Not talking about TSO or Jonn. Although our proximity to those two got me ruminating .
I’ve worked in the recording biz, and for NASA. As far military types go my list is also extensive, but not on point.
Our readership MUST have stories?
Have YOU Ever Met Someone Famous?
#24,
I played a small role in CW4 Novosel’s funeral. My company’s Full Honors team handled the casket and firing party, so I was tasked as NCOIC of the cordon. Novosel is buried in Section 7A just below the Tomb and Amphitheater, so naturally tourists tried wandering down the path to see what was going on. He was a great man, like many others I never had the honor of “meeting” until their internment/inurnment.
I forgot to add a few “celebrities” that my neighbors might kill me for omitting. A couple of years ago we did some team building at the New Orleans Saints training facility where we met Tom Benson and some of the Saints players and cheerleaders. A few months later, when they won the Super Bowl, just about everybody in my recruiting station rode floats with Drew Brees and the rest of the Saints during the celebratory parade, which closed down most of New Orleans (anyone who has lived in Louisiana would understand). I lucked out, stayed in Baton Rouge, and went home early that day.
Well…Grant Goodeve used to date my Aunt before he was famous and also babysat for me…Sada Thompson frequented the restaurant my Mutti worked at, and I was a “Family” lover…got to meet her…Also met Dan Jantzen, speed skater and played golf with his wife who was a pro. He is not much taller than me, but the legs were amazing!!
And, as a young private…got to run with General Wickham in the front of the pack because I was short. He dogged me, and my gut hurt for days just breathing because I worked so hard to keep up with the tall people…no falling out-ever!
I played softball with the “Happy Days” cast at a USO event in Germany. I saw Ray Charles in Washington National reading a braille Playboy (he didn’t see me). Dick Armey flirted with my wife. I told Denzel Washington that he should have got an Oscar for “Man on Fire”, but not “Training Day”. My wife and I got nearly trampled by N’Sync when they were being chased by their thirteen year-old fans as they were leaving their hotel. Bill Gertz is the nicest man alive. Dick Morris made me want to take a shower. Christopher Hitchens is polite even when he’s drunk.
(1) Sat next to JAMES EARLE JONES (STAR WARS, LION KING, THE SANDLOT, FIELD OF DREAMS, ROOTS, THE GREAT WHITE HOPE) during a one hour flight from Atlanta to our destination(Coach section). Very down to earth, intelligent gentleman. When he learned I was in the Army, he shared some funny stories about his ROTC time at the University of Michigan. He autographed my airline ticket stub. Found out later he also served in the US Army.
(2) Had one to one face/conversation time as well as my picture taken with ANN CURRY when she came to interview the troops at Camp Arifjan during the beginning of OIF for THE TODAY SHOW. Learned she is Half-Japanese (just as I am) as well as a Navy Brat (I’m an Army Brat). GO ARMY! BEAT NAVY! Very friendly, warm person.
(3) Had lunch and one to one face/conversation time as well as my picture taken with DREW CAREY when he visited the troops at Eskon Village/Saudi Arabia during the beginning of OEF. At that time, he had lost a lot of weight and was not wearing glasses. Shared with me that he just had LASIK surgery. Enjoyed listening to his stories as a US Marine Corps Reservist. Very nice, funny guy. He autographed a Saudi Riyal for me.
(4) While stationed at Hawaii in the 1990s, on a flight from Oahu to Maui, sat next to JOHN WAIHEE, former Governor of Hawaii.(Coach section). He had just finished his term as Governor. We did not discuss politics. Conversation focused on the culture of Hawaii. Very polite individual. He autographed my paper napkin the airline gave us when they served our sodas.
(5) Enjoyed talking to E.LEE ERMEY at a Military Collector Show as well as him autographing his picture for me. Also exchanged small talk with THEODORE “DUTCH” VAN KIRK,the Navigator for the ENOLA GAY. The irony of that conversation was that my Mom’s city, Kokura, Kyushu, Japan was the back up target for the A-Bomb if Hiroshima had been cloudy that day. Kokura was also the main target for the FAT MAN, the second A-Bomb that destroyed Nagasaki, which was designated as the back up target. Lucky for “the future me” that Hiroshima was not cloudy on 6 August and that Kokura was cloudy on 8 August. I humbly made a homage to the Hiroshima victims while stationed in Japan by visiting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
(6) When my Husband was a Company Commander in Italy, Congressman ALLEN WEST was his Fire Support Officer. Years later, when my Husband was a Battalion Commander in Korea, he promoted Congressman WEST to MAJOR.
