Mrs. Fred Rogers was a customer of mine.

My dad was the Chief Periodontist in the USPHS. While working in a federal penitentiary, Marion Barry was a Client.

My uncle use to cut through the White House property in the 1940’s, and was on a first name basis with the president.

Somehow I’m related to Jim Jeffries, the heavy weight boxing champion of the world in the early 1900’s.

I slept in the same house that Roy Rogers once slept in......of course , he was there 20 years earlier....

Not sure if I understand the phrase, but here is what I have:
- Lunch with Richard Petty in his motor home @ Pocono
- Personal introduction to & brief conversation with Buddy Baker & Donnie Allison @ Pocono
- Dinner with Cale Yarborough & Junior Johnson in Daytona
- Meeting AJ Foyt

Emmitt Smith used to stay at my house on the weekends during football season. We were 11-12, I was QB, he was the tailback. My dad was the coach. We ran roughshod over the the competition. He wrote about us in his first book. As a matter of fact, last year his foundation secretly flew my parents to Dallas for a surprise birthday party.

I spent a day and night as bodyguard to Elie Wiesel. Nobel Prize winner, author and survivor of Buchenwald and Auschwitz.
Eye opening experience, to say the least.

I went to high school with one of the 3 scientists who came up with the Quark Theory of Matter, which is still in use. His name is George Zweig.

flashguy

Lars Ulrich mistakenly came to my front door looking for a party one night.

I spent the day with Jack Morris, work related. I didn't know who he was until we went to his office (mid-90's.. pre-Google). Good guy.

Worked at the Whitehouse for 6 years. Talked with the President from time to time as well as the VP and First Lady.

About 1956 or so, I was standing in a row next to one of my grade school classmates who was shaking VP Nixon's hand. Our school was let out to walk to the corner and line up along the road the motorcade was taking from the airport to downtown Boise for one of those local political meetings. As I started to reach out to also shake his hand, a big burly guy stepped in and told the VP it was time to leave.

30 years later I was sitting at dinner next to Linus Pauling at a professional conference where he was the featured speaker. He told some very interesting stories.

As an Airline pilot, and jet charter pilot, I have flown a lot of celebrities, most of them were ok to a pain in the ass. The only one I was impressed with was Ed McMahon, nicest guy in the world, always came up to the cockpit to say hi, and see how we were doing. Not pretentious at all, and he used to be a Corsair pilot and instructor in the USMC.

I met Jay Leno in mid '80's at Daytona Beach during bike Week. I was looking at a rare Vincent Black Shadow motorcycle, when this guy dressed in brown leathers walked up and said: "I have one of those".

I was thinking: "Yeah, right".

We chatted a while and he left. Fellow next to me said: "That's Jay Leno".

Me: "Who's Jay Leno?"

I worked nights back then.

Back in '12? I was flying from Dallas to Dulles. After we were airborne the captain came over the speaker and said he wanted to recognize the legend in first class. He said "I know if something goes wrong on this flight we have the best pilot in the world on board to assist". Then he welcomed General Yeager to the flight. I was just behind first class and I about broke my neck leaning over looking up front. The General put his arm up in a wave and looked back to acknowledge the clapping.

I read his book when I was in third grade. MAN I wanted to walk up front and shake his hand but I figured he did that enough.

I still wish I did though.

my uncle is RADM Roy Hoffmann. He was one of the founders of "Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth"

jump to 57:27 below, and I'm shaking President Reagan's hand...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: feersum dreadnaught,

I worked LE security At the First in Flight centennial at Kitty Hawk back in 2003. I got to meet Aaron Tippin, Lee Greenwood, the remaining Beach Boys, and John Travolta.

We were working the barricade and some random woman handed me a piece of paper with a pic of Travolta and some woman. The lady said “can you give that to John Travolta? This is my daughter and him at a party in LA”.

I walked over to him and nonchalantly said “Hey John?”- he turns around smiling and says “yeah?” in that typical Vinnie Barbarino style. I told him what the gal told me and he said “where’s she at?”. I pointed at the crowd and said “just wave and she’ll think you’re waving at her”, which he did. He came off as a genuinely decent guy.

I served in the USAF and the USN. Met a few famous people, but only the handshake with Ronald Reagan in 1984 meets this description.

I worked the John Elway celebrity golf tournament for 3 years. Those guys were all famous, but I would not call them great.

I talked with a group of Holocaust Survivors years ago.

I was chewed out by Murphy Brown. Ms Bergan was a Photog for RFK. She took exception to my comment as she crowded in front of me and climbed a curb wall for photos. Her butt was directly in front of my nose. Nice butt though.

Met Bob Feller. And several Dodgers in the early 60s
Sat in Spring training dugout with Bill Rigney and several first year LA Angels. I was 11-12

Used to converse with Peter DeFasio. Now, good thing, not at all.

Sat next to our city Mayor one time when my voice pager went off. Cousin Phil said "Hey big fella, why don"t you give me a call". You can guess the voice style. I got even with Cousin Phil.

My shooting coach and mentor was Army WWII to 1963. He knew Ike and Churchill. Instructed Army Intel school. Was behind the lines during French time in Nam.

And Dad who was Army Veterinarian early 40s to about 47. Dad was very knowing and against all bombs that produce radiation

I am so far removed that greatness won't let me have a look, let alone brush up against.

I have met more than 3 dozen SIGforum members.

I am a fortunate son.



Suck it, Fogerty.

Met Muhammed Ali as a kid back in the mid 70s. He had a boxing camp in the Poconos and flew through Reading Airport. I worked there summers as a general maintenance hand. I remember shaking his hand, and my hand feeling like a little kids in his big paw. Had his autograph, but lost it in the subsequent years.

Met the princess of Thailand once. She came to visit the lab I was working at as an enlisted lab tech at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. I remember her not being all that good looking, and also remember the secret service guys to be quite decent.