I’ve encountered quite a few “famous” people, but the one encounter that is still vivid is meeting and actually singing with the Von Trapp Family. This must have been after WWII when they were traveling in the states on their singing tours. My mother at the time was president of the Kohler Women’s Club in Wisconsin and had arranged for the Von Trapps engagement there. I was just a little girl but because I loved to sing my mother brought me to see the performance. Afterward she took me back stage to meet Maria and family and when my mother mentioned how, I, too, sang, Maria wanted to hear me. I was most uncomfortable, I remember and didn’t want to sing but she started to sing and said, Ja, you sing with me, and I did. I can’t for the life of me remember what the song was. The other encounter was pure hearsay or gossip. We lived close to Bill Stryon’s son and wife and were good friends. One summer an aunt of the wife came to stay at their place for several weeks in order to take care of house and dogs while they went off to Martha’s Vineyard where the Stryon’s have a summer home. This aunt was a Liz Smith in southern clothing and blessed with a the same kind of wit to boot. She and I took a shine to each other and for two weeks I was privy to the best of stories. Over endless cups of tea or wine she regaled me with tales of all the goings on within the Stryon family, with the Clintons (who frequented their place at the vineyard), Diane Sawyer and Mike Nichols; Carley Simon and so on and so forth. What a hoot! Loved every minute and swore my lips would be sealed. Alas, my dear friends, I do keep promises, but oh, the stories I could tell.

Kim Philby. Beirut, 1962.

I too have had many famous encounters through my job of publishers representative. Most famous probably Margaret Atwood (very dry wit, doesn’t suffer fools lightly… luckily we got along ;-) ), Rohinton Mistry and the man who starred in the movie of his book Such a Long Journey, Alice Munro, Timothy Findley (my fave, what a wonderful human being he was!), Toller Cranston (spent an amazing evening at a collectors’ - of his art - house overlooking the ocean), for the guys, Tretiak (who made a pass at me), Guy LaFleur… Most memorable was the night I went for dinner with Evan Solomon and I nearly choked on an oyster and he had to give me the heimlich… talk about an adrenaline rush for all of us at the table which led to the most amazing conversation for the rest of the evening!!!

A couple of years ago I met Barack Obama at a business reception. I had a copy of his memoirs and took it with me on the outside chance that he’d autograph it. Graciously he did. I’m not typically an autograph hound but something just told me to ask for his. — Karen Visit me at Midlife’s A Trip.com and at BlogHer.com where I’m the contributing editor on midlife issues.

I met Mick Jagger and everyone else in the Rolling Stones about two years ago. They were doing a concert in Austin, Texas, and I won a “meet and greet” contest sponsored by a local radio station. There were only a few of us three, and the guys in the band were a lot friendlier than I expected. The biggest surprise was seeing how much better Mick is in person - he has an infectious grin. When I was nine I met Elizabeth Montgomery in front of the Smithsonian Institute - this was when Bewitched was the highest-rated show on TV. She wiggled her nose for me! She was wearing black boots, black coat, black gloves and dark glasses and looked exactly like what I imagined a star looks like. Linda Adams

I worked as a movie extra in Tucson, while in college (because I could ride a horse) and met Paul Newman, John Huston, Victoria Principal (her first big movie) and others. Paul Newman was rude beyond belief to spectators (it was not a closed set and tourists were around) to the point that I did not go to see his movies for many years afterward. His achievements professionally and personally have certainly overcome my early opinion. Huston was a charmer. The best was the wrap party on the sound stage. Edith Head followed me around all night and felt me up. Art Newman (with his siblings blue eyes) got drunk and took over the drums for quite a while. Great night, eye-opening. Movie: Judge Roy Hill (? - still haven’t seen it)

I forgot my funniest phone call…….I was living at home while in college with my parents (ugh). My stepfather was retired foreign service officer. The phone rings in the evening and I answer it: Trueblood residence…”hello! is Eddie there?” “yes, may I ask who is calling?” “This is Algie Hiss” I answer…”oh sure, ha,ha” and was met with silence. It was Algier Hiss and he had just been released from prison, but that’s another story.