(7) During PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W. BUSH’s 1989 Inaugural Ball, my Husband was an Inaugural Aide and had one to one face time with PRESIDENT BUSH and his wife, BARBARA. My Husband also met CHUCK NORRIS. MR. NORRIS thought my Husband was a Waiter. My Husband was wearing his Army Mess Blue Uniform and Mr. NORRIS asked my Husband to get him and his wife a refill on their drinks. My Husband then told MR. NORRIS that he would get a waiter to assist him. Guess MR. NORRIS did not do much research on Army Uniforms when he he played a COLONEL in “MISSING IN ACTION” and a MAJOR in “DELTA FORCE.”
@50. Wow. that is to cool.
While working the backstage gate at the Fresno fair one year, Toby Kieth and some other guy walked out, said, “We’ll be back, we’re with the band.” 20 minutes later, he came back, and gave me a corndog and a soda
Forgot one that the geeks will enjoy. When I was about 12 years old I went to make collections on my paper route and one of my customers asked me if I ever read comic books. When I said “yes” she asked me if I knew who Jack Kirby was. I laughed and said ” everybody knows who he is”. She took me into her backyard and said to a man sitting at her picnic table. “Hey Jack! I think I found a fan of yours”. I got to sit and talk to him for quite a while… All my other customers got their paper late that day. 🙂
Being an author, I have rubbed elbows with Mercy Lackey, David Webber, Mark Shepherd, Tim Zahn, and (unfortunately) William Shatner. Got to love signing autographs with authors more famous than you.
In my Star Wars Costuming group, we doe a great number of events for Star Wars authors and artists around Oregon. Mostly Tim Zahn. Also, I’ve spoken to Seth Green, Temuera Morrison, and Ray Park at conventions. I was even able to teach Temuera Morrison what the Coin Challenge is.
Had dinner with Lou Ferrigno in FL.
As a child was running wild thru a hotel hallway and ran into Liberace. Literally ran into him. Embarrassed my parents to no end.
Met Martin Sheen on an Acela train from Boston to New York. He’s a moonbat but a polite one. And short…I mean REALLY short! Ran into Bobby Valentine a few times when he had a restaurant in the hotel across from Shea Stadium…super nice. Also met David Wright there just after he had been called up to the majors.
Flagwaver, what are some of the books you’ve written? I read a lot of those authors you just mentioned. Chances are I’ve read some of yours.
I went to college with Brad Pitt and Sheryl Crow (met them, but don’t “know” them).
I’ve met Joan Jett, Peter Frampton, James Earl Jones, Jimmy Buffett, Sammy Hagar and Timothy B. Schmidt.
On speaking terms with Jim Neighbors (shopped at the same health food store in Hawaii).
But my closest brush with stardom is dating (and marrying) a Solid Gold Dancer.
So I got that going for me, which is nice….
Met the champ- Muhammad Ali- when I was 10 years old at Washington Dulles in 1982.
With a kid’s lack of inhibition I just marched up to him and said, “Hi, champ!”
He shook my hand, patted me on the head and replied: “I’m not the champ anymore, but thanks for making my day, son.”
Great memory.
Another military celebrity of sorts I talked to a few times was Carlos Hathcock. He used to set up at the Richmond, VA gun shows on occasion, and around ’96 or so I was a regular. Unfortunately, despite being an avid reader of Vietnam history I never really knew who he was until after he had passed.
As a German reenactor, I met more than a few WWII vets from both sides of the conflict. Though none were well-known, I think that all surviving participants of that conflict should be considered celebrities. At the last reenactment I attended at Fort Indiantown Gap in 2006 or so, I met one of Sepp Dietrich’s sons as well. At the time it was cool, but in hindsight it is almost scary that the son was so willing to don the uniform and accoutrements worn by his infamous father in reenactments.
Met Tennessee Ernie Ford backstage at a fair, by literally running into him. He was very gracious.
Was on a John Wayne movie set with college friends. He was quite nice, but we were hanging with the stunt team, so didn’t have much contact.
Any number of classical musicians, as I was in a symphony orchestra throughout college, mostly remember Christopher Parkening. Quiet fellow.
Vice President George H.W. Bush bought me a drink at the Rhein Main AB officer’s club one night. Funny guy.
Roy Benavidez, MOH, gave us a presentation on securing commo codes in combat, then chatted with us until the admin police threw us out of the conference room. Super nice guy.
Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett Roddenberry brought Star Trek bloopers via a USO presentation. Stayed afterward and chatted. Both were very nice.
Riders in the Sky are cool dudes, wry senses of humor. Ranger Doug is also a serious scholar. Read his book “Singing in the Saddle: The History of the Singing Cowboy.”
Met any number of politicians, ambassadors and such, who I guess qualify as famous. Meh.
Other than Roy Benavidez, won’t count the military types, but there’ve been a lot.
All kinds of regionally famous folks over the years, who tended to be more interesting and fun to hang with.
Don’t remember meeting anyone I’d classify as a jerk, since I tend to avoid them.
