Celebrities I have met

[goeduck]

I met the devil himself once.... then the medics resuscitated me

 

[Frankenkubota]

Only sports pro I ever met was Curtis Strange. The golfer.

I was at a ProAm and saw him just standing at the club entrance - I assumed waiting for a car.

So, I walk up and say “hello Mr. Strange”.

He looks toward me and says “not now pal I’m busy”.

Never really appreciated him after that encounter.

Years later a charity I was volunteering for had a fundraiser where we sent white ties to “personalities” to sign, return and then we would sell.

Hale Irwin was one of the personalities we sent a tie to autograph.

He did this with the tie:View attachment 706618

Never met him but always respected him due to his generosity.

MoKelly

a guy who worked for me knew mr strange and his brother and never had much good to say about them.

sometimes i think it's if you catch them at a bad time. sometimes it's because they are prima donnas

curtis strange had one of my favorite overheard statements ever.

they had just opened TPC golf course in Florida in the 80s and all the pros said it was virtually unplayable because it was so difficult. ( little brag here....we played the TPC course 2 days in a row. 1st day lost 14 golf balls due to wind and lack of brains...second day, birdied 17 and 18....honest)

I'm not sure where the microphone was but as curtis was walking up the 18th fairway he said, clear as day.....

F this Mother F'in golf course. My buddy still has it VCR tape.

 

[Frankenkubota]

Only sports pro I ever met was Curtis Strange. The golfer.

I was at a ProAm and saw him just standing at the club entrance - I assumed waiting for a car.

So, I walk up and say “hello Mr. Strange”.

He looks toward me and says “not now pal I’m busy”.

Never really appreciated him after that encounter.

Years later a charity I was volunteering for had a fundraiser where we sent white ties to “personalities” to sign, return and then we would sell.

Hale Irwin was one of the personalities we sent a tie to autograph.

He did this with the tie:View attachment 706618

Never met him but always respected him due to his generosity.

MoKelly

a guy who worked for me knew mr strange and his brother and never had much good to say about them.

sometimes i think it's if you catch them at a bad time. sometimes it's because they are prima donnas

curtis strange had one of my favorite overheard statements ever.

they had just opened TPC golf course in Florida in the 80s and all the pros said it was virtually unplayable because it was so difficult. ( little brag here....we played the TPC course 2 days in a row. 1st day lost 14 golf balls due to wind and lack of brains...second day, birdied 17 and 18....honest)

I'm not sure where the microphone was but as curtis was walking up the 18th fairway he said, clear as day.....

F this Mother F'in golf course. My buddy still has it VCR tape.

A regionally famous seafood restaurant and bar that was my home away from when I was not working out of town was a big attraction for any celebs visiting the area (Tampa Bay) etc...
The walls are cluttered with pics of famous people of all ilks eating there...I can't say I personally met a bunch but one exception was Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage...they would come in and sit at the bar...(Hogan lived just up the beach)...they would sit and shoot the bull like regular guys (just really big guys)...

I did get to meet some of the cast of Cocoon...did some contract work on the house with the swimming pool...one of my subs was a SAG member (worked the lights at local venues) and ended up being the stunt double for Wilford Brimley making the dive into the pool...they gave him one of the cocoon props (it's pretty cool)...also got to meet Brian Dennehy and Don Ameche...

BTW...the funniest line in that movie was in the pool when Wilford Brimley's character says..."...like blue steel...cat couldn't scratch it"...!

one of the greatest lines in all of moviedom!

 

[PILOON]

My past included being an aviation FBO and as such met many 'celebs'.

A couple of Canadian prime ministers, a founder of Ducks Unlimited, a VP of Dunn and Bradstreet, and most of the Chopper traffic reporters in my area.
It is interesting to observe them away from the limelight as it is then they show their true colors.
One PM would generally be so drunk that they needed to hold him up.
Other VIP's would be nicer in person that U can imagine.
On the other hand I more than a few times heard the phrase "Don't U know who I am?"

LOL, as my SIL once said, "They put on their trousers same as I, one leg at a time', (but that got her fired*) !

* (she was receptionist at a law firm and greeted her boss by first name)

 

[cqaigy2]

Fun stories.

I don't know anybody that's famous.

My Dad met some of President Nixon's secret service. In Walla Walla Washington, president Nixon flew into the airport and gave a short speech. My dad had an 8mm movie camera and had climbed a telephone pole with a platform, close by to the landing strip. Secret service weren't too keen on him being there.

