Met Anyone Famous?

[Bugler]

On the way to work yesterday, the radio was asking the listeners if they have met anyone famous and if so, how? Same question for this group.

I have met a few, mostly from the sporting sector. Once when I was walking through the baggage area at the Vegas airport, former San Fran receiver Jerry Rice was there. He was casually talking to anyone who recognized him while waiting for his luggage.

At another airport, the Pittsburgh Steelers were waiting to board their plane. Jerome Bettis "the bus", in response to my nod, diverted his walking path and came over to say hello as he headed to the restroom.

On a flight out of San Fran, I flew on this same plane as sports agent Tom Condo, George Brett and newly, at that time, first-round draft pick, QB Alex Smith.

However, my favorite sports guys are the former and current owners of the Kansas City Chief, Lamar Hunt and Clark Hunt. Lamar was the one who started the American Football Conference and gave the Super Bowl its name. He and his son Clark were perfect down to earth gentlemen. If I recall correctly, Clark finished first in his class in law school, and he always acts in a calm groomed demeanor.

Also in the meeting was the then president of the KC Royals but I did not give a crap about him. The purpose of the meeting was to sign new leases for the Truman Sports Complex which holds Arrowhead and Royals stadiums.

Here is a picture of me and Lamar. https://pbase.com/bugler/image/111676272

I am sure their are some other famous folks I have met but right now, I am having a brain fart.

[pjshorthorn]

My wife.

Met her in high school when I was 17. Been together for 37 years. She is infamous for putting up with me all those years.

PjShorthorn

[kzoofisher]

Leon Spinks when he was training in town. Jack White has a house here and you can run into him around town. Always very nice

Rode on an elevator with the newly crowned Miss Universe when I was 14. I was headed up to meet my cousins and she was on her way back from a bathing suit photo shoot. I was completely flustered and failed miserably to be suave. Really, you can’t believe how beautiful someone like that is. She was also very nice all things considered.

[Bugler]

Many years ago, in my undergrad days (early 80s), I shared my office with Michael Jackson's road manager for three weeks. Michael Jackson was kicking off a world tour and the first show was at Arrowhead Stadium. I was the night auditor for a hotel and night club across the road from the stadium. They worked their tour state crews late into the evening as they configured and designed everything, including the stage, for the tour. The road manager was a small Asian guy and we worked together every evening for three weeks, in an office behind the front desk. Opening night, my family had a stadium suite next to Michael's family.

The night auditor job brings back memories. Every baseball team but the Yankees stayed there when they came to town. I have a lot of the players come back in the evenings needing things in the hotel or night club. I remember doing things for some of the Boston Redsocks players but really did not recognize them individually by name.

[Custom Eyes]

Weaseled our way into the State Theater in Detroit about an hour before the doors opened for a Pantera show. Myself, a friend, and Vinnie Paul (RIP) at the bar all by ourselves. Yapped for a few with him while he choked down 7&7's and got some autographs. Really cool and mellow guy. That wasn't long before the end of the band and you could tell from a couple comments he made that there was something going on that made him want to sit there at the bar instead of back stage with the rest of the guys.

[Bugler]

I had a mishap with my brain in 2002 and some of my memories are slow to come back and some were lost forever. Remember the United Airlines DC-10 which crashed and rolled at Sioux City, Iowa in 1989? A number of years later I got to meet the pilot Alfred Haynes. He had become a public motivational speaker at that point. He gave the opening ceremonies speech at a national association of district attorneys conference in Aspen which I attended.

Also, the racing Meers brothers had a lakehouse in my cove when I owned a lakehouse at the Lake of the Ozarks. They would stop there for a few days on the way back from some of their races. It always struck me odd that they would have a tiny postage sized stamp of a house there, much smaller than those around it. For those familiar with the Lake of the Ozarks, the house was back in the same cove as Big Thunder marina which I heard went out of business a number of years back. I sold my lakehouse in 2005.

[goldman]

My wife and I have met several older Country stars. We generally hang back until most if not all have gone through the receiving line after a concert. They are usually happy to shake hands and yap awhile. Mel Tillis, Pam Tillis, Jim Ed Brown, Bill Anderson, Kathy Matea, Le Roy Van Dyke and his wife Gladys, Rex Allen Jr, Billy Dean, Gene Watson, Wil and Langdon Reid (two of the Statler Bro’s sons), Narvel Felts. We’ve seen many many more in concert but didn’t get to meet them.

We attended the 30th reunion of the tv show Dallas, it was a program and barbecue at the South Fork ranch in Plano, TX (2008)The entire cast that was still living was there and accessible. Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray, Charleen Tilton, Steve Kanally, Ken Kercheval, Susan Howard, Audrey Landers, Sheree Wilson. It was quite a time.

We have found that many of the older stars are as friendly as they could be. Some of the newer/younger not so much. Some don’t have time for fans.

[jfishpa]

In 1985 while visiting my sister in NYC briefly spoke to Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O`Neal . She was very nice and he barely said a word. At dinner later Harrison Ford was in the same restaurant and said hello to hm , he just said hi and kept on going.

[Bugler]

Originally Posted by goldman

.

We have found that many of the older stars are as friendly as they could be. Some of the newer/younger not so much. Some don’t have time for fans.

I agree with the older stars being friendly. For nearly 20 years, we have had season tickets the New Theater Resturant in Overland Park, KS where they put on a dinner and a stage show. A lot of tv stars from the past appear in these and some come out in the lobby at the end to shake hands with the guests who have waited around.

[Pokey Fisherman]

Got to meet and talk with Tom Selleck at a Gun Show in Las Vegas probably 20 years ago. He was there with George Madis looking at Winchester 1876's for his upcoming Movie Crossfire Trail. George was the go to guy when it came to Winchesters, he wrote many books on the them and I knew George real good so that's how I got introduced to Mr. Sellick.


I got to meet Jimmy Buffett at a small airport at Wautoma WI. I knew the airport manager and stopped in with my Cub and just after I landed another small plane landed and the manager told me that Jimmy Buffett so I got to meet him along with one of his daughters who wasn't a fan of flying and was a little green around the gills. He has some property in the area.