see him coming, because he was so tall. his head would be a couple feet above the aisle.

keith in calumet

Met David Ogden Stiers once when I was working at a radio station. (Major Charles Emerson Winchester on MASH.) I think he still lives here in Oregon.

Mary

Forgot to mention Luke Ridnour of the Seattle Supersonics basketball team. He was still playing college ball when I met him, but everyone knew he was going to the pros.

Mary

Mary, that reminds me, I saw Larry Bird in the supermarket in Redmond, Wa back in the early '80's, when Redmond was still a sleepy little town. You could see him from the next aisle over, he was so tall.

Know what you mean Coronabarb. That's how I noticed Ridnour. We were in a Trader Joes and he was the tallest guy in the store. And I think he's only 6' 2" or three. So I guess we were all a bunch of shorties in the store that day. Would have liked to see or meet Larry Bird. Very Cool.

Mary

Since 1999 I have went to every Peter Paul and Mary Concert in Ohio. In 2002 at the Palace Theater in Cleveland, We had front row center seats, and I got to shake Mary's hand.

Here is a link that might be useful: Peter Paul and Mary

I've gotch y'all beat! I met Carolyn Male at the SSE Campout Convention when she spoke there. She signed her book for me:-)

Well, except for nodding at Pernell Roberts [M.A.S.H and Dr. or something or another] one time while leaving Pic and Save, I'm from the same small town "Waycross, GA> as Roberts, Ossie Davis [I loved Ossie], and Burt Reynolds. I've determined that they drank all the creative water and didn't save me a drop. I even sent Reynolds an idea for a movie manuscript one time, but he was smart enough to know he drank the last good water. :-)

Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, from Folkston, GA, is a third cousin. But I never met him. Also, Joel Chandler Harris "Brer Rabbit book" whom is up my family tree.

And then I've met Bully who would make it mundane meeting all those above. Too, I know on a speaking basis, a well-known tomato book author who's sweeter than Ohio maple syrup.

My last year ('62) at Presbyterian College, Clinton, SC, our Male Robed Choir went on a Southern Concert Tour. Church members in various cities served as hosts with students in their homes. Four of us were the guest of Ted Turner's first mother-in-law; she housed us in his penthouse home high above the city of Birmingham: he and his wife were out of town. The kingsize bed was the first one I had ever seen or slept in; every room had a telephone including the bathroom. She insisted that the cook make us breakfast the next morning and that we eat on the Garden Patio. I shall always remember that May morning trying to keep my plate from being blown away at fourteen floors above Birmingham, the lawn, trees, flowers and shrubs. Ted owned the large apartment building and had just completed the Atlanta Speedway. Ted has come a long way! I grow a few Heirloom Tomatoes. I guess we are both happy in our own way. lol
Gary/Louisville

Douglas,

I am slapping myself on the forehead!!! Of course!!! I met Carolyn at the Hortus book signing in 2002. I'm so sorry, Carolyn, my brain just isn't what it used to be. (no comments, keith)

barb

Let's get real you folks, on who is really famous, as in known to lots and lots of people everywhere.

I'm just known to some folks who grow tomatoes. LOL

Carolyn

Well, you're famous to US and that's what counts.!! :-)

barb

Carolyn says:
Let's get real you folks, on who is really famous, as in known to lots and lots of people everywhere.

I'm just known to some folks who grow tomatoes. LOL

True enough for the most part, but many "folks that grow tomatoes" have a wee bit of respect and appeciation for you (and Craig as well), to put it VERY mildly.

My neighbor that lives two houses down thinks you are "just kick a$$" (his words - yes, I did tell him you prefer to be referred to as the princess of pistils and he laughed :)). He loves your book (after letting him borrow mine several times, I bought him one as a Chrismas gift).

His favorite tomatoes so far of the ones I shared with him last year are CP, Sungold, and Cr. Yugo.

I did tell him about GW and he said that he might stop by sometime, but he really doesn't care much for the internet, so we'll see.

I've met and personally know many celebrity chefs such as Mario Batali, Emerald Lagasse, and Bobby Flay. And of course Rick Bayless, he's my business partner. I've also met a many basball players, I was a Cubs batboy in high school and an autograph hound. In terms of actors, I've seen tons of them thorughout my travels to New York and LA. However, my wife and I had a drink last New Years Eve with Gladis Knight at the Princeville Hotel on Kauai.

