The Most Famous Person You've Met

John McEnroe at a tennis match & Colin Powell at my basic training.
 
I'm not sure, but from a shooters perspective it has to be Robbie Leatham and family along with Brian Enos and Jack Breskovitch.

ETA - Let me add J M Plaxco and Kay Clark to the list.
 
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I met Bill Jordan the 1974 NRA Police Pistol Matches. He was selling his book, as I recall, from the trunk of his car. Business was slow at the time, so we visited for a short while and he had the biggest hands I have ever seen on a human!! We talked briefly and he personalized my copy of his book and shook hands once again as I departed with his business was increasing. I still have that book and along with a book authored and signed by Skeeter Skelton and I treasure the memories of that day.
 
Somewhere in this thread is my John Fogerty story, but I also have cooked for a couple famous people.

In the early 90's, when I lived in Idaho Falls, I made chicken and steak fajitas for the band Alabama, and I also made a big deli tray for Waylon Jennings and his band. I also made a spinach salad for Toni Tennille. A friend cooked breakfast for Blue Oyster Cult while I was working in the back of the kitchen.

I didn't go meet any of them, I didn't want to seem like a gushing fan. I saw Waylon later that evening from a VIP table up front.
 
Hard to rank since they represent such different spheres :

Dick Heller
Paul Tibbets
Jerry Jeff Walker
Don Garlits
 
I've seen & heard a lot of famous people but the only one I ever actually had a conversation with was Mike Huckabee.
Nice enough for a politician and TV celeb.
 
...I attended junior high school with Tim Allen...Byers Junior High School...Denver Colorado...mid 1960s...

...I was in the pits at a drag race at Continental Divide Raceway (no longer there) in Castle Rock Colorado in the late 1960s...headliners were Don Garlits and Don Prudhomme doing a best 2 out of 3 match race...I was standing between them when Garlits asked for a coin to flip for lane choice...I handed him the only coin I had...a nickel...
 
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James Irwin was a friend of a friend; he came to my home to talk to the Cub Scouts and to our business to meet and greet.
I was introduced to Seymour Cray as he toured our building.
Shook hands with Bob Dole when he was campaigning for President. (I heard Elizabeth Dole speak at an event once - I would have voted for her had she run.)
Shook hands with Chuck Yeager - huge honor!
Chatted briefly with Mario Andretti once at the local Ford dealership.
 
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Mostly musicians ( back in the day :p );

Gordon Lightfoot
Jerry Garcia
Ron Wood
Country Joe ( McDonald)
Steppenwolf
 
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John Wayne
Col. Harland Sanders
KISS
A lot of the Atlanta Hawks
All while working a summer job at the Atlanta airport in the mid 70s.
 
Exchanged a few words with:
Rocky Marciano, I very young and was with my Dad
Burl Ives (whatta tool)
Ray Stevens
Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer
Bruce Jenner
Lynn St. James, organized her warehouse in Dania
Charlie Hough
Played softball with a bunch of ex Dolphin players, most impressive to me was a 50 something year old Larry Ball. A back up linebacker for his career he's the only NFL player to play with both an undefeated and winless team, '72 Dolphins and '76 Tampa Bay. His quickness, reaction times and competitive drive really drove home the phenomenal level at which pro athletes compete.
 
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A bunch

My Dad raced midgets in the northeast. Dad even ran a 100 lap midget race or two at Langhorne Speedway back when the track was dirt and a big left turn.
The Indy car series would have a 100 mile race there in June. After the time trials were done my Dad brought my brother and I down to the pit fence. A gentleman recognized Dad and called him over. We all got pit passes!
Well most of the drivers from the Indy 500 were at Langhorne I got to meet many of the great racers from the early 1960s. I got their autographs too.
 
Pappy Boyington at Osh Kosh air show, I bought his book which he had signed.
Gerald and Betty Ford at a campaign stop
Attended a breakfast and saw, but did not actually meet, George HW, Barbara, and Chuck Yeager. When I saw Yeager I did a double take and he smiled.
On an elevator with Barbara Eden just after she did a show. She didn't look at me, pretended I wasn't there. Don't blame her.

