For me, my five would be:
Bobby Allison (84-time winner in NASCAR, 1983 Cup series champion and 1988 Daytona 500 winner)
Joe Gibbs (We all know who he is!)
James Gregory (comedian)
Junior Miller (longtime NASCAR modified racer here in NC)
Richard Gilewitz (guitarist)
Dale Earnhardt Sr. (NASCAR Driver)
Roddy Piper (Professional Wrestler)
Dave Marcis (NASCAR Driver)
Jane Seymour (Actress)
Ken Schrader (NASCAR Driver)
Beyoncé - and the rest of Destiny's Child, circa 1999.
Whitney Houston
Stephen Jenkins (lead singer of Third Eye Blind)
That's about it, honestly.
Former Vice President Dan Quayle
Johnny Unitas
Bob Griese
Don Shula
James Garner
HRH the Duke of York (Prince Andrew)
Alex Ovechkin
Raisa Gorbachev
Either Rod Rosenstein (long before his service as Deputy Attorney General) or Merrick Garland (likewise, long before his nomination to the Supreme Court)
Marion Barry
Gerald Ford (when he was in congress - but only in a student group, no talking directly or handshake)
Margaret Mead
Dean Kamen
Eminem (he was bowling at the place my daughter's team was holding a fundraiser - bodyguards kept everyone away - does that count as meeting?)
Sen. Debbie Stabenow
Quote from: akotchi on September 21, 2019, 02:22:26 PMJames Garner
I always liked James Garner. It would have been cool to meet him.
Quote from: 1995hoo on September 21, 2019, 05:51:34 PMRaisa Gorbachev
How in the world did you meet Raisa Gorbachev and not meet Mikhail?
Quote from: Throckmorton on September 21, 2019, 06:57:20 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on September 21, 2019, 05:51:34 PMRaisa Gorbachev
How in the world did you meet Raisa Gorbachev and not meet Mikhail?
Mikhail Gorbachev came to Charlottesville to give a speech on the Lawn for Thomas Jefferson's 250th birthday. I got there super-early to snag an aisle seat. Mrs. Gorbachev was on my side of the aisle and her husband was on the other side. Oh well! I have some good pictures of him, but they're not digitized because 1993 was definitely the film camera era!
Mitch McConnell (U.S. senator from Kentucky, now Senate majority leader)
Kyle Petty (former NASCAR driver)
Tubby Smith (former UK basketball coach)
Sam Bowie (former UK and NBA player)
Ernie Fletcher (former Kentucky governor and former congressman)
Honorable mention: Harry Gant and Steve Park, former NASCAR drivers, met them the same time I met Kyle Petty, but Kyle's better-known; and every Kentucky governor since 1975 except John Y. Brown Jr. and Steve Beshear, but I included Fletcher because he has held other high office and I like him the best of all the governors I've met.
Most famous non-person I ever met was Lil Bub. (Google her if you don't know who she is. My wife met both her and Grumpy Cat, and I'm insanely jealous over that.)
Bernie Sanders, twice. (Senator from VT and 2020 presidential candidate) I also have a picture with him.
Pat McCrory (former Governor of North Carolina)
Nina Turner (former Ohio State Senator and Sanders campaign co-chair)
Some NFL player came to do a motivational speech at my school when I was younger, this was >years< ago and I have no idea who he was or who he played for. I did shake his hand though.
And that's about it...I haven't met much well known people. One of the staff at my old middle school was related to the one of Oklahoma City bombers, Timothy McVeigh, so there's that...
The only one I can think of is Tyrus Thomas. He was an NBA player, but when I knew him we were in the 8th grade together in Baton Rouge, LA.
1. Hillary Clinton (during her 2008 primary run)
2. Dick Cheney
3. Andrew Luck (checked him into a hotel room while he was at Stanford)
4. Two Chainz
5. Steve Bullock
Two sitting U.S. senators in Virginia --
John Warner
George Allen
L. Douglas Wilder -- served as the 66th Governor of Virginia, from 1990 to 1994. He was the first elected African-American governor in the U.S.
Paul W. Tibbits, Jr. -- The pilot who flew the B-29 Superfortress known as the Enola Gay when it dropped the first of two atomic bombs used in warfare, on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Commander of the 509th Composite Group, which would conduct the atomic bombings.
D. James Kennedy -- pastor, evangelist, Christian broadcaster, and author. He served as senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from 1960 until his death in 2007.
Meadowlark Lemon (Harlem Globetrotter)
Al Sharpton
John Calipari (when he coached UMass Basketball)
Mary Peters -- USDOT Secretary
Russell Nelson -- Pioneering heart surgeon and leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a couple of times).
Al and Mimi Sparhawk -- of the band Low
Oh, and I ran into Joe Montana's mother while I was working in San Francisco...
Assuming "met" involves at least a handshake and/or a few words exchanged. So no using sporting events nor concerts, unless the prior condition happened.
In no particular order:
Jimmy Carter (post-presidency, about 10-15 years ago)
William Donald Schaefer (former Mayor of Baltimore and former Governor of Maryland)
Larry Hogan (current Governor of Maryland)
Boog Powell (former 1B for the Baltimore Orioles, 1970 AL MVP)
Robert Packwood (former US Senator from Oregon)
I have pictures of me with Tubby Smith and Gov. Fletcher. (Also have pictures of me with current Gov. Matt Bevin and former Govs. Brereton Jones and Wallace Wilkinson). I also have a picture of me with John L. Smith when he was Louisville's football coach, but I didn't include him in my Top 5.
I have actually never met the most famous person I am related to, former MLB (Cincinnati and NY Mets) player Doug Flynn. Up until a few years ago, I would have enjoyed meeting him, but after he ignored a personal request from me a few years ago regarding something pretty important to me, I don't really care if I ever meet him.
I also worked for several years with Malcolm "Mac" Kilduff, the assistant presidential press secretary who made the announcement of JFK's death in 1963.
...having-a-Wikipedia-entry famous? I'll go in the order I've met them.
Quote from: dlsterner on September 22, 2019, 12:38:20 AM
Assuming "met" involves at least a handshake and/or a few words exchanged.
Derek Bell - Sports car and former F1 driver - Stepped out of the motor coach in the pit paddock and talked to my brother, father, and I in Miami for about 5 minutes. Nice guy!
A.J. Foyt - Indycar driver, et al - Was getting his haircut in the paddock in of the IMSA West Palm Beach GP. I had my little 110 camera at the time, and he said "If you don't take my picture right now, I'll give you an autograph!" I lowered the camera from my eye. He signed a few glossies for my brother and we shook hands before a few others arrived.
Cris Carter - wide receiver - used to bring his car in to me for work. Super-relaxed guy, only asked him once if he "knew" the football player. Gave me a wink and gave me a handshake with a mitt that was about three times the size of my own hand! He actually didn't mind waiting for his car to be worked on, and would just casually and quietly wait upstairs with the other customers. Literally had to assuage him to take a loaner car ("I don't want special treatment.") for a five-hour repair, after I'd explained we would give anyone a loaner who needed one (if we weren't out).
Jim Moran - president of Southeast Toyota Distributors - my boss, at one time - real nice guy and was a great springboard to my career.
Akio Toyoda - president of Toyota Motor Corporation - Though, he wasn't yet president at the time I met him, he and Jim Moran had a random chit chat with me while I was at work. Shook hand, did a little head bow, and said
"hajimemashite" and he gave a smile.
That's about it.
In 1990 I took a creative writing course at Washington State University with future bestselling author Sherman Alexie as a fellow student. In the first class we joked that only the student who had ambitions of being a technical writer stood a chance of being successful as an author. In this class, the professor would photocopy the students' manuscripts and we would discuss them in the next class. Sherman's work jumped fully formed off the page. It was strange to read such good stuff off a typewritten manuscript. I'm such a pack rat that I saved all these documents. Later when I stood in line at an author signing event, the other fans were discussing the things they were having Sherman sign. I brought a copy of Sherman's first short story, and that got the most attention of anything there. He said he never saved copies of the manuscripts, so they took it off to an office to make another copy of it. I sent him copies of the other stories. Also during the class we would discuss other things. This happened when Dances With Wolves came out, and Sherman said, "There will never be a sequel to Dances With Wolves. Little Big Man was the sequel to Dances With Wolves." Later when Sherman co-hosted the podcast A Tiny Sense of Accomplishemt, it was just like being in class again, hearing him discuss pop culture phenomena.
When I was working at Microsoft Studios in Redmond, Washington, I met Bill Nye at the front door. As a temp, I didn't have a key card, so I would have to wait in the lobby for someone to let me in. One day Bill Nye came by with his wardrobe over his shoulder. He tried the door and noticed the latch was taped over. He said, "It's ajar. When is a door not a door? When it's ajar." Wow, my very own Bill Nye joke. He was there to record the Windows ME launch video. I didn't have much to do that day (I usually transcribed interviews for Encarta) so I helped fill out the studio audience. Throughout the video, I noticed a camera on a crane doing closeup cutaway views of audience members, and at one time the camera landed right in front of my face. I tried to keep a view of the monitor out the corner of my eye and try to look natural when the scene cut to me. After that, I tried looking for the video on Microsoft's intranet, and I've since kept looking for it online. Not even the star power of Bill Nye can keep this video from surfacing above the embarrassment of Windows ME.