I grew up a few blocks from Tom Watson (the golfer not the watermelon). When I was in high school he came into where I worked and was always gracious and carried on conversations. About 4 years ago I worked on his landscaping at his new house. He came out and talked to me and remembered me from more than 20 years ago - I was blown away. He stood out in windy 40 weather, ate an apple and kept me company as I cleaned out cold mud when installing new drainage for his guest house. (Yes he even offered me an apple too). I havent been out there in 3 years but was told by the head landscaper he started a vegetable garden.

Len Dawson (former QB for Super Bowl winning KC Chiefs) used to come in to the same place. He was cordial but acted as though he didn't want to be bothered by someone of less importance. He also made a big deal about showing off his super bowl ring (suckers are huge!)

I also got the chance to meet and talk with Charlie Rick a few times.

He may be obscure to most here but I forgot to mention Adrian Legg.

I know Craig knows who he is.

When I was a freshman in college my friends and I dressed up for a local radio stations B-52's look alike contest and won. We all got back stage passes and got to meet them. For those of you who have no idea what/who the B-52's are, they are a modern rock music group from Georgia that have been around for a long time. I have seen a few famous people at LAX, but never had the nerve to go up and meet them. My uncle is a wildlife photographer for National Geographic and has published a few books. His name is Michael S. Quinton. He lived near Yellowstone park for many, many years and we would go and visit him, then he moved to Alaska and has lived there for awhile.

Tyffanie

At fifteen met Tony Perkins, backstage when he was in Look Homeward Angel..gave him a painting I did of him. I dragged my friends into Manhattan to show them how easy it was to see him, we followed him down the street and he had a policeman stop us. Saw Paul Muney (sp) at the NYC Library on 42nd and 5th..near the card catalogues. Kim Novak with lilac hair walking arm in arm down 5th Ave with two men. Lots of sightings as a teen discovering NYC. That's back when stars felt like special people not the loonies they appear to be today. Aside from chance encounters there were all those great live performances seen. Now seeing great actors,dancers,opera singers on stage doing what they ae famous for is the best way to see them. Marilyn Monroe singing Happy Birthday to President Kennedy, Maria Callas sang to him that night too, but most people only remember Marilyn. She was beautiful it was a special moment in history. Those memories are forever imbeded. My mom took me to see many Broadway plays when I was young, as a teen I saw the NYC Ballet so often the City Center felt like home,The old Met was magic, and the opening of Lincoln Center was exciting.
Been in Toronto for over 30 years now, Shared an elevator with Willie Nelson a few years ago, knew who he was right away but did not say a thing. Sorry I never said anything, he was smiling his braids falling over his shirt.
Martha/Zucchini

This is fun. For those of you old enough to know the name, I met Bobby Vee in a local dept store where he was signing autographs. We actually talked. My best friend swore he was flirting with me, I was 14, if that old, and too dumb to notice. She was the same age and probably wrong.

I helped my best friend stalk Neil Diamond. We rode down in an elevator with him. I don't remember either of us having the presence of mind to speak.

Went to church with the Clintons when they were in LR. Kept Chelsea in extended care when she was 2. My daughter is the same age and was invited to several parties but they were all given by the nanny. Hillary and Chelsea transferred to another demonination shortly after that but I continued to see Bill there. In fact, one Sunday morning after he was president, my daughter spotted a friend and ran up the steps to speak to him. She gave him a hug and he turned her around and there was Bill literally at her elbow. She had interrupted their conversation. She hadn't even noticed the cameras and reporters. No secret service people had made any effort to stop her. The entire church congregation had to go through metal detectors and have purses and Bibles searched, and they let a pretty young woman run right up close enough to touch him? I admit that irked me a bit at the time.

I've hauled some of the original band, Evanessence around in a minivan back when they needed hauling in a minivan, and rented them movies and fed them popcorn, candy and sandwiches. Ben Moody likes turkey sandwiches and Dr. Pepper. they didn't have any tatoos back then, I wish they didn't now.

Natalie Cannarday is a local actress who's been in Sling Blade, October Sky and a few other movies. She's a friend of my daughter's.

That's all that comes to mind right now.

