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Famous People

Scouter

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Exeter Maine
Having been inspired by our own Tom Seaworthy having Farrah Fawcett as a high school girlfriend, how many famous people have you bumped into?

I have:
Ran into Nancy Kerrigan the skater while we were snowmobiling in the mountains of western Maine. Her mom and dad were nice folks, I got the impression she had better things to do, but she did speak at length with my sons.

Said hello to the actor Robert Mitchum when my wife and I wer walking around Beverly Hills one afternoon. He wasnt too friendly but did grunt hello

I got a kiss on the cheek from Playboy Playmate of the month May 1980 because her birthday and mine were the same day. She looked a lot better in the mag than she did in person for some reason.

He might not be a household name, but Lee Lauderback of P 51 fame is a great guy. When my youngest son was getting an earful from a fat man in a orange jumpsuit at Sun/Fun about laying his finger on the prop, Lee came and introduced himself and showed my son Crazy Horse and talked with us about the plane. A real nice man.

whats your story?

JIm
 
Not counting the hundreds of super models that I met in my dreams:
I met Florence Henderson several times. She is a nice lady.
Art Linkletter
Robert Morgan (Memphis Belle)
 
Had a publicity shot with Fred Bear a long time ago... (The father of modern archery.)

OH,, met Steve Johnson too.
 
I know it is almost too hard to believe, but I have actually met Snert! He even called ME onetime and my friends were WAAAAY impressed.

John Scott
 
I used to fly a lot of charters in Beechjets and it seems we were always hauling someone famous. A few I remember:

Jackie Mason, Vinny Testaverde, Donnie Wahlberg, Chuck Norris "Great Guy!" Mitt Romney.

It's always fun to meet these folks. Most just want to be treated like normal people.
 
In 1999, I went to Oshkosh for the big show. One morning early I was wandering around the Aeroshell Square, and noticed an old guy with a rag wiping the dew off the P-51 named Old Crow. The plane was roped off to keep the unwashed at a distance.

I wandered over to the plane, and the gent wiping down the canopy told me to step over the rope barrier and come a bit closer. I was chatting with him about the plane and his experiences in a P-51 painted in those same colors when he noticed a young father and his ~ eight or ten year old son walk up to the rope barrier.

The old man told the father and son to come on past the barrier, and he asked the boy if he'd like to look at the cockpit of the Mustang. Duh!! The boy got up on the wing walk, and the old gent showed him all the cockpit controls, and how things worked, and soon he had the the canopy back and the young boy sitting in the pilot seat of that Mustang.

In the meantime, I was telling the Dad that he REALLY needed to get some photos of this. He took several of the old man and the boy, both proudly standing on the wing of the Mustang.

After a bit, and while the boy's tour of the plane continued, I asked the Dad if he knew who his son was getting a tour from?? He didn't.

I pointed to the name on the canopy rail of that Mustang--Col. Bud Anderson, and said "that's his name, and he flew one just like this during WWII" Dad took a bunch more pictures then.

Anderson must have spent half an hour with that young guy, and quietly answered questions the whole time he was pre-flighting and polishing that plane.

I was impressed.

MTV
 
I had a similar experience at Oshkosh in 92. I got to meet Chuck Yeager. He was pretty cool from what I remember. That same year I got to meet Dick and Burt Rutan.

Harrison Ford drove our fuel truck to put gas in his Bell 206.
VERY NICE GUY!
 
Met Dick Rutan and Gena Yeager at my neighbors house one day.
Met Hank Williams Jr. While working at an FBO
Met Jeff Gordon at an FBO (he must have been having a bad day - He was incredibly rude)
Met tennis star Björn Borg
Went to high school with Steve Azar (Country Singer)
Met Jessie Jackson twice at FBO's (He is a thief - I watched him take two handfuls of "march of dimes" mints and did not put a single penny in the box)
One of the old men in the neighborhood when I was growing up survived the Bataan Death March. Never really thought much of it as a kid, but now I know why my dad would drive the long way around the block just to wave at Mr. John Hinkle. I was also told that if Mr Hinkle ever asked me to do anything that I was to do it no matter what it was. Now that I'm older I think guys like that and like my grandfather are much more "Famous and Important" than those listed above.
 