Randy Savage - Shook his hand outside of the Yale Bowl in West Haven, CT. He was part of Volvo's Love '91 charity softball game at Yale Field. Vince McMahon and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan were there as well. :)
Ric Flair - March 1992 at the Mystic Mall. I think it was Chelsea, MA. It was to help promote WrestleMania VIII.
Owen Hart - Met him at the Exhibition Hall section of the Hartford Civic Center before that night's house show. It was May 1993. (Owen passed away in 1999.)
Bret Hart - Met him at am auto dealership in Bristol, CT. There was a show in New Haven that evening (1996. I believe).
Brian Pillman - This was before a "WWF Monday Night RAW" TV taping at the Pepsi Arena in Albany, NY on Tuesday, September 23, 1997. Brian passed away only 12 days later.
Non-wrestlers? Tough one! I got Faye Dunaway's autograph once outside of "Late Show With David Letterman". Met some of Dave's neighbors, but not all at the same time: Mujibur, Sirjul and Rupert Jee of the Hello Deli. Baseball? Alfonso Soriano in 2001, then with the New York Yankees. Mariano Rivera at Yale Field one fall. I guess you can count actor Michael Vale in August of 1991. He was Fred the Baker in many commercials for Dunkin' Donuts. (He also did ads for Breakstone Sour Cream and the Sound Playground electronics chain of CT and MA.) Lastly, I shook hands with Jesse Jackson in 1991. He was on a People's Coalition march to Hartford. He and his people walked right past my house.
I didn't meet them per se, but I've been 15 feet or less from Derek Jeter (Trenton, NJ in 2011) and Taylor Swift (Box office area of Mohegan Sun Arena in 2009).
Off the top of my head, I can only think of two people (and I have pictures with both of them):
Jim Leyland - former manager of the Detroit Tigers. Met him in Lakeland, FL during a Tigers spring training game in 2014 or 2015
Eddie Money - rock singer. Met him after a concert in Traverse City, MI in 2014
Lt. Gov. (and unsuccessful 2010 gubernatorial candidate) Jari Askins (D-OK) was in attendance at the state quiz bowl meet ("academic team" in Oklahoma) the one time we made it to state. She made some light small talk with me. She made the mistake of asking me if there had been any difficult questions, and I tried to relate a question I hadn't known the answer to but found particularly clever. I wasn't doing the best job of explaining it, though, and I could see her eyes glaze over in real time. She excused herself and found someone less awkward to talk to shortly thereafter.
My other two interactions with famous took place online, so count that if you want. One was on this forum–Jeopardy! champ Ken Jennings was doing research for his book Maphead and–you guessed it!–wanted to learn about roadgeeking. So he very politely contacted the admins and asked if we were cool with him asking some questions here. We told him to go right ahead, of course.
Another time I posted on another forum that I had appreciated game show announcer Randy West's work on Supermarket Sweep and was disappointed I'd never gotten to see his fill-in work for Rod Roddy on The Price Is Right. Somehow, Mr. West ran across my post and sent the admins of the forum an audio-only copy of some of his Price work to forward on to me. I thought that was very classy of him.
Wiz Khalifa (went to high school with him, caught the same bus at the same stop every morning)
Mac Miller (same, though our time in school didn't coincide, there was enough overlap in our social circles that I interacted with him on a number of occasions)
Beto O'Rourke (fiancee worked on his Senate campaign)
Michael Roos (former Pro Bowl offensive lineman for the Titans, he was neighbors with my uncle in Nashville and we went to a Christmas party at his house)
Elroy Face (great Pirates relief pitcher of the 50s and 60s, his grandson was on my baseball team growing up)
These five people have a Chicago theme among them:
Ryne Sandberg
Mike Ditka
Phil Jackson
Michael Jordan
Scottie Pippen
I met the last three during the Bulls' first championship parade in 1991. Ditka was a speaker at my school from way back, and Sandberg was from my many Cubs games that I went to as a kid.
Bob Riley - former AL Governor, his granddaughter was in my son's 2nd grade class and he invited the class to the Governor's Mansion for the annual pre-Thanksgiving tradition of pardoning the turkey
Jose Canseco - got his autograph before a exhibition game between the A's and their AA affiliate (in 1989) Huntsville Stars
Gary Palmer - current AL Congressman, met him at a reception for those nominated for service academies
Bill Hybels - pastor Willow Creek Community Church (Chicago suburbs) and author, sat with him at lunch at a Willow Creek promotional event
Steve Shaw - SEC Supervisor of Football Officials
Honorable mention to Will Muschamp, South Carolina Head Coach
I've only met one so far: Ivan Koloff (RIP), former pro wrestler.
He did a meet-and-greet at Kmart (also RIP) in Goldsboro, NC and me & my dad met him there in December 2006. We were living in Fremont at the time, so we weren't far from Goldsboro. My mom was working at Kmart and she told us he was there. We got his autographs and had our pic taken with him. Cool dude. My dad felt like a kid again, which looking back, was good to see since he ended up going blind nearly 4 years later, thanks to a combination of diabetes and a side effect of Zyvox.
Quote from: hbelkins on September 22, 2019, 04:25:44 PM
I have pictures of me with Tubby Smith and Gov. Fletcher. (Also have pictures of me with current Gov. Matt Bevin and former Govs. Brereton Jones and Wallace Wilkinson). I also have a picture of me with John L. Smith when he was Louisville's football coach, but I didn't include him in my Top 5.
....
This comment reminded me I have some pictures of myself with Dick Vitale taken prior to a UVA basketball game sometime in the early 1990s.
Quote from: clong on September 23, 2019, 02:21:41 PM
Steve Shaw - SEC Supervisor of Football Officials
Honorable mention to Will Muschamp, South Carolina Head Coach
Didn't you get those two reversed? I'd never heard of the supervisor of officials, but have heard of Muschamp.
And was Shaw as stupid as the acts of some of those he supervises seem to indicate that he is? :bigass:
1) Weird Al
2) The lead singer of Whitecross
3) Near miss meeting William H Macy.
George Carlin (RIP)
John Williams (He of the world-famous cinematic scores for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jaws, etc)
Bill Clinton
Gray Davis (former Governor of CA)
Michael Hancock (Mayor of Denver)
There are several whom I've seen up close (in a former job capacity), but never really "met" per se.
Quote from: Henry on September 23, 2019, 01:09:36 PM
These five people have a Chicago theme among them:
Ryne Sandberg
Mike Ditka
Phil Jackson
Michael Jordan
Scottie Pippen
I met the last three during the Bulls' first championship parade in 1991. Ditka was a speaker at my school from way back, and Sandberg was from my many Cubs games that I went to as a kid.
A former friend of mine got Ryne's autograph back in 2011 or so. He was the manager of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs at the time. I could be wrong for the team, but it was definitely at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, PA.
Hmm, I've met people who are famous only in certain circles. I don't know if any of their names would be recognized here.
Probably the best-known would be Charles Colson, former Special Counsel to Nixon who was imprisoned for conspiring to cover up Watergate.
Other that that...
Kenneth Taylor, author of the Living Bible (I worked for the company he owned)
Several members of Caedmon's Call, a top Christian music group 15 or 20 years ago (chatted after a concert)
Gracia Burham, who was held captive by ISIL in the Phillippines back in 2001 (at a book signing)
The Herschend family, owners of Silver Dollar City in Branson (family friends of my wife)
George HW Bush
Pete Rose
Donnie Osmond
Dan Marino
Oren Hatch
Cardinal Richard Cushing, Archbishop of Boston. He said the Mass I received my first holy communion at in 1968.
Anthony Athanas. Met him in 1971 when he came up and introduced himself to me and my parents while we were eating at Anthony's Hawthorne in Lynn (MA).
Governor Michael Dukakis. Met him in 1985 at an event denoting the completion of the Southeast Expressway reconstruction.
Governor Deval Patrick. Met him in 2011 when he toured the field office/command center for the I-93 "Fast 14" project.
Tom Rush. Met him in September of 2013 after a concert at The Narrows in Fall River.
I can't believe how few famous people I've met.
I met all 5 members of the band Anthrax in 2003, so I guess we could just rank from Scott Ian downward as my five. Also met Ian's now-wife Pearl Aday, the daughter of Meatloaf, at that same time.
Greg Nicotero (director of Walking Dead, make-up artist) (multiple occasions...family friend)
Matthew Lillard (actor) (Hard Rock Casino, Las Vegas)
Chris Hardwick (presenter) (filming for "Talking Dead")
Kevin Hart (while he was in Tacoma filming a bit for Hart of the City)
I've been very close to meeting Tom Savini (actor, make-up artist) and Simon Pegg (actor), but wasn't able to make it work.
