Bill Buckley, after a speech at my college campus in the early 70s.
Henry Ford II
I met Edgar Hansen from Deadliest Catch yesterday. Great guy.
Ronald Reagan. He and my Dad were friends from World War II until Dad died in 1974.
My Chinese professor at USNA was a Taiwan newscaster for many years. Rumor was he was part of the OSS during WWII and he was still very connected in the 80s. When we took a language study trip to Taiwan older ladies would stop him on the street to get his autograph. He was still well connected and accorded a LOT of respect by the higher level folks we met.
I met Gerald Ford at an ex-FBI Agents convention in the early 80’s. Really nice man. We lived in the LA area, so I met some celebrities during those 20 years, but I wouldn’t consider them important.
Dennis Prager. We went to 2 of his events.
Laura Ingram. Went to one event, and a Play.
Jesse Ventura (shhh!) went to a invite screening of his appearance in an X-Files episode.
My brother was on an airplane with Sammy Davis Jr
I know someone who saw Jimmy Carter at Disney World
I saw Donald Trump at a political rally
I drive by a hotel that Bill Clinton stayed at
I could go on and on, but I may give you all inferiority complexes.
Not me but my dad was just reminiscing fondly about talking with Chuck Yeager at an air show.... I had mentioned an item I’d posted here about Yeager shooting down an ME-262 in 1944 and my dad (89 yrs.) piped up with a little story about Yeager from years later.
My wife! (52 years!)
Most famous, Jerry Garcia.
Most influential, I’d have to say Dan Gurney.
General Omar Bradley during an exercise while I was stationed in Florida. He was actually a pretty good guy. And even though it never happened, during our conversation, he invited me to the dog tracks. He had to fly out unexpectedly.
red
Moe, Larry and Shemp, backstage at the Melody Top Theater in Hillside, IL.....very early ‘60’s. Very kind and subdued....I guess the “kid” in me expected them to be as “on” as I had always seen them on television.
I’ve sat next to and shook hands with both Nixon and Trump at different Mets games. I yelled “You should be in prison!” multiple times right into Hillary’s face which pissed her off. Sat next to Keith Richards, Joe Strummer and Elvis Costello at a Tom Waits concert, chatting with Richards. Got cursed and yelled at by Leonard Berstein in The Dakota the day after Lennon was killed there. Had a long discussion about the 2nd Amendment over whiskey with Christopher Hitchens. I made Jackson Browne sad. Pope John Paul II pointed and laughed at my friends dumb haircut. I have a lot more true stories of celebrity encounters for some reason. I guess it’s just NYC, except Hitchens was in DC.
Carl Sagan
I meet God daily.
Lots....BB King, Newt Gingrich, Jimmy Carter, George Thorogood, Sean Hannity among many.....
I was on stage with George and BB King in two separate events....Sang Bad to the Bone with George and with King we had dinner and I he let me hold his Guitar “Lucille”....
When I was 9 years old (1970) I came in the house for lunch and thought it strange that my dad was home in the middle of the day.
A man was with him who he introduced as Dr. Wernher Von Braun.
Years later when I knew who he was I asked my dad about and he said Dr Von Braun was thrilled to have a home made lunch because he always ate in restaurants.
Buzz Aldrin
Dave Barry
Glenn Beck
Jeb Bush
Sen. Bob Graham
Thurman Munson
Capt. Chesley Sullenberger
Gerald Ford.