Some of the influential, plus some of the less-influential but yet intriguing people I've met and spent time with, many of them no longer with us:
Pres. Ronald Reagan (twice at private receptions so I was able to converse with him personally).....Illinois Governor Jim Thompson.....Illinois Senator Charles Percy.....Chicago Mayor Daley the Elder.....an aging Red Grange (the "Galloping Ghost"), named the best collegiate college football player of all time.....a good friend, Hall of Famer, White Sox pitcher/broadcaster, Early Wynn, along with his broadcasting side-kick Hawk Harrellson, All-Star major league baseball player and also broadcaster for the White Sox (both gentlemen being regular customers of our family sports center business in a Chicago suburb)...also popping in all the time were MLB manager, Tony LaRussa, pitching star, Tom Seaver, Michael Jordan, and Bob Thomas, star Chicago Bear football place kicker, now a circuit court judge in my former county). Also had the privilege of spending a couple delightful hours with the Rev. Billy Graham, my fascinating table companion at a banquet in his honor.....
.....plus, the famous original "Morris the Cat", star of TV cat food commercials, who was my special guest at the groundbreaking of my county's new animal shelter. Morris's owner, Bob, had a thriving kennel in my district and was a political supporter of mine. I have a photo of me holding a very orange-colored Morris at the event, he weighed a ton (very overweight), and slept most of the time sprawled out on the top Bob's desk at his kennel business in district.
.....plus my most unusual "meeting-up".....shaking the gloved hand of the Queen of Denmark at a private dinner party. She was the honored guest of a Danish friend/former classmate of mine who owned a famous Danish restaurant in a Chicago suburb (I tasted my first smoked eel at the smorgasbord laid out at the party. Oh, my....!)
I met lots of other "celebs", but the above names stick out in my mind for various reasons....and just as plain happy and interesting memories.
Thanks, Gigster. This fun thread makes "name-dropping" acceptable for 'umble people like me, LOL. Hope my little capsule anecdotes were interesting to my fellow freepers, also.
Leni/MinuteGal
Very nice Leni.
Hi Leni! I met Morris the Cat too, lol! I went and saw Reagan when he had the rally at College of DuPage, but at that time I wasn’t yet connected in the political world, so no invite to the reception for me.
OMG you are a celebrity yourself! Only famous politician I shook hands with was Bush-43 at a rally in Portland, OR.