Quote from: inkyatari on September 24, 2019, 12:46:03 PM
1) Weird Al
2) The lead singer of Whitecross
3) Near miss meeting William H Macy.
I am appending my list..
1) Weird Al
2) Daniel Pessina (Johnny Cage, Mortal Kombat 1 (arcade))
3) Dr. Philip Ahn (Shang Tsung, MK Arcade)
4) Eugene Jarvis (Creator of Defender, Stargate, Robotron, Blaster - all arcade
5) Jeff Lee - Creator of Qbert
6) Brian Colin - Creator of Rampage.
BONUS! Billy Mitchell
I know it was 6 and a bonus, but to be fair, these are the most famous people I've ever met. I'm a sad, lonely man.
Billy Mitchell is a bonus? He was caught cheating. :D
Quote from: Rothman on September 24, 2019, 09:42:39 PM
Billy Mitchell is a bonus? He was caught cheating. :D
To be fair, he's a better player than any of us ever will be. That having been said, I didn't list him in my top 5+1 because of that.
Quote from: inkyatari on September 24, 2019, 09:43:32 PM
Quote from: Rothman on September 24, 2019, 09:42:39 PM
Billy Mitchell is a bonus? He was caught cheating. :D
To be fair, he's a better player than any of us ever will be. That having been said, I didn't list him in my top 5+1 because of that.
I loved it when he threw a fit because of King of Kong. The director said that they had even more footage of Billy's less-than-niceties that they didn't include in the movie and that shut him up. :D
Hubert Humphrey, Walter Brennan, James R. Thompson, Felix Silla , artist/humorist Mark Wallace (aka William Blackfox), Burt Ward (in passing)
Nobody that I would consider to be super-famous, but the five most recognizable names:
Lou Holtz
Jerome Bettis
Dick Vitale
Richard Lugar
Otis Bowen
Quote from: cabiness42 on September 25, 2019, 12:48:59 PM
Nobody that I would consider to be super-famous, but the five most recognizable names:
Lou Holtz
Jerome Bettis
Dick Vitale
Richard Lugar
Otis Bowen
I would definitely consider the four whose names I recognized as being famous. Don't know who Otis Bowen is.
Quote from: kphoger on September 24, 2019, 02:38:57 PM
Hmm, I've met people who are famous only in certain circles. I don't know if any of their names would be recognized here.
Same here. I can't think of one person I've met that would have universal name recognition with the US population at large.
Conversely, I recognize very few of the names others have posted. I think corco's list is the only one where I even recognize
two of the names (the first two). Unless I missed something, I believe I recognized no more than one name from anyone else's list. Generally speaking, if you have to tell us who they are, they aren't
that famous. But I guess you just can't expect to meet many truly famous people when there's only so many to go around.
Quote from: webny99 on September 25, 2019, 03:51:43 PM
Same here. I can't think of one person I've met that would have universal name recognition with the US population at large.
Conversely, I recognize very few of the names others have posted. I think corco's list is the only one where I even recognize two of the names (the first two). Unless I missed something, I believe I recognized no more than one name from anyone else's list. Generally speaking, if you have to tell us who they are, they aren't that famous. But I guess you just can't expect to meet many truly famous people when there's only so many to go around.
Depends on how "famous" is defined.
Universal name recognition with the U.S. population at large? How many other than U.S. presidents would meet that criteria?
The most famous sports figures are unknown to most people that don't follow sports.
Historical figures like Babe Ruth or Albert Einstein lived long before nearly everybody alive today.
I named two people that are widely known in their fields (WW II military history and Christian pastorates) but outside of those areas many would not have heard of them.
Quote from: Beltway on September 25, 2019, 04:03:11 PM
Quote from: webny99 on September 25, 2019, 03:51:43 PM
Same here. I can't think of one person I've met that would have universal name recognition with the US population at large.
Conversely, I recognize very few of the names others have posted. I think corco's list is the only one where I even recognize two of the names (the first two). Unless I missed something, I believe I recognized no more than one name from anyone else's list. Generally speaking, if you have to tell us who they are, they aren't that famous. But I guess you just can't expect to meet many truly famous people when there's only so many to go around.
Depends on how "famous" is defined.
Universal name recognition with the U.S. population at large? How many other than U.S. presidents would meet that criteria?
The most famous sports figures are unknown to most people that don't follow sports.
Historical figures like Babe Ruth or Albert Einstein lived long before nearly everybody alive today.
I named two people that are widely known in their fields (WW II military history and Christian pastorates) but outside of those areas many would not have heard of them.
I went with "having a Wikipedia entry", since they have a pretty set of good criteria for notability, and that's also changed over the years; a decade ago, an
internet personality was not a sufficient claim to notability. Of course, there's always a few that aren't quite going to make it based on their lofty qualifications, so I'll let each of you decide for yourselves. Meeting someone who made some famous 1980s video games would be sufficient, at least to me!
I forgot I met Dick Vitale at a book-signing in Gainesville in 2000. I wandered over to say-hi-and-handshake, and that was it. And then he's pointing, smiling, and greeting people in about 40 directions at once! So far, that makes him the one who's met the most AARoads members?
Also, we could fill out a damn good IROC field with all the racing drivers we've collectively met.
I've only met one: Elizabeth Warren in 2012.
No one
Quote from: 1 on September 25, 2019, 06:10:26 PM
I've only met one: Elizabeth Warren in 2012.
I wonder if she had anything to do with the reported hauntings around Route 895?
Ramping down the road's long bridge, the truck driver's eyes widened at the sight of three flickering points of light on a high bluff to his left.
"The truck driver came through and said he seen [three] Indians in the middle of the highway lined up by the woods, each of them holding a torch, " said a report filed by the parkway toll taker to whom the driver related the incident.
https://www.richmond.com/news/local/dozens-of-callers-cite-native-american-spirits-on-pocahontas-parkway/article_8bc26b64-c428-11e4-99ab-738c81e2c9e1.html
Some big names here and some smaller ones, but even the smallest name is pretty damn prominent in the scientific fields.
- Khalil Mack (several times 2012-14). Linebacker for the Chicago Bears. This was when we were both at the University at Buffalo. Ran into him more times than I can ever count and had a few quick chats. Nice guy in person.
- Shirley Ann Jackson (several times 2016-19), former NRC chair and former President's Intelligence Advisory Committee chair. First African-American woman to get a doctorate from MIT. This is also how I am no more than 2 degrees of separation from at least one president.
- Kenan Thompson, former SNL cast member. Was on a school trip and only got a picture with him because the group I was with on a school trip didn't do the normal New Yorker "ignore" like I generally do for these things.
- Chuck Schumer (multiple times over the years)
- Kirsten Gillibrand (multiple times over the years)
Kenan Thompson is still on SNL.
John Cooper (Former Arizona St & Ohio St football coach)
Buddy Guy (noted guitar player and singer)
Andy Geiger (Former Ohio State Athletic Director)
Scoonie Penn (Basketball star at Ohio State)
Lloyd "Teddy" Johnson (Juke Joint owner and occasional actor)
I don't know if this counts, but I did shake hands with "Paws", who is the Detroit Tiger mascot, at a Mental Health rally in Lansing several years ago.
Quote from: hbelkins on September 25, 2019, 02:35:42 PM
Quote from: cabiness42 on September 25, 2019, 12:48:59 PM
Nobody that I would consider to be super-famous, but the five most recognizable names:
Lou Holtz
Jerome Bettis
Dick Vitale
Richard Lugar
Otis Bowen
I would definitely consider the four whose names I recognized as being famous. Don't know who Otis Bowen is.
Bowen is from my hometown, was Governor of Indiana in the 70s and Secretary of HHS under Reagan.
Quote from: webny99 on September 25, 2019, 03:51:43 PM
Quote from: kphoger on September 24, 2019, 02:38:57 PM
Hmm, I've met people who are famous only in certain circles. I don't know if any of their names would be recognized here.
Same here. I can't think of one person I've met that would have universal name recognition with the US population at large.
Conversely, I recognize very few of the names others have posted. I think corco's list is the only one where I even recognize two of the names (the first two). Unless I missed something, I believe I recognized no more than one name from anyone else's list. Generally speaking, if you have to tell us who they are, they aren't that famous. But I guess you just can't expect to meet many truly famous people when there's only so many to go around.
Interesting, because I figured on my list the odds were Raisa Gorbachev's name would be the least-recognized given how prominent Rod Rosenstein and Merrick Garland have been in the news over the past three years (had they not been in the news so much, I doubt I would have included them on my list).
Quote from: Beltway on September 25, 2019, 04:03:11 PM
Universal name recognition with the U.S. population at large? How many other than U.S. presidents would meet that criteria?
Hmm. It would be interesting to try to make a list (of categories, not necessarily individual people). I would say vice presidents, at least recent ones. And most people should know who their home-state governors and US senators are. Though not all 50 senators (I might be able to name about half, and that's probably above average).
Leaders of other countries: I would think most people know the big ones, like the UK, China, and Russia. I could be wrong though.
