I attended a symposium and got to listen to, meet and get the autographs of Bob Pardo (look up “Pardo’s push” on the internet), Jeff Feinstein and and “Burner” Beardsley, all well known in the F-4 community, Pardo and Feinstein were AF, Beardsley was Navy, Beardsley would eventually fly with the Blue Angels, he got his callsign due to his,um, “zealous” use of afterburner, he always had to hit the tanker first, due to a low fuel state. I’m honored to be able to say that I met them and heard them speak of their experiences.

Briefly met and have an autographed photo of Col James Irwin.

Moon salute

We sat next to Ric Flair a few years ago at Ruth's Chris in Myrtle Beach, SC. I didn't bother asking for autograph or pic just let him eat in peace.

Another night back in the 1990s I was headed home from my girlfriend's apartment and saw Rod Stewart sitting in a limo at a gas station. It was near midnight and he had just finished a concert down the street.

But, real greatness was listening to stories of Holocaust survivors in a very small intimate conference room at Forsyth Tech Community College back around 2012.

Lots of brushes, not as much greatness.

Politicians:

Al Gore and I used to play around together in our tighty whities, I have pictures to prove it. I was four, he was six.

Shook hands with LBJ at Meherebad airport while he was VP. The Shah (Mohammed Reza) was there, and I got a chance to speak with him, but I was much more enchanted by his wife. My family also went skiing several times with Gen. Baktiar, and other Iranians of high office.

Met Bill Clinton on Constitution Ave. while he was POTUS taking one of his jogs. I was working in the South Interior Building at the time. parking on Constitution was 2 hours max., and we had a little choreography going, the first in line pulled out and went around the block, everybody else pulled up one space in line, the first guy pulled in behind. Ridiculous, I know, but it made the Park Police happy. Clinton was actually very gracious. Talked for about 10-15 minutes. It was pretty apparent that he preferred to chat rather than run.

Had dinner (at different tables) several times with George H. W. Bush at the Peking Gourmet restaurant in Culmore. Always a PITA when he showed up.

Near politicians:

Sat next to George Will on an Eastern/Delta DC-NYC shuttle. Talked sports. He was not a Redskins fan. Al Sharpton was on the same flight, but in first class. I flew the damn shuttle back and forth every work day for about four months, but this was the only "fame sighting" I had.

Sports:

I used to hang out in a bar/pool hall in Annandale where Charlie Taylor (greatness) was also a regular, even though he didn't drink. We weren't close, but when I ran into him decades later he remembered me.

I met and drank with Joe Theismann several times at his restaurant in Culmore, once at his place in Alexandria.

Most of the "Hogs" of Redskins fame used to drink at a restaurant in the Willston shopping center. I was interested in a bartender who worked there at the time, and got on a first name basis with them all. Billy Kilmer and Sonny Jurgensen would show up once in a while, and Riggo (greatness) made an occasional appearance.

Somewhat later, I got to know Gary Clark and Ricky Sanders pretty well when they frequented a bar I hung out at in Falls Church (Mountain Jack's). Gary was a great guy, Ricky not so much. They were both chasing a cocktail waitress who had the most magnificent set of hooters you can imagine. Sarah, where are you now? Gary was married at the time which gave me license to razz him unmercifully. They did drag Art Monk (greatness) in one night, but he did not seem to enjoy himself very much. I've been lucky enough to socialize with Art several other times, always the consummate gentleman.

Others:

Met and spoke with Bob Hoover (greatness) several times. He had a business deal going with my sister at the time of her death, I don't remember the details, but we got it worked out. We were having cocktails at the 94th Aero Squadron in Van Nuys when Chuck Yeager shows up out of the blue and joins us. I didn't say a thing, just enjoyed listening to two old pals reminiscing.

Ran into John Bisigano on the street in Rehoboth Beach a few years ago. He seemed very surprised to be recognized from the ESPN Formula One broadcasts of the early 80's. Had a good time talking auto racing for a half hour or so while our wives shopped in the bookstore.

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
I've had several beers with Norm from Cheers. Aka George Wendt. Great guy, very personable. He was in my hometown for Oktoberfest and he came into the bar. I was one of the few who recognized him I guess or maybe even cared. He sat at my table and let me buy him a beer and then he bought me one back. Seen him again the following day at the event at the brewery and we shared some more time.

That's a lot to unpack and I can't believe nobody has commented. You met Norm. He went to a place where nobody knew his name. WTAF.

Let's see here:

Met Jeremy Piven in Chicago at some iced tea/fruit drink place during his short period of semi-fame.

Saw Bob Dole at McCaraan Airport - he was behind a partition at the Gate with his security. Passed by while boarding and gave a wave and nod of respect, and he smiled and waved.

Met a few musicians waiting for autographs at concerts and all of the Toto lineup a dozen or so years ago, including Steve Lukathur.

