"Jean" Shepard who joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1955 was my baby sitter around 1950. She sang to me.

I met Admiral Hyman Rickover on one of his boats in 1968.

I met General Creighton Abrams in Viet Nam in 1970.

I met Admiral Elmo "Bud" Zumwalt Jr. in Viet Nam in 1970.

I was assigned as bodyguard for Colonel Martha "Maggie" Raye during a USO show in Viet Nam in 1971. We had some V.C. shooting into the camp during her show. She and I spent some time under a table next to a block wall until the all clear was sounded. She was cracking jokes to calm me down.

http://www.war-veterans.org/Maggie.htm


I met the North Vietnamese Generals in Hanoi, Viet Nam in 1973 during Operation Endsweep. I watched the planes with the POWs take off bound for Clark AFB in the Philippines.

Was staying at the Rio in Vegas many years ago, and my buddy Joey and I were sitting at the diner's lunch counter and Don King comes in and sits next to me. Joey nudged me and said that's Don 'fuggin' King! I turned back and said nice to meet you Mr King, he said just Don is fine. He smelled nice.

Before that, there was Peaches and Herb behind me at an airline counter. Had no idea who they were until my mom explained it to me.

As a side note, I served President Jimmy Carter a club soda with lime at a reception for him in college. He didn't leave a tip.

Foreman Scotty of the "Foreman Scotty Show" in Oklahoma City around 1964. I won the Golden Horseshoe, supposedly for my expertise in making a face at the TV audience. He called he a towhead, a term I didn't understand. The horseshoe wasn't real gold, either.

This turn of events provided me with early guidance down the path of cynicism.

quote:

Originally posted by greybeard9:
Bo Diddley. Sat next to him on a flight from Fl. to Cal. A really nice guy to talk to.

My girlfriend's daddy ran a finance company in McComb Miss. back in the 60's. One of his clients was Bo Diddley's daddy. Her daddy would go visit Bo's daddy every month to collect and his daddy would tell him don't worry Bo Diddley is coming to town and he would give his daddy money

I'm told the earliest was Gordie Howe. One of his close friends lived a house down from my Grandparents and one day when we were in town Gordie came over to pick his friend up for dinner. When he arrived his friend was talking to my parents and Grandfather so Gordie just walked over. I was 5 so I don't remember it.

The earliest that I remember was meeting Patrick Swayze through horses. He became a casual friend of the family for a while. A very sad day when he passed

I forgot Julie Golob, Jerry Miculek, & R. Lee Ermey. My grandmother knew Honus Wagner - she grew up on the street he lived on - only thing she could remember was that "he was so big."

quote:

I'm told the earliest was Gordie Howe. One of his close friends lived a house down from my Grandparents and one day when we were in town Gordie came over to pick his friend up for dinner. When he arrived his friend was talking to my parents and Grandfather so Gordie just walked over. I was 5 so I don't remember it.

Gordie!

Jim Hardie (Dale Robertson) from Tales of Wells Fargo and Annie Oakley (Gail Davis) from
Annie Oakley tv series. Met them at a rodeo when I was around 9.

Boy was she hot!

Nobody. Quite boring.

quote:

Originally posted by Powers77:
The Vienna Inn. Brings back good memories. Had a chili dog there that had a bright and shiny nickel included in the sauce. Cool place though. Is it still in business? Would love to have a dog there and reminisce about my ol Uncle that used to take us there.

It is still there! About a mile from my home. Probably looks the same as when you were there; inside and out.

I met Wolfman Jack at the Armed Forces Radio & Television Services center in 1975. I talked to him for several minutes and watched him tape a show. I had listened to him since the early 1950s on the radio.

My father was the most popular country DJ in the Spokane area in the 50's and 60's and he was the MC for all of the musical acts that came here for concerts. He would take my brother and I with him for rehearsals and what not to meet the singers like Ernest Tubb, Jim Reeves, Hank Williams, Chet Atkins, Marty Robins etc. I wasn't into music at my age back then so I don't remember them all. A lot of those guys were part of The Grand Ole Opry and they came here a few times.

The one that stands out for me was Brenda Lee. I was well into puberty and I flat fell in love with that girl. My folks had her and her mother over for dinner, which they would do a lot, and she was in my life for hours. I'm sure I made an ass of myself.

Jim Reeves was someone over for dinner as well and we really liked him. A great story teller and a super nice guy. I was really sad when he died in, I think 64, in a plane crash outside of Nashville.

Jim

Ed O'neil - Al Bundy from Married With Children. This was down in Venice Beach in So. Cal. back in the early 90's. I was visiting a friend of mine who had just moved there. We were walking to her car and bumped into him. I was surprised, he's a big guy and he was with a woman who looked about 21 . We talked a bit then went our separate ways.

Clu Gulagar - TV & film actor.

When I first moved to Las Vegas (1976) I worked in a trendy restaurant/disco so I met a number of celebrities while there.

I'll only name the two most positive interactions I had, since some were not so nice to the "help."

Lola Falana - A true beauty inside & out. She was in our place often & always had a kind word for all of us. She treated everyone respectfully, even all the way down to me a busboy at the time & later, a waiter. She even remembered me a couple of years later when I ran into her while at another restaurant. I'm convinced she's as genuine as they come.

Rich Little - Another guy who was in our place often & nice to us all. He always was "on" with his schtick while out in public, but he made you knew he was genuine.

I got to pet Rin-Tin-Tin at a parade in Eugene, OR in 1954, I've still got the picture.

Dan Hagerty at Disneyland. He was coming out of the Haunted House with two women. I was maybe six.

When I was 8 or 9, I shook hands with Tex Ritter.
1967/68? He was giving a show on the courthouse lawn. My mom was upset that the Stoneman family didn't show up. Bus broke down.

My wife sat across the aisle from Robert Redford on a plane to John Wayne Airport, said he was rude, demanding, arrogant, both in flight and after the flight. I stood next to Redford as a spectator, watching a motocross race. I didn't ask for his autograph, he didn't ask for mine (and I am taller than Redford).

I sat a couple of seats away from Jerry Rice on a flight to LAX, he was quite cordial and accommodating. Once stepped into the men's room at a dinner event, Steve Young came in to change a diaper on his child (my balding spot in the back is smaller than his).

quote:

Originally posted by bushpilot:
I met John Wayne at his house in Laguna when we were installing a new electric meter on his house. I was a groundman with Southern California Edison. He was very casual and gracious in his demeanor. IIRC it was in 1966.

That reminds me that I shook hands with and got an autograph from John Wayne when USC came to play Texas in 1966. I was in the Longhorn Band, out on the track and he was wandering around the USC sidelines. One of the few times I asked for an autograph.

I may have almost met someone famous. Early one morning, I was out walking around an apartment complex when I spotted a large road bus with a spectacularly fancy paint job. As I walked around admiring it, I noticed that the destination marquee said, "Nobody you know."

I was 9 in 1977. My mom took me to see "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe" starring Lily Tomlin on Broadway. She won tickets and a backstage pass for donating to Bella Abzug's 1976 NY Senate campaign. After the show, we met Lily. She was very nice, gave me a kiss on the cheek and signed my Playbill.