Everybody should know at least a
few sports names, even people like me who pay little to no attention to sports. Tom Brady, for example. LeBron James. Wayne Gretzky, possibly.
Science is an interesting one. I can't think of any that are currently alive, but maybe there are some alive now that will be famous to future generations (like Albert Einstein).
No doubt there are more categories that could be covered.
Quote from: cl94 on September 25, 2019, 09:13:16 PM
Some big names here and some smaller ones, but even the smallest name is pretty damn prominent in the scientific fields
Congrats! You are tied with corco for having the most names on your list that I recognize (two)!
Quote from: 1995hoo on September 26, 2019, 08:39:26 AM
Quote from: webny99 on September 25, 2019, 03:51:43 PM
Quote from: kphoger on September 24, 2019, 02:38:57 PM
Hmm, I've met people who are famous only in certain circles. I don't know if any of their names would be recognized here.
Same here. I can't think of one person I've met that would have universal name recognition with the US population at large.
Conversely, I recognize very few of the names others have posted. I think corco's list is the only one where I even recognize two of the names (the first two). Unless I missed something, I believe I recognized no more than one name from anyone else's list. Generally speaking, if you have to tell us who they are, they aren't that famous. But I guess you just can't expect to meet many truly famous people when there's only so many to go around.
Interesting, because I figured on my list the odds were Raisa Gorbachev's name would be the least-recognized given how prominent Rod Rosenstein and Merrick Garland have been in the news over the past three years (had they not been in the news so much, I doubt I would have included them on my list).
You did mean to quote me, right? I only ask because I didn't say anything about Gorbachev...
Now that I look back at your list, I do recognize both Merrick Garland and Rod Rosenstein. I likely would have identified that sooner if they hadn't been on the same line. I also recognize Gorbachev as the last name of a former Russian leader, but don't recognize the first name, so I guess that counts as 0.5.
All told, 2.5/6 = 41.6%, which is slightly better than 2/5 =40%, so I guess you've edged the others out!
(Maybe it seems a bit pompous to use myself as a proxy for deciding if someone is famous, in which case, please accept my apologies! ;-))
QuoteYou did mean to quote me, right? I only ask because I didn't say anything about Gorbachev...
Yes, I meant to quote you because of your comment about not recognizing even two names on any list except corco's. I figured because mine involved a member of the British Royal Family, a notorious former mayor of the District of Columbia (who was also, to be fair, prominent in the Civil Rights Movement years earlier), and two people whose names have been in the news a lot over the past three years or so, that most of them wouldn't be "niche famous" or something like that. I could see why someone might not know who Mrs. Gorbachev was, and I could see why someone who doesn't follow sports and doesn't live in the DC area might not know of Alex Ovechkin.
In chronological order
1. Ernie Banks- Mr. Cub did a promotion at the grocery store I worked at during my high school years in the Chicago suburbs.
2. Ben Nelson- Former governor and senator of Nebraska Actually met him twice. First time he was campaigning for governor at the Omaha Lancers game I attended. Second time was when he was Senator and I flew on the same flight to DC with him. I felt severely underdressed on that flight.
3. Mike Johanns- Also a former governor and senator from Nebraska and also former Secretary of Agriculture for G.W. Bush. At an event in Omaha.
4. Dean Steinkuhler- Nebraska Husker football legend and 1983 Outland Trophy winner. This was at a strip club. FWIW, I met then-current Husker football players at the same strip club the night before they played in the game the next day.
5. Doug McDermott- Creighton Bluejay basketball legend and possibly still in the NBA, at Chipotle in Omaha.
There's 4 other people I met with Wikipedia articles, but I can't really call them famous. One guy I went to high school with got elected to the Illinois legislature, so he gets an article just for that, but to call him famous would be crazy.
Quote from: index on September 21, 2019, 10:43:26 PM
Bernie Sanders, twice. (Senator from VT and 2020 presidential candidate) I also have a picture with him.
Pat McCrory (former Governor of North Carolina)
Nina Turner (former Ohio State Senator and Sanders campaign co-chair)
Some NFL player came to do a motivational speech at my school when I was younger, this was >years< ago and I have no idea who he was or who he played for. I did shake his hand though.
And that's about it...I haven't met much well known people. One of the staff at my old middle school was related to the one of Oklahoma City bombers, Timothy McVeigh, so there's that...
I also just remembered the David Bartell, astrophysicist and author. He's showed up on a few National Geographic TV programs before.
Since this thread got resurrected, I realized that I actually have met a few people who are reasonably well known.
Bruce Williams - At one time, the most-listened-to talk radio host in the country, providing callers advice on financial and business matters. I became a dedicated listener at age four and met him at his last personal appearance 25 years later. He passed away last year.
Leo Laporte - In the late '90s/early '00s, the prominent face of ZDTV (later TechTV). Leo went on to form a netcast channel, TWiT, where he remains today. At TWiT's studios in Petaluma, CA, some shows allow studio audiences, and he's very approachable afterwards.
Steve Smith - Known to Canadians (and Saturday night PBS viewers) as Red Green. I saw his one-man show in Owen Sound, ON and met him at a signing afterwards. In sharp contrast to Red Green's low, gruff voice, Steve's natural tenor voice is surprisingly gentle.
Gregg Turkington - Best known as abrasive, disheveled anti comedian Neil Hamburger. I met him after a performance at a divey comedy club in Sacramento, and we talked for a few minutes. Out of his Neil character, he seemed like quite a nice guy.
Joe Negri - An incredibly talented jazz guitarist, but much better known as Handyman Negri on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. As of two years ago, he was still performing at age 91. I met him before a benefit concert in the Pittsburgh area. He struck me as being an utterly genuine and kind person.
Quote from: briantroutman on April 04, 2020, 01:47:05 AM
Steve Smith
I also met Steve Smith.
Steve Smith was my first band director.
It was probably a different Steve Smith.
Let's see, I've met:
- Peter Yarrow, the Peter of Peter, Paul and Mary;
- Keith Colburn, of Deadliest Catch;
- Steve Mariucci, former head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions;
- Tom Izzo, head coach of the MSU men's basketball team;
- Mason Crosby, kicker and leading points scorer for the Green Bay Packers;
In the next tier, I've met Nathan Oystrick (played for the Anaheim Ducks and St. Louis Blues), Zach Trotman (Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins), Dallas Drake (Detroit Red Wings), and Justin Florek (Boston Bruins) of the NHL. In politics, I've met Gretchen Whitmer, Debbie Stabenow, Jack Bergman, Dan Beneshek, Bart Stupak and a handful of state representatives and senators.
A couple of famous people I have met are:
Bob Nelson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Nelson_(comedian)) (A stand-up comedian\actor, kind of like Red Skelton.)
Steve Smith, a.k.a "Red Green" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Smith_(comedian))
Well, I've not met anyone who is internationally famous yet. Of all the people I've met, the best known one is a kindergarten classmate who went to appear in MasterChef Spain, reaching as far as the final and eventually placing as the runner-up.
I didn't really meet him, but my basketball team about 5 years ago got to get basketballs from Houston Rockets starters while they made their entrance onto the court, and I got mine from Jeremy Lin.
When I think back, amazingly enough, I've met more well-known folks than I'd think I ever would. I'm rarely ever anywhere special where stars/celebrities/famous people would be.
* Guillermo (Jimmy Kimmel's show) - was in town to do a feature about the restaurateur that came up with the margarita. Guillermo and the crew stayed at my hotel; Jimmy didn't come along.
* Randy White (ex- Dallas Cowboys) - checked out at my register once when I cashiered for a while at a drug store.
* Drew Pearson (ex- Dallas Cowboys) - several of his family members stayed at a hotel I used to work at years ago; he checked them all in while I was on duty.
* Stanley Marcus (exec/descendant of the founders of Neiman Marcus) - the late Dallas business icon was having a book-signing during the store's 90th anniversary.
* Charlotte Rae (Facts of Life) - had an appearance at a bookstore where I was working; she was promoting a children's book-on-tape she was a part of, during the store's grand opening.
There are others of various notariety. Paige Davis (host of Trading Spaces), Robert Sakowitz (exec/descendant of the founders of Sakowitz, a former Houston department store chain), Kidd Kraddick (the late radio morning show host), Jeff Golub (smooth jazz guitarist who has since passed on), as well as a few local TV reporters/anchors, and several actors from soaps at various appearances over the years.
Gordie Howe - one of the greatest hockey players ever.
J.P. McCarthy - legendary Detroit morning show host on 760 WJR.
Al Kaline - Tigers legend. Met him at a hotel in Toronto.
Sparky Anderson - legendary baseball manager. Met him about a minute after meeting Kaline.
Jerome Bettis - Pittsburgh Steelers. Born in Detroit I met him playing crabs at MGM Grand in Detroit.