Sherry

I met RON JEREMY of Porn Fame at a St.Patty's day lunchen at a chiropractor's in L.A. I had a nice conversation with him and his beautiful date. I didn't know who he was, after he left the table, later my friends who saw me sitting with them said, "Do you know who that was you were talking to?" I said "No" and they told me who he was. And I was wondering why HE was with that beautiful woman when he was short & hairy.
Natasha

I used to live (and work as an RN) in Nashville, TN. While there I had the honor of meeting, Sarah Cannon (AKA Minnie Pearl), Loretta Lynn, Roy Orbison, Kenny Rogers, Ray Stevens, and several Grammy winning record producers. One of the cardiothoracic surgeons I worked with, Bobby Frist, had a little brother, Billy, who was a cardiac transplant surgeon but now is the Senate Majority Leader. My roommate worked with Fred Dalton Thompson (Law & Order and US Senator)and I met him a few times. Oh, and I went to college with Amy Grant.

-Martha

Natasha, rent one of his movies and that will explain everything!LOL!!

I've shaken hands with Mohammed Ali, ran into him in the street in DC. Gladys Knight too, years ago, visited an office complex where I was receptionist. Met Joan Armatrading by hanging around the stage door. Sang in the choir for Antal Dorati's last tour and last recording (Beethoven's 9th), but I don't remember if we met one-to-one. Met the DC United players when I used to volunteer for them, their first couple of seasons -- I still have a "staff" T-shirt with all their and the coach's autographs. Actually I recently went on a couple of dates with an ex-DC Utd player (whom I met online and whose identity I was able to verify by Google, kinda cool. No chemistry tho....). And this last one may be kinda obscure (OK, very obscure), but a friend I also find on Google - I mentioned in the lunch list thread - well, he's famous among pro pool players, OK? Tony Scianella, of Black Boar Industries, maker of $100k+ custom pool cues, the finest cues in the world. There's a whole mystique about him in pro billiards.... understandably, he's brilliant. He was written up in Regardies...... Well, I'm impressed, even if you're not :)

Better still I bought a magazine.
& He was a very nice person to talk to.
Natasha687

Lots of athletes: Mario Lemieux, Wayne and Walter Gretzky, entire Canucks teams, 1984 female Romanian gymnastics team, 1984 US male gymnastics team, Karl Lewis, Eric Heiden, 1996 Czech world cup hockey team, Jarri Kurri, lots of others.

Ray Bradbury, Gerald Ford, Henry Kissinger.

Met the actress who played Agent Scully in X-files at one of the Starbucks on Robson St in downtown Vancouver. Also met the actor who hosted America's Most Wanted. I'm lousy for names.

Who I'd really like to meet is Sally Ride, the astronaut. She's my hero.

Julianna

I am very excited because last night I got to meet famous jazz ledgend : Les Paul !!!!
I will post the pics shortly !!!
He was so cool ~ and ? He's still jamming @ 90 !!!! awesome ~ Tom

In the late 80s/early 90s I worked as a freelance news photographer in Central America. I met Jimmy Carter when he was monitoring the elections in Nicaragua in 1990. He is such a humble, honorable man with much integrity. I also had the honor of interviewing Holly Near after she performed in a music festival El Salvador in 1988.

As a photographer I generally spent time following presidents and political folks around the region. So I guess that would include folks like Oscar Arias, Daniel Ortega and Joaquin Villalobos.

Chicago Joe, I'm hoping to enjoy a meal at Topolobampo sometime in 2006! We finally had a friend move to Chicago this year so we told her we wanted to go there when we visit her. Can't wait!

- Brenda

Steve Jobs
Steve Young
Carly Fiorina
Condoleeza Rice
Chelsea Clinton
Joe Montana
Bill Walsh
Paul Draper
Randy Lewis
Mario Andretti
Dan Gurney
Parnelli Jones
Jacques Villeneuve (both)
Juan Montoya
Nigel Mansell
Bobby Rahal
Michael Andretti
John Andretti
Robby Gordon
Scott Pruett
Willy T. Ribbs
Gil de Ferran
Helio Castroneves
Jimmy Vasser
Geoff Brabham
Juan Manuel Fangio II
many many more drivers...
John Lee Hooker
Terri Nunn
Jello Biafra
Steve Morse
Les Claypool
countless club-level musicians

As a 9 year old kid in Elk City, OK in 1950, I met Tim Holt, Fuzzy Knight & Randolph Scott who were some of my favorite cowboy movie stars that made personal appearances at a local movie theatre. And, during our town's 50th. anniversary in 1951 I met & shook hands with Jess Willard who had been the Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World, 1915-1919. He lived in my hometown during the early days & helped lay the bricks that paved Broadway St. and are still there and "in use" now in 2006! Moving ahead several years and after I had moved to PA...my wife & I saw Richard M. Nixon as he arrived by helicopter and dined at the then-famous Bookbinder's Restaurant in Philadelphia one evening while we were eating dinner there also. Then later, during the mid-1970's, we saw "The Duke" John Wayne in New York City getting out of his limousine and greeting the gathering crowd at Rockefeller Center. Guess that's about it...
LarryD

I forgot -- Charlie Byrd. Shared a gig with him once, down in Georgetown on the canal.