I went to a country western concert in Walla Walla too, i believe it was at one of the colleges there. I was pretty young and had never gone to anything like that, heck i didn't even know who these people were until some years later. Got an autographs from Loretta Lynn, Charlie Rich(The Silver Fox), Lynn Anderson and some others i don't recall. I wished i'd kept track of those autographs.

Oh and nodded and said howdy, to Mary Gates(Bill Gate's mom), as i found out later.

I saw Richard Pryor, from a distance, i think it was, in Ellensburg Washington. He was making a movie and the bus that was in the movie lost it's muffler during one of the filming sessions and i welded it back on so they could complete there filming session.

My BIL was the materials architect for Bill Gates's house on lake Washington.

See, i don't know anybody famous.

 

[WM75Guy]

I worked at Texas Motor Speedway in the Fire/EMS department when it opened. I met a lot of the drivers, crews, and owners for NASCAR and IRL. We also worked with a lot of celebrities doing commercial photo shoots and corporate events. I even was an extra in a Walker Texas Ranger 2 part episode called Team Cherokee, working on the ambulance crew during the big wreck scene. Made $86, the standard day rate for an extra.

There were 2 events that stood out. One was when Bobby Labonte was doing some testing and Norm Miller with Interstate Batteries showed up with a Pontiac limo for Bobby. Bobby took us for a ride around the track in it. The other was A.J. Foyt arriving in a new tricked out Ford pickup when his team was testing. It started raining and since they couldn't test we all went for rides in his new truck.

Off the track the 2 that stand out was Sam Walton, founder of Walmart and Sam's Club, and Graham Kerr, the Galloping Gourmet. Sam attended every store opening. I was on the fire department and did inspections on a new Sam's Club that was built in our city. Sam hosted a lunch for every one involved in the building process and sat at our table. He was a very down to earth and humble man. Same with Graham Kerr. You could not meet nicer people than those 2 gentlemen.

 

[Semper Paratus]

In High School, during the mid 70's, I worked at a country club that hosted an annual Pro-Am for the Shriner's Burn Hospital. I was working the arrival stand and Lee Trevino rolls up. I said good morning Mr. Trevino and asked him if I could get his golf bag up to the starter's stand. He engaged me in conversation for a minute or so, insisting that I call him Lee. He reengaged with me after he finished in the locker room, before he went to the tee. There were a ton of pissed sycophants that Lee Trevino would spend his time talking to a gawky (6' 3" 150# pimply )16 year old and would not give them the time of day.
Joe DiMaggio was OK. Benny Goodman a putz. Hale Irwin was aloof. I met and served many of the big names if the PGA tour of that era and most of them left no real lasting impression.

 

[dlctcg]

I have one other experience that stands out... I was working on a project just outside of Detroit & as I was waiting in the lobby of our hotel for one of my coworkers, I look up & this large group of people come walking through & in the middle of them was Chip Foose... being a car guy (sorry... car person) I recognized him right away. My coworker showed up a sec. earlier & I said follow me... I walked up to the group & said to Chip Foose... "I don't mean to interrupt but I'm a big fan of your work..." & I held out my hand to shake his... He looked square at me & said "sorry I can't shake your hand"... " I don't even know your name..." he then continued... "What your name?"...

Anyway after exchanging names we shook hand & we all talked for 10mins or so... we were introduced to all the guys from Unique Performance & publishers from Hot Rod Mag... etc... Later that evening (even though Chip was not there) we hung out with all of them.... great group of people.

But to this day I'm so impressed with the way Chip Foose handled the situation... & wanted to know the name of a passer-byer (fan) prior to shaking his hand... he was really First Class...

Pic of their truck outside our hotel

 

[MossRoad]

Willie Nelson came to town to play a concert. He rode his bus into town, but was going to take a flight out on a little Learjet. His bus brought him out to the airport. He was waiting while we refueled the jet. He came out of the bus, said hi to everyone standing around, asked everyone if they wanted pictures with him, or autographs, etc. He showed us around the bus, shot the bologna for a while, and then said goodnight folks. Pretty personable guy.

And NO, we did not smoke weed with Willie that night.

 

[Shenandoah MF1760]

I got to shake hands with Chuck Norris. He was sitting in the seat in front of me and on a flight to Tokyo. I wouldn't have bothered him but the man next to me went all fanboy on him as we were deplaning. He proceeded to greet all of us in the surrounding seats.

I Met George Foreman a couple of times on flights out of or into Houston.

John Michael Talbot, I met when he performed at our church. I'd always been a fan of his back when he was with his brother Terry in Mason Proffitt.