For Chicago area folks, I met Don and Roma Wade, radio personalities at the Chicago Auto Show. There wasn't anybody around and they chatted with me for a few minutes and gave me a signed photo. Great couple.
 
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Col. Paul Tibbits
Gen. Jimmy Doolittle (and his Raiders)
Chuck Yeager
Bob Hoover
Tex Hill and other Flying Tigers at reunion about 1980
Gen. Mark Clark
Robert Conrad
Peter Faulk
Dr Denton Cooley
Dr Mason Sones
Except for one or two, most were friendly, down to earth persons which to me is a real mark of greatness.
 
Well the only famous person I can remember meeting is Jani Lee from the Rock Band Warrant back in late 90's...he was in very bad health and was very heavy...we were at a event and it was rained out ...we all had to get inside quickly...he seemed like a very wounded soul...he died a,few years back...grear voice...God Bless,John

Sent from my SM-S727VL using Tapatalk
 
Memories revived

When asked if have met famous people, I don't remember any. This thread revives some. I worked in a building in NYC and shared an elevator with many "famous" people. I remember Raquel Welch and her boy toy(she looked old, he didn't) and also Howard Cosell (his toupe looked dorky). I generally don't bother people just because I recognize them. Regular New Yorkers never do that; they pretend they never even saw celebs.
 
The only autograph I ever collected, Clark Terry. He came to my high school to do a jazz clinic for our jazz band in 1969. That autograph still hangs in my office.
 
Bro. Dave said:
The only autograph I ever collected, Clark Terry. He came to my high school to do a jazz clinic for our jazz band in 1969. That autograph still hangs in my office.
Click to expand...

Good catch! I have long been an admirer of his. You could wallpaper a room with the "Who's Who" list of heavyweights he worked with.

He helped reintroduce the flugelhorn to modern jazz.
 
My nephew and I stopped at a little roadhouse, way up in the mountains
of central Idaho, for restroom break and some coffee. We, and the waitress
were the only ones there. A couple of dudes came in. One of
them walked over to the juke box and was looking at the songs. I
scrbbled a note and passed it to my nephew. "That is Tennessee Ernie
Ford".
My nephew called out "Hey play something by Tennessee Ernie Ford".
He smiled and walked over to our table. Shook hands and chatted for
a few minutes. Seemed to be a real nice guy.

I shook hands with Richard Nixon, me and a few hundred others in a
line.

John Davidson called me up on stage in Reno and I made a fool of
myself. (He is kinda semi-famous?)

Back in the 1960s I was doing audits for the State of Idaho. I discovered
an embezzeler who had got away with several hundred thousand dollars.
The Governor at that time first name was Don. He thanked me and
congratulated me on the good job, and then called me Bill. My name,
of course, is Phil, not Bill. So I just said thank you Ralph. He looked
a little perplexed.

I have been in the room with several other "famous people", but I
can't say I actually met them. Ed Ames, Wayne Newton, Raquel Welch,
etc....Las Vegas, Reno, and Lake Tahoe shows.

Sitting in the cafe, in a Las Vegas hotel, having coffee, chatting with a
a gentleman seated beside me. As it turned out he was with Larry
Holme's entourage and invited me to come to the gym and watch
Larry's workout. I did. Ringside seat. Larry sparred with 3 different
partners for 3 rounds each. One of them didn't last all 3 rounds. Larry
knocked him out with an upper-cut to the solar plexus.

President Truman came to our town on his whistle stop tour. They let
school out so we heard his speech which he made from the back of his
railroad car.

I was with NSA in Washington D.C. in 1955 so I got to see Ike go by
in his motorcade several times.

Ran into Glen Campbell in the Salt Lake City airport, but can't say
I actually met him.

Shook hands and said Hi to Ronald Reagan one time when he was
in Boise.

In 84 years I'm sure there are other "famous" folks I have met or
at least seen in person, and I will probably think of them right after
I end this epistle.

Oh yeh, Bob Hope, Elmendorf AFB Alaska 1954.
 
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