At the NAMM show in Anaheim I almost got run over by Stevie Wonder and his entourage that surrounds him and keeps him going in the right direction while clearing the way. Bunch of famous guitarists too - Alan Holdsworth, Will Ray, Reb Beach, Scott Henderson, John Jorgenson, and I can't remember all the others. Some of the high end guitar builders like John Suhr, Paul Reed Smith, Nik Huber, Jens Ritter.

My aunt's parents were survivors. I met them when she married my uncle and I was 11 or so ('83 I think) but I didn't really understand it well enough to appreciate it until a little later.

Year later I found out my Grandparents lived one mile down the street from the real Paulie from Goodfellas. When I was there in the summer the neighborhood kids and I played down the road at a schoolyard probably within sight of Paulie's house.

When I used to work on movies I had Madonna on my boat (stuck up cow) as well as her then hubby Guy Ritchie (nice bloke).
A few others like Sharon Stone (another stuck up cow) and Rupert Everett (polite bloke).
Not greatness by any means - but recognisable names I guess...

Shook hands with John Paul II at a papal audience in Rome in the early 90's.

quote:

Originally posted by enidpd804:

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
I've had several beers with Norm from Cheers. Aka George Wendt. Great guy, very personable. He was in my hometown for Oktoberfest and he came into the bar. I was one of the few who recognized him I guess or maybe even cared. He sat at my table and let me buy him a beer and then he bought me one back. Seen him again the following day at the event at the brewery and we shared some more time.

That's a lot to unpack and I can't believe nobody has commented. You met Norm. He went to a place where nobody knew his name. WTAF.

It was fairly busy and a lot of young people who were pretty drunk. They may have not been been familiar with Cheers. This was about 5 years ago and Norm has aged a bit and wasn't in character so not instantly recognizeable. He was in town for Oktoberfest selling his book Drinking With Norm of which I got a autographed copy of the following day at the event where we talked some more.

Shook hands with a couple of the band members of Pink Floyd. We attended their concert in Cedar Falls, Iowa and couldn't find a parking spot in the normal lots. Attendant said there was another lot around back and it was quite a walk but okay to park there. Finding no other option we went back. After the concert we walked around and the band as being loaded onto their bus. No one else around and the guys were chatty so we visited for a few minutes before they got aboard. Very proper English gentlemen.

I am the volunteer treasurer and board member for a small community water company. There was a quirk in a state law we needed changed. At the time the Colorado state legislature was controlled by the Dems (Senate) and Reps (House), which usually means no bills get passed into laws. Ours did. Here's a picture of me when Governor Hickenlooper signed our bill into law at the state capitol.

BTW, Hick limp wristed me when I shook his hand.

In 1968, I was a Navy PO-2 (E-5) working on some equipment on a nuke submarine. Admiral Hyman G. Rickover was looking over my shoulder asking when his boat could get underway.

In 1970, I bumped into General Creighton Abrams literally. We were going around a corner in MAC-V headquarters in Saigon.

In 1971, I was assigned as bodyguard for Admiral Elmo Zumwalt Jr. during his visit to our swift-boat base in Viet Nam.

In 1971, I was assigned as bodyguard for Martha Ray for her visit to our swift-boat base. During her show, we had general-quarters called with some incoming rounds. I had her under a table next to a cement block wall. She was telling jokes to calm me.

James Garner filmed a movie just North of Roseburg, I think it was in the 1980's. He came into town to watch a Monster Truck Rally. I sold him ear plugs. I never said I had an exciting life.

Famous? Certainly. Great? Depends on your opinion.

I met Hulk Hogan in an airport in North Carolina about 10-12 years ago. Super nice fellow. He was having a big time, chatting with anyone and everyone who approached. Polite, courteous, friendly. A little girl -- I figure she was about 7 -- walked up to him and asked him to sign her backpack. There he stood, towering over her with this huge grin on, Sharpie in hand and ready to scribble. Suddenly he stopped and asked the little girl, "Is it okay with your parents if I write on this?" I thought that was a pretty cool move.

I saw him again as I boarded the airplane, just chilling and talking with his seat-neighbor as if they were actual neighbors. For a famous guy, I thought he was remarkably down-to-earth.

This is more my father's brush rather than mine. One day in 1966 he came home and asked, "Any of you ever heard of the Beatles?" I was only 8 at the time, but I knew the Fab Four had just flown in for their final concert at Candlestick Park.

As a security issue (besides the usual mobbing, the country was still up-in-arms over John Lennon's remarks about Christianity) they decided to deplane them at the maintenance base where my dad worked. He wasn't sure who they were, but met them as they came off the plane.

Come to think of it, I'm still not sure if he knows who they were.

Think your grandfather is pretty great!

Some of these might count as brushes with greatness, the rest merely brushes with notables. Some of the true greats weren't famous and wouldn't be known to most, but their service, their humor, their spirits, and their actions made them men of distinction in my book...including two of the men who taught me to fly who had served in WW II, and another who flew in Vietnam, as well as an aviator who was a former FBI agent and who was blind in one eye. Whenever we flew together he would fly with his head turned slightly to one side.