I'll list only 'sightings', accidental encounters, not public events where the person was appearing or performing. I've met many great jazz musicians back stage after concerts. They were invariably kind and considerate of us fans. (reginak, did you gig at Blues Alley? Tell us more.)

Morley Safer - In an elevator at Bloomingdales in NYC.

Leonard Nimoy - Dressed in denim and making a bee line to his limo after attending a play at the Stratford, Ontario Shakespeare Festival.

George Jones (my favorite country singer) - Taking a walk with his lady at a modest little retirement community in Florida where my in-laws lived and where he had one of his homes. We said 'hi'.

James Carville - Walking to his gate at Rochester, NY airport following a speaking engagement.

Jim

Jim, no, it was an outdoor concert down on the C&O Canal in Georgetown. I sang in a samba band, we swapped sets with Byrd. Lotta fun.

In 1979 - I was jogging late at night and President Carter and his Secret Service guys were jogging in the same place - but they were running the wrong way - that is why we noticed him.

I kissed Karen Matheson - of Capercaille fame, but doubt anyone here knows her. I was so stunned at meeting her that I simply teared up and kissed her on the cheek.

When I was a child, Flip Wilson was driving in a car behind our station wagon. I used to sit in the "way back" and look out the back window. He had a baby blue jeep type car with the hood down and the license plate said, "killer".

That is it for me.
Cyn

Reading the good books threads reminded me of another sighting.

Edward Gorey - In the row behind us at a performance of one of his plays, "The Uses of Urns", in Provincetown.

Also, I'll add a couple of politicians, qualified by my definition because they were sighted while not involved in campaign events at the time.

Bob Dole - Leaving the hotel where we were staying outside Philadelphia. Surprisingly frail looking compared to his appearance on TV, but at ease and enjoying the day.

Teddy Kennedy - He was entering and I was leaving a Radisson motel near Rochester, NY. He turned to speak to someone behind him and nearly ran over me in the narrow entrance.

Jim

In 1977 I was on my honeymoon in Europe. My husband and I dressed up to have dinner at a fancy little French restaurant in Monaco--it was our 'splurge' after spending 2 weeks at youth hostels. Evidently our young age and lack of cosmopolitan air failed to impress the haughty maitre d' and he gave us the worst table near the door. (Did I mention we also had made the error of going to dinner at 7:00 pm--how gauche!) As we sat in awkward silence, the door opened and in swept a large group of 15 extravagantly well-dressed people. At the rear of the group walked a man with a purple velvet cape, walking stick and black silk top hat. He immediately saw that his party would take over most the space in the restaurant and he turned to us and graciously invited us to join his group for dinner. We had the most wonderful time then, and the waiter even treated us well. The man in the top hat? Ringo Starr.

Barb, I'm so jealous...a kiss from Richard Dean Anderson. He's a favorite at our house, whether he is being MacGyver or Jack O'Neill.

I've not met many famous, but dh has in the course of his pilot job. He flew Clinton on the campaign trail, M.C. Hammer on tour and several professional sports teams. He's flown actors and film crews going to locations.

The closest I get to meeting someone notable is I went to high school with CBS news guy Scott Pelley. I've met Nora Roberts and Jodi Thomas -- both favorite authors.

I photographed Ann Landers once.

Interesting how lives intertwine.

Happy

I found this interesting thread while looking up a special tomato. Maybe you'll enjoy browsing it too.
As for me, I once sat on Leadbelly's knee as he played the 12-string in my parents' apartment in Greenwich Village. Played a few points of ping pong with Don Budge (tennis grand slam winner) at a bar on Cape Cod (he told my parents I had good reactions--nice guy). Met Muhammed Ali at 8 a.m. in a drugstore in Southside Chicago. "Hey, Champ." "Hey, man." Got to chat with Joseph Campbell [mythology guru] on a couple of occasions.

I lived next door to Paul Stroker,lead singer for the band
JOMB