Soupy Sales, in the mezzanine hallway at Yankee Stadium when I was eight
Joe Paterno, Penn State football coach
James Irwin, Apollo 15 moonwalker
Bill Bennett, Reagan admin Sec of Ed, Bush the elder admin drug czar
Shirley Temple
Penn Jillette from Penn & Teller fame
Jello Biafra from the Dead Kennedys
Scott McInnis (former Colorado politician)
Nicholas Lea who played Krycek on The X-Files
All the members of Anthrax (circa 1998)
Jack Nicklaus - all time leader in golf majors
Jim Tressel - former Ohio State football coach
Quote from: Flint1979 on April 04, 2020, 04:54:47 PM
Gordie Howe - one of the greatest hockey players ever.
J.P. McCarthy - legendary Detroit morning show host on 760 WJR.
Al Kaline - Tigers legend. Met him at a hotel in Toronto.
Sparky Anderson - legendary baseball manager. Met him about a minute after meeting Kaline.
Jerome Bettis - Pittsburgh Steelers. Born in Detroit I met him playing crabs at MGM Grand in Detroit.
Kind of ironically Al Kaline passed away two days after I made this post.
Former US Senator and VP candidate Joe Lieberman (at his office in DC)
Hank Aaron (at an autograph session at New Haven Coliseum)
Tony LaRussa (crossing the street in downtown Baltimore)
Johnny Mize (at a signing event in Hartford. He talked to my mom quite a bit)
Barry Larkin (at a hotel in Montreal. The Reds were checking in at the same time we were Had my picture taken with him. Did get a chance to see Pete Rose's suitcase. From the small world department: this was about a couple of weeks after Rob Dibble was called up to the majors; his dad was a customer of my father's, so we made sure we caught up with him).
A couple other notables: Kara Wolters (was eating dinner across the bar from her at an On the Border. Talked for a bit, as my group and hers were the only ones in there). Johnny Pesky (at ALCS Game 2 in 1986; was sitting a few rows in front of my dad and I. My dad pointed him out and I went and got my ticket stub signed). Kemba Walker (when he was still at UConn; at a TGI Fridays with a few teammates).
There's some others I've seen (outside of events) but not met. Saw Bob Dylan crossing the street in Secaucus, NJ while in the back of a cab. Saw Rene Russo playing the slots at Foxwoods. Walked right by Howard Stern walking out of Stew Leonards as I was going in (no one recognized him except for my mom and I). I was in the clubhouse at a golf tournament when former President Gerald Ford passed through. I also managed to catch a Jordan autograph when I was a kid at the same golf tournament by taking a fall. The usher saw me, took my piece of memorabilia, and had him sign it.
I often wonder if people mistake close lookalikes for celebrities.
Quote from: dlsterner on September 22, 2019, 12:38:20 AM
Assuming "met" involves at least a handshake and/or a few words exchanged. So no using sporting events nor concerts, unless the prior condition happened.
In no particular order:
Jimmy Carter (post-presidency, about 10-15 years ago)
William Donald Schaefer (former Mayor of Baltimore and former Governor of Maryland)
Larry Hogan (current Governor of Maryland)
Boog Powell (former 1B for the Baltimore Orioles, 1970 AL MVP)
Robert Packwood (former US Senator from Oregon)
I also met a Larry Hogan who was a congressman. But I believe that was his father? My former boss was his nephew and "Uncle Larry" was one the company's customers. I went to his house to fix his computer
iPhone
Quote from: kendancy66 on April 24, 2020, 10:15:49 PM
Quote from: dlsterner on September 22, 2019, 12:38:20 AM
Assuming "met" involves at least a handshake and/or a few words exchanged. So no using sporting events nor concerts, unless the prior condition happened.
In no particular order:
Jimmy Carter (post-presidency, about 10-15 years ago)
William Donald Schaefer (former Mayor of Baltimore and former Governor of Maryland)
Larry Hogan (current Governor of Maryland)
Boog Powell (former 1B for the Baltimore Orioles, 1970 AL MVP)
Robert Packwood (former US Senator from Oregon)
I also met a Larry Hogan who was a congressman. But I believe that was his father? My former boss was his nephew and "Uncle Larry" was one the company's customers. I went to his house to fix his computer
iPhone
Yes, Larry Hogan (current Governor of Maryland) is the son of Lawrence Hogan (1928-2017) who was a Maryland State congressman. Although Wikipedia seems to indicate that the elder Hogan was known (at least politically) as "Lawrence" and not "Larry".
I have met 2 Louisiana governors (Roemer & Jindal), Boxcar Willie (country music singer), & former Utah Jazz great Karl Malone (he lives nearby & has several businesses here).
Quote from: index on April 04, 2020, 12:21:37 AM
Quote from: index on September 21, 2019, 10:43:26 PM
Bernie Sanders, twice. (Senator from VT and 2020 presidential candidate) I also have a picture with him.
Pat McCrory (former Governor of North Carolina)
Nina Turner (former Ohio State Senator and Sanders campaign co-chair)
Some NFL player came to do a motivational speech at my school when I was younger, this was >years< ago and I have no idea who he was or who he played for. I did shake his hand though.
And that's about it...I haven't met much well known people. One of the staff at my old middle school was related to the one of Oklahoma City bombers, Timothy McVeigh, so there's that...
I also just remembered the David Bartell, astrophysicist and author. He's showed up on a few National Geographic TV programs before.
I probably have an actual fifth person I can add now, Clint Basinger, aka Lazy Game Reviews. He's more niche but he still has a decent presence in the tech/gaming scene on social media, as opposed to someone National Geographic wanted to get a few sentences out of and otherwise isn't that well known. My partner and I went to a convention in Greenville, SC and there he was.
Dale Earnhardt Sr
Benny Parsons (another NASCAR driver. Around 1990. I've been told that I wanted him to sign a toy Pillsbury doughboy for some reason and he was upset because he thought my parents were making fun of his "Buffet Benny" TV segments that were on at the time. I apparently had just gotten the doughboy that same day and just happened to have it on me, and being about 4 years old, didn't know any better.)
Ivan Koloff, who spoke at a church in my neighborhood about a decade ago.
Felipe Rose, the original Native American in the Village People. He used to live in Richmond and knew my stepdad through mutual musical contacts. They talked about doing a musical project in Las Vegas, possibly including Lenny Kravitz, but it never came to fruition.
Boris Kodjoe, an actor who once bought something at a store I worked at after speaking at a nearby college. I didn't know who he was but my coworkers were thrilled he was there.
In passing:
Walter Brennan, James R Thompson, Burt Ward
John Elway
Cal Ripken Jr.
Jimmy Butler
Marlon Wayans
Damon Wayans Jr.
Tech N9ne
Tim Howard
Josh Lucas
Travis Kelce
Dropkick Murphys
The band Anberlin
I'm probably forgetting some. Plenty of politicians no one cares about. A few other bands.
Quote from: JayhawkCO on July 13, 2022, 09:24:07 PM
John Elway
Cal Ripken Jr.
Jimmy Butler
Marlon Wayans
...
I don't think I've met anyone that qualifies as "famous", so I follow this thread mostly just look for names I recognize, which are pretty rare, but you had two, so congratulations! :-P
Quote from: webny99 on July 13, 2022, 09:48:51 PM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on July 13, 2022, 09:24:07 PM
John Elway
Cal Ripken Jr.
Jimmy Butler
Marlon Wayans
...
I don't think I've met anyone that qualifies as "famous", so I follow this thread mostly just look for names I recognize, which are pretty rare, but you had two, so congratulations! :-P
Cal Ripken Jr. doesn't ring a bell for you?? :confused:
Quote from: dlsterner on July 14, 2022, 12:06:05 AM
Quote from: webny99 on July 13, 2022, 09:48:51 PM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on July 13, 2022, 09:24:07 PM
John Elway
Cal Ripken Jr.
Jimmy Butler
Marlon Wayans
...
I don't think I've met anyone that qualifies as "famous", so I follow this thread mostly just look for names I recognize, which are pretty rare, but you had two, so congratulations! :-P
Cal Ripken Jr. doesn't ring a bell for you?? :confused:
More surprised that Travis Kelce doesn't. Actually not really, I think he chooses not to remember what Kelce does to the Bills :-D
Quote from: thspfc on July 14, 2022, 08:35:37 AM
Quote from: dlsterner on July 14, 2022, 12:06:05 AM
Quote from: webny99 on July 13, 2022, 09:48:51 PM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on July 13, 2022, 09:24:07 PM
John Elway
Cal Ripken Jr.
Jimmy Butler
Marlon Wayans
...
I don't think I've met anyone that qualifies as "famous", so I follow this thread mostly just look for names I recognize, which are pretty rare, but you had two, so congratulations! :-P
Cal Ripken Jr. doesn't ring a bell for you?? :confused:
More surprised that Travis Kelce doesn't. Actually not really, I think he chooses not to remember what Kelce does to the Bills :-D
I added that one after he had already responded as I had forgotten. Also, I do have one of those famous people who has been in my house (well, apartment at the time). Tech N9ne is a friend of a friend and we had a college party back in the day and he came. I've also met him socially at other times.