When I was nine (9) I met some other kids in the hotel pool while on vacation who were there with their grandfather. We had the typical fun terrorizing the giant pool as 8-9 year olds will do for a few days but we never got in trouble for anything... Their "Grandpa Ed" seemed to be special around there he even arranged tickets for us to stay an extra day to attend a show. I'll never forget, 1967 The Sands Hotel in Las Vegas front row center for the Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis dinner show as guests of Ed Sullivan!

Around Tulsa it’s amazing who you might meet.

Roy Clark – Many times, I used to quail hunt his ranch South of Tulsa… talk about a class person!

Leon Russell - My dad used to represent him, I remember a very quiet reserved guy with really long hair coming to the house a few times.

Johnny Cash - To get away from Nashville he moved to just outside of Welch Oklahoma and lived very reserved lifestyle. He liked to go to country auctions as mom and I did, only difference is he often arrived by helicopter!

Oral Roberts - I used to live around the corner from him... The jerk used to sick his security on my brother and me just for zooming under the security gate to his compound in a spitfire and taking a couple of laps then departing exit stage right.

Waymon Tisdale – My neighbor was one of Waymon’s close friends and Waymon's little brother used to work for me. Later, I saw Waymon at the surgeon’s office in Oklahoma City, my tumor was big and non-cancerous and his took his leg then his life (Toby Keith wrote 'I'm gonna miss that man' for Waymon's funeral, he was a very gifted professional basketball player turned blues songwriter & musician and a tremendous humanitarian. His funeral filled the BOK Center in Tulsa).

Garth Brooks - While he leads a ‘normal’ life, you see him around town plus I gave a couple of tours of the BOK Center that he was on while it was under construction.

Lyndon B. Johnson – yea that guy…only by phone, but several times. After he left office he and my dad became friends when Dad negotiated purchasing the majority of the LBJ Ranch for a client. Dad has a great story of watching Nixon’s acceptance speech to the republican national convention on TV with LBJ (only rumored) much bourbon in LBJ’s study at the ranch.

Admiral William Crowe, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – a distant cousin, came to the house with Dad when in town for a Navy League function.
 
I went to college with Jay Geils (J.Geils Band) and we are still friends. He is still playing at age 64. They played Fenway Park last summer.

But my biggest was meeting Glenn (Cubdriver2) at Sentimental Journey :)

Rich
 
Famous people

I won't denigrate those who've done something positive that a lot of people talk about but where this goes off the rails is that fame involves good and bad and famous as often as not is just celebrity.

As for the great airmen we know, I wonder how many would not consider themselves as famous, only as lucky that they were given the opportunity by country or company to see their duty and do it.

The notion that one is famous because their face is in the movies or on TV sticks in my craw because there are tens of millions who make the best of what they are every day in difficult circumstances.
 
King

I agree. You said it better than I could. I have met other "celebrities" too, but meeting real heros like Yeager mean something to me.

Rich
 
I have seen lots of famos people in my home town but the most memorable was having a drink with a drunk off his ass Tommy Lee Jones...oh yea and getting my ass chewed by R Lee Ermy
 
For many years I worked for a company that handled VIP flights on a daily basis. I agree with Storm Pilot, most "famous" people simply want to be treated like anyone else. One day one of our clients buzzed my house with his private 707. That was kind of cool and made a heck of an impression on my neighbors. My favorite remains getting to meet aviation greats. Bob Hoover, Sean Tucker, etc.

Someday I hope to meet John Mohr, the Stearman pilot, Dick Rutan and Harry Ford, the actor, and talk flying. That would be really cool.
 
Harrison Ford at Afton Wyoming, in a Husky (him, not me).

Anne Marrow Lindbergh's brother Dwight Marrow Jr., I had dinner with him once a month during the late '70s, he was my girl friends step father. The Lindy connection was NEVER mentioned, I found out years later.

BS'd with Bob Hoover for a few minutes, not knowing who he was, during a slow moment at the Arlington Fly-in, a super nice regular kind of guy.

.
 
