My Life - Chapter 9 - Famous People I've Met

This week's question from StoryWorth revisits ground I've covered in my Brush with Famous posts - but I tried to change it up a bit in this telling of my encounters with well-known people.  In the process of writing this piece, I recalled some other relatively famous people who will be featured over the next several weeks.

There are different levels of fame - well-known in the community is one thing; recognized as an authority in your field is another; there are people who make a living and famous for being famous (usually online).  Of course a lot of people we consider famous are politicians; athletes; and actors.

Some people are famous for their “15 Minutes” as Andy Warhol famously said.  By the way, Warhol was an artist (1928 - 1987) who came to fame during the 1960s.  At an exhibit of his work in 1968, according to the Smithsonian magazine, he gave away a brochure with the line, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.”  

The article notes that Warhol is credited with the statement, but it was said by someone else.  The Pittsburgh native was already known when he gave the quote, perhaps more famous than his paintings of Marilyn Monroe or Campbell’s Soup Cans (yes really).

Prince Fielder signing a 
program for Matt.
5/31/2006 dwm photo

Most of my encounters with famous people happened because I worked in radio/TV news from 1983 - 1992.  Several happened in a news conference where I was one of many reporters asking questions.  Others were in one on one interviews.

Just to clarify a bit, I don't count situations like the time Matthew, my Dad, and I were attended a game between the Brewers and Pirates in Pittsburgh.  At the end of batting practice, several Brewers came along the grandstand and Matt got a couple of autographs while I took pictures.  It was cool, but I don't count Prince Fielder, Milwaukee's first baseman at the time, as someone I met.

A readable autograph!
dwm photo

  The first famous person I remember meeting was Ray Nitschke.  I was 10 years old.  Mom took me out to Walden Books in the Janesville Mall to meet the retired Green Bay Packer middle linebacker and get his signature in his biography, "Mean On Sunday."  The abiding memory was after signing the book, he posed for a picture with me and gave me a hug.  He was the biggest man I'd ever seen.  

  Unofficially, I've met 40 people who achieved some level of fame.  

The most famous name on the list is probably George W. Bush who was Vice-President when he came to South Dakota during his campaign for the President.  As the Pierre Bureau reporter at the time for KELO-TV, I was covered his visit and speech to a joint session of the State Legislature which was two-thirds Republican and in the room for his news conference after the speech.  Bush was elected President in 1988.

The second most famous is Arnold Palmer.  The professional golfer and man credited with combining Iced Tea and Lemonade got his first win on Tour in 1955.  He was known for "Arnie's Army" who followed him around the course.  He also designed courses and played in events for years after leaving the Tour.  

The encounter came in 1991.  I was assigned to shoot a pro-am event at the Geneva National Golf Course.  A sports anchor from WISC-TV was in a foursome with Palmer and it was my job to shoot video over the first couple of holes for the night's news.  My wife's aunt is a huge fan of Arnie.  At the first green, Palmer was the last one to head toward his cart.  I approached him politely, introduced myself, and asked if he'd sign something.  He smiled and quickly wrote his name on a scorecard.

While news director at KJJC (1985-86) in Osceola, Iowa one of my responsibilities was a Sunday morning public affairs program.  The topics varied from week to week, sometimes focused on news events or news makers, which is how I came to interview United States Senator Charles Grassley.

KJJC was a small station, so to get 30 minutes with a Senator wasn't easy.  Thanks to his Press Secretary I was told to meet the Senator in Creston, Iowa when he wrapped up a town hall meeting then ride with him to his next stop a half-hour away.  Grassley's aide drove the Toyota Corolla, the Senator rode shotgun, and I was in the middle of the back seat leaning forward so I could move the microphone between the seats to capture my question and his answer.  

Another interesting interview subject wasn't really famous, but was a recent guest on the Johnny Carson Show when I did a story about him.  He was a funeral director in northwest South Dakota which is a big region without many roads.  For efficiency he used a small plane to haul the casket and flowers from his funeral home to the various churches by landing at the nearest air strip.   For the story, I stayed on the ground to get video of his take-offs and landings then got in the plane with him which also had flowers and an empty casket to complete the story with video of him at the controls.  The reason he was on Johnny Carson was that he was in his 90s at this time and while he could fly, he was too old to insure!

Blaise Winter. 2010 photo

The famous person I got to know best is Blaise Winter.  He isn't the most famous, but he did play 10 years in the NFL (Indianapolis, San Diego, and Green Bay).  I was selling insurance at the time and served on a committee that organized an annual statewide conference.

I learned he was an inspirational speaker and knew a former Packer would attract people to our meeting of Wisconsin insurance representatives.  I met with Blaise several times over coffee at a Perkins restaurant to plan and review details with him.  He not only spoke, he spent the day hanging out and visiting with our attendees.

After leaving insurance, I put together a different event and he agreed to speak at a dinner and auction raising money for Camp Luther.  He did a great job and was more than kind to me and the rest of our team of organizers.

When I became a fundraiser, one of the first conferences I attended was in St. Louis.  The featured speaker was the Reverend Dr. Oswald Hoffmann known as the long-time speaker on The Lutheran Hour.  I attended one of his break-out sessions and afterwards introduced myself because when I was a child I carried the Nepal flag at a large Lutheran Hour rally in Beloit, Wisconsin.  My parents were admirers of his who lived in St. Louis at the time; during our conversation he asked for their phone number and called them a few days later, leaving a message in his deep voice. 

On the other side of this coin is a personal experience while working in South Dakota. 

 

My card 1986 - 89.

It was the summer of 1988 and the state was in the middle of a terrible drought.  My story took me from Pierre to Winner, a small city in the south central part of the state.  After I finished my stand-up (the reporter talking on camera), a woman approached.  She asked what I was working on and about the weather, but it threw me when she asked about my son!

My role at KELO TV was covering central South Dakota and state government.  I appeared on camera several times, but wasn't an anchor or someone seen frequently by the viewers at home.  When this woman asked about my son, I was surprised because the only time he was mentioned was in a brief story the night he was born, a year earlier!

That encounter left me thinking: first that this woman needed more of a life and second, that the people who spent the time watching KELO-land TV were very loyal viewers.

I think I've remembered that summer encounter longer than she did.