Quote from: thspfc on July 14, 2022, 08:35:37 AM
Quote from: dlsterner on July 14, 2022, 12:06:05 AM
Quote from: webny99 on July 13, 2022, 09:48:51 PM
I don't think I've met anyone that qualifies as "famous", so I follow this thread mostly just look for names I recognize, which are pretty rare, but you had two, so congratulations! :-P
Cal Ripken Jr. doesn't ring a bell for you?? :confused:
More surprised that Travis Kelce doesn't. Actually not really, I think he chooses not to remember what Kelce does to the Bills :-D
I vaguely recognized the name Cal Ripken, but not enough to know anything about him. I admit that I know very little about baseball, especially when it comes to history. (I'd recognize Babe Ruth.. Lou Gehrig... Jackie Robinson.... and that's about it.)
And I do obviously know who Travis Kelce is, but I somehow missed that. (And ouch! :poke: :-D)
Quote from: JayhawkCO on July 14, 2022, 09:47:16 AM
I added that one after he had already responded as I had forgotten.
Oh phew, so I'm not going completely crazy after all. :crazy:
What about meeting people before they were famous?
Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on July 14, 2022, 12:28:04 PM
What about meeting people before they were famous?
In that case I have met current NFL player Mo Alie-Cox, as well as current NBA players Bones Hyland, Vince Williams, and Justin Tillman, as all of them played basketball at VCU.
In the original spirit of this thread...
Shaka Smart
Jimmy Wales
Matt Kenseth
Denny Hamlin
Rusty Wallace
I somehow think I am forgetting someone somehow but oh well.
Tyler Trent (Purdue student who fought like hell against the cancer that eventually took him; everyone else is in no particular order for me but Tyler is and forever will be #1 on my list)
Mark Martin (NASCAR driver)
George Gray (announcer on The Price Is Right among other things)
Lee Marek (chemistry teacher famous for his appearances on Letterman)
Martina Navratilova (tennis player; made a somewhat random appearance at our middle school)
That is limiting it to 5 spread among different fields, although there are others (e.g., Urban Meyer, Pat Fitzgerald, Mitch Daniels, Gene Keady, Sandy Alomar Jr., Sam Kean, Drew Brees) that could have made the cut and regionally famous people who are exciting or well-known to people from that area (e.g., R.D. Sahl, a Boston newscaster, or Matt Light, a Patriots OL known among Purdue people and in Boston for appearing in furniture commercials).
Oh. I knew Jamila Wideman before she became the first player drafted into the WNBA.
Not really very many, but here we go:
musicians:
Pete Seeger
Al Stewart
Alan Shepard, astronaut
Daphne Koller, now Stanford computer science professor and Coursera co-creator, we were friends one year in high school
Ansel Adams, photographer, I was a toddler and don't really remember but my grandmother and mother swear I gurgled at him or something
Jon Anderson (singer - twice, one unplanned and one meet and greet)
Rick Wakeman (keyboardist)
Bert Blyleven (baseball Hall of Famer)
Colin Hay and Michael Dukakis are probably the most significant.
Quote from: bandit957 on July 15, 2022, 01:06:30 PM
Colin Hay and Michael Dukakis are probably the most significant.
Men at Work is one of my favorite bands. Would love to get the chance to meet Colin Hay.
Just remembered another one: Dave Moody, NASCAR radio announcer. A couple years ago I worked at a (now-closed) tire shop near the racetrack here, and he came in on race day with a flat tire. He was in a rush so we didn't talk much, but the other MRN personnel came to check on him. A couple years later he hosted a Reddit AMA where I asked him if he'd ever considered transitioning to TV. He replied "have you seen me?" to which I replied "actually..."
Quote from: WillWeaverRVA on July 14, 2022, 12:45:37 PM
Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on July 14, 2022, 12:28:04 PM
What about meeting people before they were famous?
In that case I have met current NFL player Mo Alie-Cox, as well as current NBA players Bones Hyland, Vince Williams, and Justin Tillman, as all of them played basketball at VCU.
In the original spirit of this thread...
Shaka Smart
Jimmy Wales
Matt Kenseth
Denny Hamlin
Rusty Wallace
Was he as big of a jerk as he comes off as being?
Quote from: jakeroot on July 15, 2022, 03:48:44 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on July 15, 2022, 01:06:30 PM
Colin Hay and Michael Dukakis are probably the most significant.
Men at Work is one of my favorite bands. Would love to get the chance to meet Colin Hay.
I like this because it implies Gov. Michael Dukakis (D-MA) is also a member of Men at Work.
Quote from: hbelkins on July 15, 2022, 04:12:38 PM
Quote from: WillWeaverRVA on July 14, 2022, 12:45:37 PM
Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on July 14, 2022, 12:28:04 PM
What about meeting people before they were famous?
In that case I have met current NFL player Mo Alie-Cox, as well as current NBA players Bones Hyland, Vince Williams, and Justin Tillman, as all of them played basketball at VCU.
In the original spirit of this thread...
Shaka Smart
Jimmy Wales
Matt Kenseth
Denny Hamlin
Rusty Wallace
Was he as big of a jerk as he comes off as being?
It was before he moved up to the Cup Series, so not yet.
Quote from: WillWeaverRVA on July 18, 2022, 01:28:49 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on July 15, 2022, 04:12:38 PM
Quote from: WillWeaverRVA on July 14, 2022, 12:45:37 PM
Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on July 14, 2022, 12:28:04 PM
What about meeting people before they were famous?
In that case I have met current NFL player Mo Alie-Cox, as well as current NBA players Bones Hyland, Vince Williams, and Justin Tillman, as all of them played basketball at VCU.
In the original spirit of this thread...
Shaka Smart
Jimmy Wales
Matt Kenseth
Denny Hamlin
Rusty Wallace
Was he as big of a jerk as he comes off as being?
It was before he moved up to the Cup Series, so not yet.
Going by people who knew him growing up, it started long before he reached Cup.
DeForest Kelley, Gerald Ford, Patti Loveless, Phyllis Diller, Don Mattingly. So we have an actor, president, country music star, comedian, and sports figure (player/coach).
Mike Huckabee
Alex Rodriguez
Beto O'Rourke
Nolan Ryan
Troy Aikman
I'm sure there are others worthy of cracking the top five, but here you go.
Stevie Wonder
Willie Nelson
Dave Chappelle
Madelaine Albright
Payton Manning
I was a limo driver for several years. These probably aren't ALL in the group of most famous I've met, but all memorable to me. We had contracts for lots of musicians and sports clientele and other high profile customers.
Quote from: Road Hog on July 20, 2022, 09:16:10 PM
Mike Huckabee
Alex Rodriguez
Beto O'Rourke
Nolan Ryan
Troy Aikman
I'm sure there are others worthy of cracking the top five, but here you go.
I had my list done and saw his. I have met all of his except Beto.
George W Bush (in a one-on-one)
George H.W. Bush
Vinnie Abbott
Don Henley
Mike Huckabee (been to his house in the late 1980's.)
Have met every Texas governor since Briscoe. Every Texas U.S. Senator since Tower EXCEPT Cruz. Talked to Yogi Berra, Y.A. Tittle, and Chuck Norris in the grocery store. My kids played soccer with Billy Sims' kids in U-10. Deion Sanders was at my work during a commercial shoot that went really slow. Dennis Rodman came to my HS to play basketball when he was a freshman. (SOC JV beat our Varsity).
Anyone ever meet famous people in seemingly random or odd places?
I can't remember the actress' name, but she was in "Perfect Strangers" and was from Cumberland, Md. Ran into her at a Sheetz there on a Christmas night back in the early 1990s.
Ran into Jack Givens (former UK and NBA basketball player who was the MVP of the 1978 NCAA championship game) at the former SuperAmerica store in Jackson, Ky., back in the late '80s or early '90s.
I didn't meet him, but a number of my friends met Drew Carey when he was on a motorcycle ride through rural America and passed through Lee and Owsley counties. He caused quite a stir when he stopped for gas at the Shell in Beattyville, Ky.
A now-deceased buddy of mine ran into Gimel Martinez (former UK basketball player) at the airport in Myrtle Beach years ago.
Quote from: hbelkins on July 28, 2022, 10:16:49 PM
Anyone ever meet famous people in seemingly random or odd places?
I'm pretty sure I saw Jeffrey Tambor once at a local Wendy's.
I've seen Cris Collinsworth several times.
Not me, but my uncle met the actress Kristen Johnston in Miami.
Prince
Steve Smith (Red Green)
Amy Klobuchar (in an elevator!)
Gary Paulsen
Paul Tibbets
Never met anyone famous, but I have an aunt who is good friends with Carl Yazstremski of the Red Sox.
For me in Charleston, SC...
Charles Gibson (former GMA and ABC World News anchor, at a GMA live show maybe 20 years ago)
Alex Rodriguez (got his autograph when he did a minor league rehab stint for local team, signed my Yankees visor)
Joe Riley (Mayor of Charleston for 40 years, goes to same church I do, sat near him, also avid baseball fan, minor league stadium in Charleston named after him)
Buck Martinez (former MLB catcher and Blue Jays TV announcer, met him at spring training in Dunedin, FL about a decade ago)
John Kresse (5th winningest coach by winning percentage in college hoops at College of Charleston, took coaching class with him in college)
Also... Frank Abagnale, met him at my high school maybe 6-7 years ago (came to do a talk with my mom's class).
