One of my best yarns to spin is remembering when I saw Queen Elizabeth, Prince Phillip and Princess Margaret up close and personal in July of 1959 when they visited Chicago. Interesting faces, indeed.
Second was meeting the Queen of Denmark at a private dinner party in Oak Park, Illinois, also in the 50's. There was a Danish smorgasbord served where I had my first (and only) taste of eel.
But taking the cake was meeting President Reagan at two private cocktail parties when he came to the Chicago suburbs in two different campaigns. I held public office at that time which is how I got the invites. What a thrill it was.....because the man really had an "aura", a glow.....and a presence about him which made it almost impossible to take your eyes off him.
He was gracious, relaxed, humorous, tanned, tall and handsome, immaculately groomed...and best of all, after four years, he remembered my name when we were shaking hands in the receiving line.
(Someone undoubtedly clued him in on names beforehand, but I defiantly choose not to believe that, LOL).
Leni
Okay, I’m jealous!
There are very few famous people who I care to meet, but I certainly would have crossed the street to shake hands with President Reagan.
My Ronald Reagan story. I was a bartender for many years at a country club. When the Bakersfield Business Conference first started, it started at that country club and was held there til it got so big they didn’t have room for it anymore. It is set up as tents....a huge tent for the speakers.
I was working the bar inside, which was totally dead, and everybody else was outside working the tents. I was bored so went back into the ladies card room to clean up and pick up glasses. There was a French door from the back room that led to a small driveway. A large storm had come up earlier and it was raining hard. As I was walking around the card tables picking up empties I saw a limo pull up to the French door so stopped and was just watching to see who it was. All of a sudden the door flew open and secret service guys whipped in and kind of guided me to the wall with their arms in front of me, one on either side. I looked up and a man was running in the door with a trench coat pulled up over his head because of the rain. After he got in the door he shook, lowered the trench coat and looked up at me with a big smile and said.....nice day huh? It was Ronald Reagan. They were gone as quickly as they entered.
Pretty cool young lady. I’ve had dinner with some British royalty as a soldier but nothing like you’ve experienced. Great stories for the family and friends heh.