I met Father Mychal Judge, chief chaplain of the NYC Fire Department, an amazing gentleman; listed as Victim #1 of 911. Walking with my elderly mother on Central Park West at 68th Street, she took a bad fall. Father Mike saw the fall, parked his car, and appeared seemingly out of nowhere to give aid. He calmed her quickly, offered encouragement and summoned two police officers from Central Park. The officers were about to call for an ambulance as the fall had resulted in a bloody head injury. My mother opined she would NOT going to a hospital and Father Mike directed that the officers “just put in a few butterflies, we’re not taking this lady anywhere she doesn’t want to go”. The officers complied with a “yes, Father Mike”… and within twenty minutes… Father Mike had loaded us into his car and we were headed back to our hotel. He gleefully set off his red light and turned on the siren, circumventing traffic and demonstrating his driving skills. The kindness of Father Mike, his humbleness as to his service to the fire department, his humility and humanity…Father Mike an incredible human being.

I own a custom frame shop and art gallery, and got a rather cryptic call one afternoon asking if it would be possible to frame something special very quickly. I was happy to comply, and said that they should come right over. The reply was that the art would be overnighted to me, and I should call a certain telephone number the next day when it arrived. Next day a package arrived, and I opened it quickly. Imagine my surprise to find an autographed poster from Mr. Rogers of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood signed to Rildia Bee. I telephoned as asked, and was told that I should select something rather elegant, and phone back when ready. Hmmmmm…poster of Mr. Rogers and elegant? Ok. The following day, someone arrived to retrieve the package and pay for it, and brought beautiful wrapping paper and asked if I could assist in wrapping. A week later, I was stunned to look out the front of my shop to see a huge black Cadillac arrive, and Van Cliburn unfold and unfold and unfold from the front seat. I was even *more* stunned when he opened the door and entered my shop. He walked over to me, offered *the* softest and the LARGEST hand I had ever seen, and introduced himself! He came in to say a personal thank you for framing his mother’s birthday gift from her dear friend Mr. Rogers. She loved it and he appreciated how quickly we got it ready. He stayed for a while, thanked me again, and asked if my husband and I would be his guest at the reception following the final of the Van Cliburn Piano competition coming up in about six months. He asked for my address, and was off. True to his word, a beautiful invitation arrived for the reception, along with tickets for the final medal presentation and performance. At the crowded reception, he spotted us across the room, and came over to greet and called us by name! What a true gentleman. I am pretty crazy about my friend Betty Buckley, too. She has a huge heart for animals and the funniest bird in the world. There have been many others, but these are special.

when i was growing up in the bronx (new york -for those who don’t know where that is). in our home republicanism came before judisim - and my dad went to convention upon convention as a delegate. therefore i met many “famous people”. but the one i remember the mose is dwight eisenhower - he came down to my level - in 1951 i was 8 years old - and he spoke to me - not down to me as a child but as a person. i felt like i was 12 feet tall. i have never forgotten that.

I have met a lot of famous people (some good, some bad, and some indifferent and none of whom shall be “outed”). I live in Laguna Beach and we have “celebrities” come and go. And I believe that most of them want to remain incognito and the town certainly allows that. However, THE MOST FAMOUS PERSON I ever encountered and spent an afternoon with was Richard Burton . In the good days before Barnes and Noble and Borders put all the little booksellers out of business we had 7 or 8 in our town. My favorite was Mariner’s Books and I was browsing books there one day and heard the voice that couldn’t be missed. He was asking for help in some department so I plopped down on the end of one of the sofas with my books and waited until I heard the voice again and I did. The voice was asking me if I minded if he shared the other end of the sofa. He introduced himself and I introduced myself and he spent the afternoon discussing books, relating anecdotes about the theater ( I was dying to ask what he had done with Elizabeth but restrained myself) and other actors, plays, etc. He was quite messy, clothes askew, hair not washed, bad skin but could he ever weave a tale. His manners were impeccable and he apologized for “taking over my afternoon” and I, on the other hand, said that I had enjoyed our conversation immensely which was true. And, Oh! that voice.

My celebrity “run-in” was at LAX about 15 years ago. I had just come in from Chicago and was on my way to catch a taxi and saw Kathryn Crosby. She knew I recognized her, and when she did she put her finger to her lips and mouthed, “shhh…” and then simply smiled. I smiled back and kept on walking. We really had our own little moment because no one else recognized her.

The most famous person I’ve met was Robert F. Kennedy. It was May, 1968. I had been a volunteer at the Kennedy for President headquarters Portland, Oregon. Early one Saturday morning in May, 1968 I received a call from the manager of Kennedy headquarters. She asked if I could get to the headquarters within an hour. The Senator wanted to met the long term volunteers without the press. You bet I got there. The Senator shook my hand and thanked me for my service. What I remember most was the intensity and compassion in his startingly blue eyes. That meeting had a huge impact on how I choose to live my life. My Catholic education and faith, the example of my Mom and Senator Kennedy’s life and death influenced me to choose a life of service. Until I was disabled by a tumor on my spine I was an administrator at Stanford University who ensured that students and their families would have comfortable and safe places to live and study. Now I volunteer at a Children’s Hospital. I often think of the quote the Senator used to close all of his stump speeches. “Some men see things as they are and ask ‘why’; I dream things that never were and ask ‘why not’.”

The most famous person I have ever met was wowOwow’s own Lily Tomlin…..at a family reunion. She was gracious and welcoming and so comfortable to be around. I was in awe of her and still am. Love you Lily!

In reply to the email today: I met an Olympian, whose name I no longer remember, when he was in the homecoming parade in my home town 20+ years ago. I waited on Morgan Fairchild and served her dinner one night when she was in St. Louis doing a play - didn’t even recognize her until half the people in the place made a point of telling me who was at table five. Those were my only two brushes with fame. But after writing a newspaper column for a few years, I was stunned one day when, while Christmas shopping, someone asked if it was really me, “that woman who does the column in the paper.” Made MY day! If I could pick someone to run into and get a minute to have a conversation with…well, most of the people I wish I could meet are already dead, but my top five would be Dean Koontz, Oprah Winfrey, Pope Benedict XVI, Janet Evanovich’s agent, or my father. And not in that order.

While I was teaching at Silver Lake Middle School in Pembroke, Massachusetts in 2005, Chris Cooper came to our eighth grade graduation dance.His son Jesse was an 8th grade student in our school at the time. He was very gracious and low key. Bev, former Art Teacher

Walter Cronkite, I was a waitress in Kansas City in a restaurant he frequented whenever he was in town. He was the nicest most polite “famous” person. It was an honor serving his wife and him.

The most famous persons I have met were Ozzie Davis and Ruby Dee. I met them when they did a play here in New Brunswick, New Jersey at the Crossroad Theater where I volunteered for about three years. I also got my daughter involved also and my daughter had her picture taken with them. That was the best season I ever had. They were very approachable and down to earth people. We were really able to talk to them and they were great.

Oh ya… I forgot about this but I think I wrote about it on another thread. He isn’t the most famous person I met (that would have been Johnny Depp) but I got mad dogged by Ted Nugent in the airport. I wrote about this on another thread some time ago. But apparently Ted took some sort of offense to my peace symbol necklace and the attention it got from the airport staff. He must have pegged me for a liberal gun control loving “breeder” lol. for those of you who don’t know Ted’s kind of well known for saying that a women are basically “breeders”. He made an effort to give me a dirty enough and long enough look that I’d notice.