Talking about Bill Murray (who almost everyone in Charleston seems to have an interaction with), one time he spilled his beer right in front of my seat at a RiverDogs game. Also seen him multiple times at local sporting events, taken his picture.
Talking about random folks I've met at random places... met Mary Roush, the current West Virginia Mountaineer mascot, at a local soccer game. Youngest and only 3rd female to do it.
SM-G998U
Quote from: hbelkins on July 28, 2022, 10:16:49 PM
Anyone ever meet famous people in seemingly random or odd places?
....
John Riggins brought his kids to my brother's Eagle Scout service project back in 1991. The project took place at the local elementary school's fair and Riggins lived in the area.
Former Redskins player Virgil Seay worked as a substitute gym teacher one day at my junior high school when I was in seventh grade. He signed autographs for everyone.
Then-Mayor Marion Barry sat down next to me at the counter at Ben's Chili Bowl in DC once.
Capitals owner Ted Leonsis had the table next to our family at two different restaurants on two different occasions.
Edited to add: I ran into Rod Rosenstein on the street in DC once. What impressed me was that he recognized me and remembered who I was, but perhaps it was just that some people say I resemble my father and he knew my father quite well from work.
Less random: Former Capitals defenseman Mark Tinordi was in the seat next to me at a Caps game maybe 16 years ago (perhaps random that he was in the stands, but not so random that he would be attending an NHL game). Former Redskins defensive tackle Perry Brooks was on the same flight as I was once, but that wasn't random because his son, Ahmad Brooks, played for the UVA football team at the time and the flight was a flight out of Boise, where the team had just played in a bowl game. It did seem bizarre to the people around me, none of whom I knew, that this big black man wearing a Super Bowl ring recognized me and said hello when he was getting onto the plane (I was in first class, Perry was in coach) until I told them who he was and said we had been consuming much beer at the hotel bar the night before.
Quote from: hbelkins on July 28, 2022, 10:16:49 PM
Anyone ever meet famous people in seemingly random or odd places?
It wasn't me, but on a soccer board I read a story from a ref who had David Beckham on the sideline at a game, watching his kid play. That could make some calls interesting, to say the least.
Bill Gothard (unfortunately)
Scott Walker
Jim Sensenbrenner
John Schlitt
Bill Wegman
Quote from: hbelkins on July 28, 2022, 10:16:49 PM
Anyone ever meet famous people in seemingly random or odd places?
I was in a strip club once (don't judge) when Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert popped in for a while. It was actually kind of a scuzzy place as opposed to a "high end" club. Later that night one of the strippers told me that they often come by when in town.
(Edited: Roger, not Robert. My fingers must have had a mind of their own)Quote from: dlsterner on September 22, 2019, 12:38:20 AM
Assuming "met" involves at least a handshake and/or a few words exchanged. So no using sporting events nor concerts, unless the prior condition happened.
In no particular order:
Jimmy Carter (post-presidency, about 10-15 years ago)
William Donald Schaefer (former Mayor of Baltimore and former Governor of Maryland)
Larry Hogan (current Governor of Maryland)
Boog Powell (former 1B for the Baltimore Orioles, 1970 AL MVP)
Robert Packwood (former US Senator from Oregon)
From my original reply - I actually met Senator Packwood at a duplicate bridge tournament. Turns out he is an avid player Played seven hands against him and his partner, chatted a bit between hands. I did not ask him about his reasons for leaving the Senate.
Quote from: dlsterner on July 29, 2022, 08:42:35 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on July 28, 2022, 10:16:49 PM
Anyone ever meet famous people in seemingly random or odd places?
I was in a strip club once (don't judge) when Gene Siskel and Robert Ebert popped in for a while. It was actually kind of a scuzzy place as opposed to a "high end" club. Later that night one of the strippers told me that they often come by when in town.
I have to ask–did you see any thumbs up or down being awarded to the performance?
Quote from: Scott5114 on July 29, 2022, 09:18:39 PM
Quote from: dlsterner on July 29, 2022, 08:42:35 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on July 28, 2022, 10:16:49 PM
Anyone ever meet famous people in seemingly random or odd places?
I was in a strip club once (don't judge) when Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert popped in for a while. It was actually kind of a scuzzy place as opposed to a "high end" club. Later that night one of the strippers told me that they often come by when in town.
I have to ask–did you see any thumbs up or down being awarded to the performance?
Ya think I was looking at
them? :bigass:
Quote from: dlsterner on July 29, 2022, 08:42:35 PM
(Edited: Roger, not Robert. My fingers must have had a mind of their own)
Fingers with a mind of their own is not a good thing at a strip club ;)
Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson - I met him backstage after his "The Cosmic Perspective" lecture in Pittsburgh. Got my picture taken backstage with him. Very nice and engaging.
Tom Wolf - Current Governor of PA. I met him at my last job. I was working in a community mental health/substance abuse treatment facility and he came there to do a press conference where he announced that our facility had received a grant to further address the opioid crisis. It was a brief meeting, but I remember him comparing our beards.
Queensryche - I flew out to Seattle in 2006 to see Queensryche do a series of shows that they ended up filming for a concert DVD (Mindcrime at the Moore). I attended a charity brunch at the Edgewater Hotel that the band had set up. Got to meet all 5 members of the band and get photos taken w/ each of them.
Quote from: jmd41280 on August 01, 2022, 10:20:30 PM
Queensryche - I flew out to Seattle in 2006 to see Queensryche do a series of shows that they ended up filming for a concert DVD (Mindcrime at the Moore). I attended a charity brunch at the Edgewater Hotel that the band had set up. Got to meet all 5 members of the band and get photos taken w/ each of them.
Very jealous! Would love to just see Queensryche ... being able to meet them would be on another level.
Quote from: hbelkins on July 28, 2022, 10:16:49 PM
Anyone ever meet famous people in seemingly random or odd places?
I sat next to Reggie Givens on a flight to Atlanta back in 2015. Weather delays an ATL meant we waited on the ground for two hours before taking off, so he told me he was a fitness trainer, and we talked about work and family (it was near the end of the year). I didn't actually know who he was at the time, but he was quite affable and friendly despite the major flight delays we were all incurring.
That ends my Ted talk.
John Garamendi-(Member of US Congress, When I seen him directly He was a Lieutenant Governor for California) During my time at college in Sacramento.
Leland Yee-During his time as a State Senator of California during an event in San Francisco.
All Others are while heading to the Oakland Coliseum in the 1990's to see an A's game with Family.
Mark McGuire
Jose Canseco
Jason Giambi
I have finally met my first celebrity a few days ago, and it's Canadian comedian Russell Peters. Have a selfie with him!
Thought of a few more on my list:
Melinda Gates
The band Filter
The band Lit
Peyton Manning
Former Colorado Senator Corey Gardner
Terrell Davis
Kerri Strug
Most of the 2016 Kansas City Royals
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock
Gary Zimmerman (NFL Hall of Famer)
Roy Williams
Kirk Hinrich
Quote from: dlsterner on September 22, 2019, 12:38:20 AM
Assuming "met" involves at least a handshake and/or a few words exchanged. So no using sporting events nor concerts, unless the prior condition happened.
In no particular order:
Jimmy Carter (post-presidency, about 10-15 years ago)
William Donald Schaefer (former Mayor of Baltimore and former Governor of Maryland)
Larry Hogan (current Governor of Maryland)
Boog Powell (former 1B for the Baltimore Orioles, 1970 AL MVP)
Robert Packwood (former US Senator from Oregon)
Updating ... I met William Shatner recently, so he definitely enters the "top five".
If I am going to follow the letter of the subject, I guess I have to prune my original list by one to get back down to five. Maybe Schaefer, since despite being well known in Maryland, probably not that well known outside. Plus he's the only one on my list that is deceased. Or maybe Packwood, probably the least well known in that list, and he was a bit of a sleaze as well.
Quote from: hbelkins on July 28, 2022, 10:16:49 PM
Anyone ever meet famous people in seemingly random or odd places?
I can't remember the actress' name, but she was in "Perfect Strangers" and was from Cumberland, Md. Ran into her at a Sheetz there on a Christmas night back in the early 1990s.
Ran into Jack Givens (former UK and NBA basketball player who was the MVP of the 1978 NCAA championship game) at the former SuperAmerica store in Jackson, Ky., back in the late '80s or early '90s.
I didn't meet him, but a number of my friends met Drew Carey when he was on a motorcycle ride through rural America and passed through Lee and Owsley counties. He caused quite a stir when he stopped for gas at the Shell in Beattyville, Ky.
A now-deceased buddy of mine ran into Gimel Martinez (former UK basketball player) at the airport in Myrtle Beach years ago.