Matt Burden
Jimbo Hanson
Jonn Lilyea
M. Seavey, esq.
I prefer the INfamous people… they’re more fun. Famous people are just boring…
I met Sgt Carter from Gomer Pyle when I was about 10 and the manager from the rock band Asia is still a friend of mine. I also met Donny Osmond in Lego World at Disney in Florida. Pretty sweet. . .
Oh, I forgot. I slept with the hair dresser for the band Heart in 1980. . . or she lied to sleep with me. . .
Never met anyone famous, but I just had to say that #29 had THE coolest story.
#54 Pat. James Earl Jones… Would have been sweet just to have heard his voice in person. Your (5) got me to agoogling. Perhaps I never paid attention that Nagasaki was on Kyushu, the same island on which Fukuoka is situate, which is where I think my mom’s side of the family was originally from. I know next to nothing about them as the grandparents were already here (in Canada) and my parents were both born here before WWII.
Some of the most famous people I’ve met? Jonn Lilyea, TSO, Uncle Jimbo, Zero Ponsdorf, OWB, Larry Bailey, Harry Riley, 1stCavRVN, Gray Dog, vet’s of the US 7th Cavalry, several Swift Boat vet’s and a host of other Vietnam vet’s most of whom volunteered their time to work security detail with me. And you posters here whom I have not met, are the most famous one’s in my book.
THE not so famous peopleGeorge Strait (US Army vet),Garth Brooks, Chris Ledoux, Sammy Kershaw, Toby Keith, Mark Chesnut, Tracy Bird, Lori Morgan,the band members of the following bands, Evergreen, Green Day, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, Rob & White Zombie(thumbs up),et all, the Seattle Sonic’s team (95-99), Bill Gates (what a rich, f’ng nerd),Steve Balmer, Paul Allen and whole host of others….
Got to meet Jessie Owen as a youngster. He gave a motivational talk to a group of public school teachers. As the only kid in the group, he kinda singled me out. I got to touch one of his gold medals, then the school teacher Mom took me straight to the library for books about him!
Actually meeting the man, the legand, seeing and hearing him was a major formative experience for me. Living proof of the American dream.
As a boy (early 60’s) I got a Mickey Mantle bat at Bat Day at Yankee Stadium. I was so excited and my Aunt let me go down right behind the dugout. I got the guards attention and told him I had a Mickey Mantle bat and would he sign it. The guard said he did not think so and stepped around into the dugout. Then out came Mickey Mantle, in the flesh. He smiled at me, asked my name, took my bat and scratched his signature into the bat nexted to printed signature. What a moment. Of course I used that bat to hit stones out into Sandy Hook Bay all summer until it splintered and I threw it away. But I still have the memory.
I also got to listen to and meet Clebe McClary. No words would do justice…
Being a recruiter in LA had very few perks, but one of them was being invited to Dive! when it opened (horrible food–now you know why it closed) but did get to meet Stephen Spielberg very briefly. Had a nice lunch (was invited over) by Ray “Boom-Boom” Mancini while taking the ex to lunch in Santa Monica one day–his nephew was shipping to boot the following month. Also got to meet Alan Thicke in line (beer, I think) at a Kings game.
Also since I like playing poker, have met a few pros–Johnny Chan was kind of a dick. Men “The Master” Nguyen was a really nice guy. Greg Raymer was pretty quiet but nice enough. Don’t tell Daniel Negranu you like pork or you’ll never hear the end of it (he’s vegan.)
I drank champagne with one of Jimmy Carter’s cousins in a hotel suite in Omaha, Nebraska in the spring of 1976 at a political fundraiser for Jimmy Carter, when I was still a minor. Does that count? Also, I have a picture of myself with Daniel Ellsberg in Washington DC in 2003…
Quite a few while in the Army: Alyssa Milano; Kid Rock; Arnold Schwarzenegger; The late Brittany Murphy;Gary Sinise; Leeann Tweeden; Robin Williams… Some more during my days of debauchery in NYC, but keeping those a secret. ;o)
How could I forget; I rode the elevator in the Minneapolis Hilton with Dan “Rudy” Ruettiger and i got to tell him how much I enjoyed the movie about him and he thanked me for my military service.
Almost forgot–doesn’t really count as “famous” but was sitting directly behind Pauly Shore on a flight from LA to Boston where he kept turning around and talking to his buddies sitting next to me.
@75. No, Jimmy Carter doesn’t count so he’s cousin certainly doesn’t. And Daniel Ellsberg is infamous, not famous.
“he’s cousin.” Where did I acquire the Spanish accent? Jeez. Must be that I’m reading too much Hawk this morning.
In the 60’s, I was in the same Platoon as Clarence Williams III. Remember him as bookish and quiet. Liked his role on “Mod Squad”.
I chauffered/Personal Security Detail, Leon Russell in ’99 in the Florida Keys.
