Brush with Famous - Tom Brokaw

NBC anchor Tom Brokaw
interviewing Nancy Reagan
at  the 1984 GOP convention.
Wikipedia photo

Journalism students at Drake get interesting opportunities especially in election years.

In 1984, I attended a caucus near Drake's campus.  People in the room gathered based on the candidate they liked most.  I liked Gary Hart, but there weren't enough people in our group.  I ended up in a larger group favoring John Glenn. 

The brush with fame came before that when our campus chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists were invited to WHO-TV, the local NBC affiliate, to hear Tom Brokaw and get a chance to meet him.

The gathering was in a large TV studio with a few dozen chairs and tables with cheese, crackers, and beverages.

I was struck by his height, he didn't look tall on television.  I was surprised to learn the newsman was from the the middle of the country, growing up in South Dakota.

Since Iowa kicked off the primaries with its unique selection process, most of the discussion that evening was about candidates and covering them.  President Ronald Reagan was running for re-election as a Republican.  Walter Mondale, Vice President with President Jimmy Carter, was the favorite hailing from nearby Minnesota.

I had a few moments visiting with the evening news anchor.  I don't remember the conversation.  In my last year of J-school, I felt I had everything figured out which certainly didn't include me spending three years working in Mr. Brokaw's home state.

To be fair, I'm sure he doesn't remember the meeting either.

At the fall election, the Associated Press led election service put a lot of journalism students to work.  It was my job to be at a Des Moines precinct that evening, get the results, and call them into a the AP that evening for their count.

It was interesting to see close-up and a treat to meet one of the people who shared the final results with the country.