Rebeca Arthur
Quote from: dlsterner on November 20, 2022, 09:54:23 PM
Quote from: dlsterner on September 22, 2019, 12:38:20 AM
Assuming "met" involves at least a handshake and/or a few words exchanged. So no using sporting events nor concerts, unless the prior condition happened.
In no particular order:
Jimmy Carter (post-presidency, about 10-15 years ago)
William Donald Schaefer (former Mayor of Baltimore and former Governor of Maryland)
Larry Hogan (current Governor of Maryland)
Boog Powell (former 1B for the Baltimore Orioles, 1970 AL MVP)
Robert Packwood (former US Senator from Oregon)
Updating ... I met William Shatner recently, so he definitely enters the "top five".
If I am going to follow the letter of the subject, I guess I have to prune my original list by one to get back down to five. Maybe Schaefer, since despite being well known in Maryland, probably not that well known outside. Plus he's the only one on my list that is deceased. Or maybe Packwood, probably the least well known in that list, and he was a bit of a sleaze as well.
Schaefer is the one of your original five that I'd never heard of.
One I forgot earlier:
Felix Silla (Cousin It from Addams Family, Twiki from Buck Rogers)
Quote from: 1995hoo on September 21, 2019, 05:51:34 PM
HRH the Duke of York (Prince Andrew)
Alex Ovechkin
Raisa Gorbachev
Either Rod Rosenstein (long before his service as Deputy Attorney General) or Merrick Garland (likewise, long before his nomination to the Supreme Court)
Marion Barry
I'm on an Amtrak train and NBC's Andrea Mitchell is sitting right behind me. We had a nice conversation while waiting to board. So I might substitute her name for Rod Rosenstein and Merrick Garland on the list above. I suspect she's more recognizable to most people due to her TV role.
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 12, 2023, 06:56:39 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on September 21, 2019, 05:51:34 PM
HRH the Duke of York (Prince Andrew)
Alex Ovechkin
Raisa Gorbachev
Either Rod Rosenstein (long before his service as Deputy Attorney General) or Merrick Garland (likewise, long before his nomination to the Supreme Court)
Marion Barry
I'm on an Amtrak train and NBC's Andrea Mitchell is sitting right behind me. We had a nice conversation while waiting to board. So I might substitute her name for Rod Rosenstein and Merrick Garland on the list above. I suspect she's more recognizable to most people due to her TV role.
Personally, I recognize Rosenstein and Garland more than I do Ovechkin and Gorbechev, but that's probably unique to my situation of only having started consuming political news in 2008 and preferring textual formats to video.
I visit with former Dallas Cowboy legend Randy White a couple of times a week. He's 69 now and owns a ranch not far from my home. Football took a toll, but he's still strong as ever and a full-time grandpa. And a lot nicer than his old perceived persona.
Surprised I didn't post my short list earlier.
The late U.S. Supreme Court justice Byron White (who made it clear he hated the "Whizzer" nickname from when he played football for the Detroit Lions)
The recently-deceased David Harris, imprisoned for resisting the draft during the Vietnam War, and later ran unsuccessfully for Congress from my northern California district (which was how I met him); perhaps a bit more famous for his marriage to singer Joan Baez
Congressman Allard Lowenstein, when he delivered a speech at my college, shortly before he was assassinated
Gallagher (nearly backed into him)
during performance - not a direct meet - George Carlin
can't recall anyone I met directly.
Quote from: SSOWorld on May 12, 2023, 09:21:04 PM
Gallagher (nearly backed into him)
during performance - not a direct meet - George Carlin
can't recall anyone I met directly.
I met either Gallagher or his brother on a beach in Florida when I was a child, but I didn't know who either of them was at the time.
Science Fiction Authors:
Isaac Asimov
George R. R. Martin
Gordon Dickson
Paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould
Mathematician Richard Hamming
Quote from: dfilpus on May 13, 2023, 02:19:10 PMIsaac Asimov
There's one who passed away shorty after I'd "discovered" his work. Would have really liked to meet him.
Got to meet James Spann at a book signing a few weeks back, he's probably a bit more famous to a few forum members here than some of the other names I mentioned.
I'm not sure I could come up with five, but the list at least includes Jo Jorgensen (Libertarian Party 2020 presidential candidate) and Kirby Smart (Head coach of Georgia Bulldogs football since 2016)
(Yeah, I know its been 8 months plus, but hear me out)
Adding ghosts to my collection of people I've met....
When The Grammys were doing their 'In Memorium' interlude last last, they referenced two people that I've met (long before their passings)
Dick Waterman passed away last week. He was a (blues) music promoter, writer, photographer, and agent. I had the opportunity to meet him twice, once in Clarksdale, Miss in '08 and again in Baton Rouge in '17. I also corresponded with Mr. Waterman numerous times on a blues music list-serve (Blues-L was equivalent to MTR, 20 years ago)
____
Chris Strachwitz passed away in May of last year. He started Arhoolie Records, back in 1960 (and operated it till 2016, when he sold it to the Smithsonian). Chris did more for the recording of folk and ethnic music in 50 years than anyone else.
I met Chris once, in New Orleans (in '08 or '09) at the Ponderosa Stomp.
Anyways, I wasn't expecting to see both men's names listed during the Grammys broadcast last night, so that makes them "famous" in my book. :clap:
George W Bush (3 person convo)
Don Henley (2X)
Gary Richrath (REO SPEEDWAGON)
David Crowder
Deion Sanders
I Met every Texas governor since Briscoe.
Every Texas U.S Senators from the seventies to till now Except for Cruz.
Joe Biden
John Glenn
Nathan Lane
Brooks Robinson
Suzanne Vega
There are other politicians I have met but I wanted to get some variety in here.
I ran into Biden in a Delaware bookstore when he was still a Senator (around 2004). This was before he would have been surrounded by Secret Service.
John Glenn occurred inside the U.S. Capitol complex in the early '80s when one could enter the Capitol easily. It was actually near the underground subway between the Senate buildings and the Capitol.
In no particular order:
Lee Greenwood
Carrot Top
Sparky Anderson and Al Kaline (and many of the early '80s Detroit Tigers)
Judy Woodruff (NBC News)
Pete Weber and Parker Bohn III (PBA bowlers)
Quote from: KEVIN_224 on September 22, 2019, 06:55:02 PM
Met some of Dave (Letterman)'s neighbors, but not all at the same time: Mujibur, Sirjul and Rupert Jee of the Hello Deli.
Funny you mention Sirajul and Mujibur. Once upon a time Letterman sent them on a tour of the country for a couple weeks and each night they would do a remote report for the show from whatever city they happened to be in. We were on vacation in Las Vegas and happened to run into them while they were in town. They and their crew were setting up in the lobby of the Bally's hotel (now the Horseshoe at the corner of Las Vegas Blvd and Flamingo), miked up and ready to go while waiting for lights and cameras. They were just standing off to the side, minding their own business, and nobody else seemed to know who they were. We were big fans of Letterman at the time and recognized them immediately, so we just walked up and began chatting them up. Seemed like nice guys.
Cal Ripken (Baltimore Orioles shortstop)
Jimmy Craig (1980 US Olympic Hockey Team)
Dave Silk (1980 US Olympic Hockey Team)
Marco Rubio (US Senator & former Presidential Primary candidate)
Hal Moore (US Army General, war hero, and co-author of "We Were Soldiers Once... and Young")
I could add some folks who have or appear on talk radio, podcasts, and/or the various cable news channels.
Hopefully I'll meet Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Mecole Hardman at the parade tomorrow! (yeah, right!) :-D
Quote from: fhmiii on February 13, 2024, 04:44:15 PM
Hopefully I'll meet Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Mecole Hardman at the parade tomorrow! (yeah, right!) :-D
Are you OK? I heard there's been a shooting at the parade, with multiple victims.
Quote from: kphoger on February 14, 2024, 03:44:37 PM
Quote from: fhmiii on February 13, 2024, 04:44:15 PM
Hopefully I'll meet Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Mecole Hardman at the parade tomorrow! (yeah, right!) :-D
Are you OK? I heard there's been a shooting at the parade, with multiple victims.
:-( :no: :angry:
Quote from: Big John on February 14, 2024, 04:55:50 PM
Quote from: kphoger on February 14, 2024, 03:44:37 PM
Quote from: fhmiii on February 13, 2024, 04:44:15 PM
Hopefully I'll meet Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Mecole Hardman at the parade tomorrow! (yeah, right!) :-D
Are you OK? I heard there's been a shooting at the parade, with multiple victims.
:-( :no: :angry:
Wait...what?
At least 22 people with gunshot wounds, from a public shooting by Union Station. I assume from his earlier comment that |fhmiii| was at the event somewhere (but not necessarily Union Station).
(now former) Governor Richard Lamm
(at the time) Mayor of CO Springs, John Suthers. He was also many other political things.
Former child actor Brian Bonsall. Smoked a hoint in an alley in Boulder.
Early-80's local radio personality Deni LaRue (delivered a pizza to her!)
Various other local TV/radio people.
Can I say absolutely nobody?
"Most famous" is relative. Unless you've never met five people, then you should be able to rank the top five.