In ’66 was a regular in a Miami Beach bar, “The In Scene”, where Dusty Springfield was also regular, as was Frank Fontaine(Crazy Guggenheimer on the Jackie Gleason show), another regular was “Murph the Surf”.
As a Big Game fishing mate, I have met Kyle Petty, Col. Ollie North, Jojo Del Guercio( owner of Timken bearings), Perry Como, Anita Bryant, Barney Donnelly (The Donnelly Corp) who bought my newborn a nice outfit from Israel, Jose Wejebe, famous TV fishing guide.
But the most important of all to me has been my knowing and supporting the Ranger Instructors of the 6th Ranger Training Bn,(Swamp School), true heroes, and a legend to those who know them.
Collectively, we the readers of TAH, know everybody that is anybody and a few more who aren’t. Huffpo can’t hold a candle to us.
My meetings were job related, not the “Hi how are you kind”.
Manuel Noriega, my SRT unit took him off the plane when he arrived here in Miami and escorted/took him to the Federal Court House, which turned into a media circus, thanks to the Feds.
Nelson Mandela, again my team helped provide security and when at Miami International Airport he wanted to thank everyone involved and shake our hands, we refused because of the number of deaths he caused in his home Country. Of course that did not do my career any good, and to be honest I did not want my picture taken with him.
Met Frank Gorshin when he did a show at the Albambra Dinner Theatre in Jacksonville. My wife and I got to sit and talk with him at the bar after the show. Very nice guy, and funnier than hell.
Frank,
My Dad always used to say “It’s not who you know, it’s who knows YOU.”. He used to laugh that, during his time in the Navy during WWII he knew Nimitz… but Nimitz had no idea who my Dad was. 🙂
I agree with Spockgirl that #29 is a damn cool story. It’s the only one (unless I missed something) where the celebrity –in this case, The Duke himself–walked up to the serviceman to say hello, not the other way around.
Does Uncle Floyd count?
Around 99′ or 2000, I was in a Barnes and Noble in Ledgewood NJ. This older gentleman walks up to me points to a book on the shelf and says I wrote that. Just like that, out of the blue. Had absolutely no idea who he was. I looked to said book and the author was Robert Leckie. I must have given off some uneasy vibe because when I turned around he was gone.
I bought the book, the name escapes me, but it was his Guadalcanal one. The oddity of that encounter didn’t hit me until years later.
Test. Having problems commenting
Cedo,
For some reason all of your comments went to spam, so I fished them out. Nothing personal, it happens sometimes.
I’ve had the honor of meeting MOH recipients James Livingston and Walter Marm. On a lesser note, I ended up in line behind Lou Holtz at the grocery store one time. Rick Perry was in town a while back for a fundraiser, and I got a chance to meet him.
Michelle Obama as FLOTUS. Hate her & hub’s politics, but she was nice to me–and obsurdly tall. 6’4″ w/heels I’d guess. Planned Security, #2 for Mil security detail–drove trail vehicle for her visit to my base.
Col Bud Day, MoH as a POW. Got to be his tour guide and Wing representative at Eglin AFB for one of his tours (he’s a local resident)
Gunny Popaditch–Silver Star, Purple heart. Great dude–guest speaker at inaugural Emerald Coast Defender Ball. Had breakfast with him and some good convos with him. It’s cool looking him in the eye (he has an Eagle Globe Anchor prosthetic).
David Bellavia–Silver Star, MoH nominee. Absolutely hillarious guy. Wished I could have talked to him more. Speaker at the 2nd annual Defender Ball.
Chelsea Cooley–Miss USA 2005 while she was Miss USA. Sweet girl, SMOKIN’ hot, I’ve never seen a flight suit look so good on anyone. Got to be her tour guide and escort around the base as a young LT. Tried and failed at getting into her flight suit although one of the pilots shagged her publicist/aide.
Minor/Local Matt Gabler–PA Assembly rep 75th district. Was a few yrs ahead of him in HS, attend the same church when I’m home on leave, and occasionally correspond still. Good kid, 1LT in the PA Guard, staunch conservative.
Assorted star-wearing folks.
One made it to 3-star; Lt. Gen Chris Kelly. He bought me a few rounds a the club over the yrs.
#89 Okay thanks Jonn, I knew something was up. I just stopped commenting after awhile hoping it was some kind of lag.
Liz Taylor late 70’s.
Was a Lance Coolie in the CV62 MARDET.
She was married to the former SECNAV.
They came aboard while we were docked at NOB.
Doing some sort of public service announcement.
She was wheelchair bound and only stood up for the filming.
I was a CPT’s orderly so I guess I qualified as dependable.
I pushed the wheel chair.
There were challenges at the knee knockers….
My wonderful grandparents thought this was awesome when I later told them about the event.
I being my typical clueless self was ambivalent.