Kitsap Co airshow in the 70's . Bob Hoover does his 2 engine, 1 engine, no engine airshow. After he's done he sits in the VIP row of chairs watching the rest of the show (class- didn't just leave). I send my 7? year old son over to get his autograph on a program and watch from a distance while my son gets the air cadet in uniform sitting next to Bob to sign the program. :oops: I should find that, Maybe he went on to be famous....
Saw President John Kennedy once (commie fighter, tax cutter, currently spinning in his grave) in front of the air and space Smithsonian, We were looking in the windows from the street and a row of big black cars pulled up, he and some secret service guys jump out and he looks in the windows too. Shook my little brothers hand.

My late great ex father in law Howard Morgan greatest man I ever knew. Lied about his age and joined the navy at 16, off Pearl Harbor during the attack, later had a ship shot out from under him, While ship was beached/repaired volunteered to hunt in the jungles of the south pacific, helped crew pt boats etc. 8th grade education and rose to top civilian position in naval shipyard. Why is it the southern boys always do the dirty work and are put down so much? Tolerated me during my STUPID liberal years... RIP Howard



courierguy said:
Harrison Ford at Afton Wyoming, in a Husky (him, not me).

Anne Marrow Lindbergh's brother Dwight Marrow Jr., I had dinner with him once a month during the late '70s, he was my girl friends step father. The Lindy connection was NEVER mentioned, I found out years later.

BS'd with Bob Hoover for a few minutes, not knowing who he was, during a slow moment at the Arlington Fly-in, a super nice regular kind of guy.

.
 
I'm not sure if the politicians I'll mention should fall into this category but I've seen at close quarters former president George Bush Sr., and also General Swartzkof, and Chuck Yeager at the Safari Club shows. Went to a fund raiser for our U.S. Senator and ate near and listened to Charlton Heston. I've had two U.S. Senators in my business, talked to our former governor several times about backcountry airstrips in Montana.

But on a more personal level my father-in-law, still living at home at the age of 93, is a WWII vet who was wounded in the naval battle of Guadalcanal on the USS San Francisco, and went on to raise seven kids including my wife.
 
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I had a client in a Ultra recurrent named Verne Jobst. The EAA guy that flys all their stuff, retired United Pilot with three licenses full of type ratings.
I thought "oh crap" what can I teach this guy. He was a true gentleman,
very good pilot and client. What a treat to share a cockpit (simulator)
with someone of that experience and quality.
Most "famous" people I've met have been slightly less than nice.
Dave
 
Working in Cooperstown you get a chance to bump into somebody thats famous for something quite often, but like Grant pointed out you meet a lot of old wrinkle faced quiet gentlemen that untill you talk to one of their friends and find out that it's their young face that was on the history channel last night, flew up to island Bobs 3 weeks ago and had breakfast in Fort Edward at the old fort inn that's been there since 1755 and sat next to 4 full of life wrinkled gentlemen all with some form of Semper Fi clothing on and had a nice talk with all of them, these local boy's went on vacation 68 years ago and got to visit exotic places like Sipan, Tarawa, Bougainville and Okinawa, yea I've met some famous people who were goodlooking or could sing a tune or two, but the boy's in Fort Ed are the handshakes that I cherish the most, but in a few more years they will all be gone, we make actors and singers by the bucketfull but wrinkly old Marine gentleman are fewer everyday. Go shake some famous hands while you can.

Glenn
 
Met a gent a year or so ago by the name of Stewart Bass. He was a Navy TBM pilot. Here's a link to the Navy Cross citation for Stew:

http://www.militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=19732

Stew just turned 90 and is in great health. He's a nice guy, not at all into himself, and is happy to talk about his experiences, though always minimizing his participation. I've had the pleasure of seeing him about once a month since at a get together. He's a great guy.

These guys did some amazing things in their day, no doubt.

MTV
 
I been around some famous people in casual settings. They're just people. One memorable night I skied with Spider Sabich. He was killed the following year. Great guy. One hell of a free skier, too.

Got to walk inside the ropes with Craig Stadler during the final round of a major tournament. Talked mostly about sheep hunting and fishing. Nice guy.

