Who’s the most famous person you ever met?

Sean Connery,in the 70s in the Beverly Hills Hotel.Nice man.

This is a fun topic, mixmaster.  Thank you for starting it.

I sometimes feel like Forest Gump, since I have had so very many chance encounters with celebrities in the many places I have lived in my lifetime.  Have forgotten many of the names, but I guess the most well known person I ever spoke with face-to-face was Drew Peterson, who is accused of killing a former wife, Kathleen Savio, and who is expected of killing Stacy Peterson, his third wife.  I met him when he was still a police officer.  It was at a donut shop in town where he was standing outside.  I asked him a question about a drug deal I observed in my neighborhood, and he gave me some advice.

 Shortly after  that meeting, the media descended on our town and I found out who he was and what horrible crimes he had been accused of doing.  YIKES!  

I was one of the first people to sign up to search for his missing wife, Stacy, and ended up doing several TV interviews.  Sadly, Stacy is still missing to this day, and I still pray that she will be found so her family can have some peace.

 Drew will most likely spend the rest of his days in prison as he was convicted of trying to have someone murder the county prosecutor.  Stupid is as stupid does… 

Decades ago, I met Paul Harvey. I used to love his radio pieces.

And decades before that, I met Buckminster Fuller, who invented the geodesic dome. That was truly an honor!

One of my first cousins is a very famous pop singer from back in the day. If I said his name, you’d all know it. Alas, for identity protection, please forgive me for not doing so.

The next would be Elton John, (along with a plethora of other rock stars), as my best friend’s husband was a sound mixer. He’d give us backstage passes when whatever band he was working for at the time rolled into town; so, I met a bunch of ‘guys in the band’. But, to me, a ‘handshake and hello’ don’t mean much.

Then there’s John Trudell who became a trusted friend of our family.

I had a lovely encounter with Floyd Red Crow Westerman during my shamanic initiation days… a beautiful man… what an auric presence he had.

I think the cutest story tho is the time when I was 15-years-old. My father was the manager of a drug-store down in Westwood, CA. I worked there during the summer months as a teenager.

Anyways, one day someone called in sick, so my dad put me in the Camera section. I always worked in the make-up/hair section, or cashiered, but on this day, the full-time Beauty-section gal was there, so, there I am, in Cameras, ugh. *lol*

And, of course, a man walks into that section and proceeds to ask me what was the best camera we carry. Well, recognizing him immediately, I became so flustered, I blurted out, ‘I don’t know anything about Cameras, I always work in the Beauty section!’

He smiled broadly and said, ‘You’re very pretty, of course you work in the Beauty section. So, why are you in the Camera Department?’

I told him about the sick person who should have been there and he nodded. I got the distinct feeling that he was going to go away. So, I said, ‘But our Manager is an expert about Cameras, even more than the person that’s supposed to be here. Let me get him for you.’ He nodded ‘okay’.

So, I pick-up the phone behind the counter but, before I press the button to the Manager’s office, I pause and say, ‘Excuse me, please forgive me, I mean, I know who you are, you’re very famous and I’ve seen all your movies and I, I love all your movies, but I… I can’t remember your name’.

He laughed so hard, I thought he was gonna bust a gut! He said, ‘That’s okay, honey, no one else in this town remembers my name either!’ and proceeded to tell it to me.

Well, I’m just so tickled, so flustered, so nervous, and so embarassed, I blurt out, ‘That’s right!’, and he busted out laughing again, *lol*.

I get on the phone and instead of saying Mr. ‘so & so’, (like I always did when working with my father professionaly), I said, ‘Daddy, daddy! Mr. Charles Bronson is here and wants to buy a Camera… I don’t know what to do!’ To which my dad said he’d be right there.

Mr. Bronson said, ‘Your dad is the Manager?’ With great pride I said, ‘Yes he is. I only work here during the summer and he knows everything about Cameras!’ It was akin to saying, ‘my dad is bigger and stronger than your dad’… god, what a dufus I was, *lol*.

Just then, my dad walks up, hand outstretched, big smile on his face, ‘Mr. Bronson, so glad to meet you. I’m so & so, how can I help you?’ Mr. Bronson shook his hand and, with a big grin said, ‘Before you help me, I just want to say that your daughter is delightful and gave me the kind of medicine I really needed today.’

I didn’t understand what he meant, and my dad didn’t either, but he never skipped-a-beat and said, ‘Good, glad to hear it!’

I walked to the other end of the counter and he and my dad must have talked Cameras for at least an hour… my dad teaching him how to use everything. He bought a $1,000-dollars worth of equipment and left a very happy customer.

After Mr. Bronson left, my dad called me into the office and asked me about the ‘medicine’ business. I said I didn’t know what he meant. So, my dad had me relate the exchange we had. I told him and he smiled. I asked, ‘Do you know what he meant?’ My dad nodded. I asked, ‘What did he mean, dad?’

‘He meant that, when you’re famous, you sometimes get a big head, and it’s a healthy thing to be reminded that you’re not the end-all/be-all of the universe. Not remembering his name gave him the dose of reality he needed.’

I’ll never forget my encounter with Mr. Bronson… he was sweet and kind to me, a star-struck kid whose nerves became unglued in the presence of ‘fame’.

Former Attorney General Janet Reno to Bill Clinton with whom I worked with for several years. I was young and admired her intelligence, peaceful, gracious manner and understanding of humankind.    She passed away today at age 78 from Parkinson’s. May you rest in peace Janet:heart::heart::heart:

Dlck Clark, in 1978 when I was on American Bandstand. I sat next to him on the bleachers to watch the musical guest, and we talked on air. Unfortunately, that episode and two others I was on weren’t included in the VH1 reruns in 1996, so I have no recordings.

I have a cousin (not first) who’s the National Sales Manager for a famous shoe company.

Leonard Bernstein, Ethel Merman, Elle Fitzgerald, etc. etc.