What an appropriate question for me as I am glued to the Democratic Convention. I was a delegate to the 1972 Demo Convention pledged to George McGovern. This was an historic convention in its own rights but especially for women. We seem to forget that another woman ran for and had her name entered into the roll-call voting for President, Shirley Chisholm. Because of a historic move to have mandates for women and other minorities as delegates; this was a major convention for women. There were many caucus meetings for the women delegates, all of which I attended with delight. At these meetings, I met Jane Fonda, Shirley McClaine, Marlo Thomas and Shirley Chisholm herself; as well as others whom my senior moments cannot recall. But I can remember, as if it were yesterday, sitting on the floor in one of the hotel rooms used for the caucus meetings at the feet of Jane Fonda. And as a delegate pledged to McGovern I had met the Senator several times. Watching the Dems get together every four years brings many memories. One of the many changes over the years is the orchestration of the convention happenings. Television has had a major impact on these affairs. George McGovern was delivering his acceptance speech well past prime time TV and without the “show” that accompanies conventions these days.

MARLO THOMAS

I met John F. Kennedy when he was running for President in 1960. He had given a speech at my college (then Morris Harvey, now the University of Charleston (WV), and he was shaking hands with students as they passed by. Someone in line ahead of me told him that my last name was the same as his, and he asked if I could be related to him. Smart aleck that I was, I answered….”No, I’m a Protestant Republican.” (both those have now changed). Later, on telling a friend how he was looking at me as I walked down the hall backward, she said “If you played your cards right, you could have been “Fuddle” (referring to the code names for his two White House playmates, called “Fiddle and Faddle”.)

I was fortunate enough to own a catering business in the Hamptons and met many famous people- my fav’s are Prince Albert on Monaco, Barry Sonnenfield and wife Susan Ringo, Will Smith… least fav’s you can only guess…Albert had the best parties and was the most down to earth. He’s very sweet and considerate, not at all like you would imagine.

I’ve met too many to mention. I do know Steve Lawrence, we lived in the same neighborhood. I also dated Jim Plunkett for a short time. I worked side by side with Mayor Beame of NY, after he left office. He was friends with the Chairman of my company. Vic Damone came to a party my company threw, also met Henry Fonda, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (what a nice man). Well the list goes on and on.

Hmmm, can’t trump any presidential encounters but I took Andie McDowell around the town to look at house in my Subaru. And Theodore Roosevelt IV wanted to get me a place on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange as he thought I’d make a great trader. He tells a fine dirty joke and is very well-spoken. We talked about books, and cowboys, and the land. Oh yeah, and I met Mark Rypien, the former Redskins quarterback. Very nice guy, and very mild mannered. You would think living in Denver, there’d be a bunch of Elway sightings but I only have one of those to my credit, and one Ed McCaffery sighting. Met a lot of country music folks, Lonestar, Michael Martin Murphy, Hal Ketchum. The Osmonds came to Missoula once — hung out with Jay for a few minutes. Funny brother. Always wanted to meet Jimmy Buffett and would gladly have borne him an illegitimate child. Marcus Allen wanted me to meet in a bar once, but my boyfriend loomed too large. Ooops, I guess this was supposed to be THE most memorable — well, when you live in Montana, any random meeting/sighting is noteworthy. Most OMIGOD moment though was getting my picture with Pamela Huston, the author. WOW!!!!!

I’ve met a few moderately famous people. I met (then) Senator Dale Bumpers (Arkansas) when he came to speak at a business college graduation (I was the Business Technology chair). But the most memorable ‘famous’ person I met was John Densmore, former drummer for the Doors. He came to speak at the University of Central Arkansas Honors College and also performed his one man show there. It was his birthday (coincidentally), and my good friend, who was the Associate Director at the time, asked me to join Densmore for lunch. My son, who I think was a high school sophomore or junior at the time, was a big Doors fan, so I ‘broke’ him out of high school and we had lunch with Densmore in Little Rock. He and my son really hit it off. They especially had fun when the topic turned to gun control (Densmore was for it) and Ted Nugent (hated him). We talked about his memoirs/biography he’d recently published and we shared some thoughts on poetry. A very enjoyable lunch!