Aviation & Space:

- The company my father was working for at the time had several customers, including NASA. At the time my father was an electronics engineer (formerly served in the Army but he was a civilian at this time) who specialized in satellite communications. During one of the Skylab missions (I was a kid at the time but I believe it was either Skylab 2 or 3), my Dad's company sent him out as their rep. to monitor/ maintain the sat. comm. equipment onboard the crew recovery ship, the U.S.S. Ticonderoga, which monitored and relayed the crew's comms during the return/ re-entry phase of the space flight.

He flew down to San Diego where he met the ship, and then shipped out with the Navy crew. He called us from the ship a couple times, but despite his repeated reminders for me to conclude each sentence with either "Over" or "Out" I was so excited to talk to him about his trip that I kept forgetting and was probably driving the Navy radio operator nuts.

When Dad returned home, he not only brought some souvenirs (my first camera as a kid- Kodak Instamatic X-15), but he also returned with Super 8 home movie footage of the astronaut crew jumping off the recovery helicopter, walking over to a brief shipboard ceremony in which each was presented with gold dive knives, they made quick speeches, used their new knives to cut a ceremonial cake for the occasion, and then were whisked off to quarantine and medical check outs.

- I've been blessed to have the opportunity to fly a few very uncommon aircraft.

- I've briefly met and shaken hands with astronaut Jim Lovell (Apollo 13), aviation greats Robert Morgan (B-17 Memphis Belle Capt.,have a signed picture from him, a very quite composed man with class) Tex Johnston (hell of nice and friendly guy), Gen. Chuck Yeager (not quite so approachable), and aerobatic champion Patty Wagstaff (ok, so at the time I had a little crush on her).

- One of my female aviator friends was featured in a book about woman aviators and I was invited to be in a picture with her that appeared in the book.

- My picture has appeared in the National Air and Space Museum at least twice, and possibly a third time, although I was most certainly not the primary focus, but happened to be involved in activities that were the focus.

- I was invited to attend an invitation only event (which we crashed on my friend's Press Pass) in which United was holding a shindig to commemorate receiving the very first B-777 that any airline received and it was scheduled to take off the next morning for it's first operational maiden voyage. Champagne, finger food, classy cabaret entertainment, swag, speeches by company and FAA upper management, all in one of their massive hangars...but, for me, the best part was guided tours of the plane's cabin, galley, and cargo area. Ran into one of my flying buddies working the event for the company.

- I worked for and flew with a notable traffic reporter in the DC area who many from the area might recognize.


Politics:

- Along with a few select friends, I was invited to attend a political event (at a sheet metal factory) showcasing the President's then push for bipartisan legislation to reduce bureaucratic red tape in which President Clinton, Vice President Gore, and Secretary of Labor Robert Reich appeared and each gave speeches. The man who invited us was a friend and, although I didn't realize it at the time, he had us stand until all the others attending had been seated, and then the last 4 chairs were placed so that we were positioned at the head of the rope line, which I was later told was traditionally reserved for dignitaries. At the end of the event I was the first to shake all three men's hands. Although I was not a supporter of them, I was honored to be given the opportunity to attend and to be in the presence of the highest office of the country. I was slated to attend a second event that President Clinton was scheduled to attend, but he backed out of it a week or so before.

- Briefly met the Princess and Prince of Thailand many years ago. She was wonderfully friendly, was beautiful with a charming smile and down to earth, he as well but perhaps a touch more reserved (or, I think perhaps he was just not as comfortable in the demands of his official public appearances and greatly preferred quietly interacting with people as a man rather than a Prince.) They both spoke perfect English and seemed quite comfortable with Western culture and dress.

Family:

- Supposedly, a distant family relative that I've never met was the inventor, or played a part in the creation of the first snowmobiles, and later sold the original design to Bombardier where it was later tweaked and then re-designed, although to be completely honest, I haven't been able to verify this, so I suppose it could be family lore.

Honorable mention: my high school principal was a former NFL Philadelphia Eagles player, although I never said more than "Good Morning" or "hello" to him.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Modern Day Savage,

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
I worked LE security At the First in Flight centennial at Kitty Hawk back in 2003.

I know the aviator that was contracted to build the replica of the Wright Flyer for the museum. Did you happen to meet him or any of the other aviators that were there for the event?

quote:

Originally posted by IntrepidTraveler:
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.

I met the Princess and Prince of Thailand back in the early-mid '90s briefly, but I remember her being quite attractive and friendly with a wonderful smile. I'm wondering if we met the same one...what time frame did you meet her in?

In 1990 I spent several hours chatting with Carlos Hathcock "White Feather". We were at a Mess Night at Camp Johnson (a sub-base of Camp Lejune N.C.) Gunny Hathcock was our Guest of Honor and after dinner he sat at a table to chat, have pics taken and sign the book "Marine Sniper". Even though suffering from the effects of MS he was funny, personable, warm and a joy to converse with. BTW, he received no money from the sale of "Marine Sniper".

Lock N Load

Michael
USMC Ret