A Lookback at My Brushes with Fame

Pro Golfer Arnold Palmer.  (internet image)

By my count, I've met or encountered 36 famous or infamous people.

It's only during the last couple of years I devoted blog space to these brushes with fame.  

The first person I wrote about is Russell Means who appeared twice in these pages (3/9/2014 and 3/10/2016).  Bart Starr actually appeared earlier, but more Packer than fame-related.

If you click on the labels icon (it looks like a price tag on the right side of the home page), scroll down to Famous to see all 34 famous posts.

Vice-President George Bush
addressing SD Legislature. 
(internet image 1988)

  All of them are legitimately well-known in their field, but I can make a case for three as people that I think a majority would recognize.

  #1 on the list is Arnold Palmer.  He is arguably the most-famous golfer  prior to Tiger Woods.  Jack Nicklaus is the biggest winner of all-time in the sport, but Palmer's fame transcended golf to the point he was a household name for more than 60 years.

  #2 is George Bush.  He was Vice-President at my encounter, but became President in the 1988 election.  He isn't the most famous or popular President of all-time, but leaders of the free world are widely known.

Green Bay QB Bart Starr.
(internet image)

#3 is Bart Starr.  The unassuming football player from Alabama won five National Football League Championships in seven seasons (not even Tom Brady has done that) and was the leader and personification of excellence displayed by Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packer dynasty.

Of the three, I had the longest conversation with Starr and he is mentioned in 15 of my blog posts through the years (not counting this one - find the rest by searching Bart Starr at the top of the homepage).

A friend of mine during my time covering the Iowa legislature actively collected autographs.  I've had some brief connections with fame that way or saw individuals perform live, but for me it was the opportunity to have a brief conversation that made it memorable.

It's been fun recalling some of these moments and sharing them with you.

*Blogger's update 2/18/2021 - I was reviewing some older posts I've written and came across a brush with fame I'd forgotten from my time working at WHO in Des Moines.  The brush with fame was my working with Jim Zabel, a legendary sports and play-by-play voice of the Iowa Hawkeyes.