Stewart
 
I have not only met; but still value as a friend Mr. Paul Shanahan.
Sandy


Sandy:

Please PM me with your contact info. As a young man I knew Paul well and my father gave him flight instruction because his 4000 hours as a student pilot was not good enough for the FAA. I sure would like to catch up with what happened to Paul. I have lots of Paul stories.

Thanks,

Bill
 
Ok, Let me see if I can remember who and where:

Bob Barker/Price is Right
Charles Barkley & Jerome Kersey/PDX
Linsey Wagner/Mt. Hood, OR
Jenny McCarthy/Burbank, CA
Keith Urban/ Portland, OR
Brad Paisley/ Portland, OR
Winona Judd/ Portland, OR
Merlin Olson/Portland, OR
Ronnie Lott/ Portland, OR
Bob Hoover/ OSH 2003
Shawn Tucker/ OSH 2007 (or 08)
Patty Wagstaff/ Sun N' Fun 2005

Fun thread:)

Matt
 
Re: people I have met

arcticairalaska said:
I have not only met; but still value as a friend Mr. Paul Shanahan.
Sandy

I know Paul and Sandy and Mike Vivion!

Gotta had Jorgy Jorgensen!
 
Interesting Thread -

Met Ross Perot a couple of times. A mutual friend was an IBM salesman in the same office as Ross. He didn't quit, start is own business, and become a billionaire...

Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavricks

Crystal Gayle, country singer

Marc Morial, former mayor of New Orleans

Lee Elder, Professional golfer

Scott Carpenter, original Mercury astronaut

Dwight Eisenhower - when I was very, very young!

And a whole gaggle of congress critters and other political types and a bunch of pro athletes.

Ann Richards, former Governer of Texas - sat next to her on a Southwest Airlines flight and spent the trip talking about hunting
 
Eugene Cernan ... had dinner with three of us one night ... think he was the last man to walk on the moon ... I was a kid but he seemed like a nice guy
 
I was a scout leader for many years. One Saturday, sitting with the Webelow leaders as the boys were off doing some activities with the Boy Scouts. So, all us Dad's are just talking, you know, what kind of work you do. I ask one of the leaders what he does, "Work for Nasa at Edwards on Shuttle recovery team". Not unusual, half the men there had something to do with aerospace. So, I ask how long has he been with NASA "Oh, about 30 years or so". And I ask, what kind of work before being in the recovery team? "Oh, three Shuttle flights and the last Apollo flight with the Russians, some flight test and what -not". So, trying not to show my mouth hanging on the ground, I told him I have a picture of him on my class room wall. He said, "yeah, my son told me he saw the picture in your class; he really likes your class by the way." I had met him a bunch of times, back to school night, etc. and he was just a regular guy; lived in the neighbor, as normal and and humble as they came. Great guy; Vance Brand.
Marty57
 
cubdriver2 said:
Working in Cooperstown you get a chance to bump into somebody thats famous for something quite often, but like Grant pointed out you meet a lot of old wrinkle faced quiet gentlemen that untill you talk to one of their friends and find out that it's their young face that was on the history channel last night, flew up to island Bobs 3 weeks ago and had breakfast in Fort Edward at the old fort inn that's been there since 1755 and sat next to 4 full of life wrinkled gentlemen all with some form of Semper Fi clothing on and had a nice talk with all of them, these local boy's went on vacation 68 years ago and got to visit exotic places like Sipan, Tarawa, Bougainville and Okinawa, yea I've met some famous people who were goodlooking or could sing a tune or two, but the boy's in Fort Ed are the handshakes that I cherish the most, but in a few more years they will all be gone, we make actors and singers by the bucketfull but wrinkly old Marine gentleman are fewer everyday. Go shake some famous hands while you can.

Jim, Marine Corsair carrier pilot in the thick of it, not that he said so, but his daughter mentioned it. After that 50 years of aerial applicating, after that many years of Cub/C170 ranch flying. When I told him I thought I could land in his twisty driveway he was all for it, the next day he called and told me maybe not such a good idea after all.... I thought "ahh, what does he know", and landed it the next day. He REALLY liked it, and it was my most rewarding landing of the year. He sure gets around good for pushing 90! Sorry for the thread creep, but I got a lot more kick out of impressing him then seeing Harrison Ford!
Jim.jpg


Glenn
 
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