* * Disclaimer - These stories were submitted by visitors to the Dead or Alive? site and reflect their experiences and opinions in meeting famous people * *
Ed Asner - In 1973 my family and I were traveling by plane from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Ed Asner was sitting about five rows ahead of us. I was 12 or 13 at the time so I went up and asked for his autograph. He wrote, "To a very nice young lady." I still have it. Also, on the same plane was Tommy Smothers, but he was too busy to give an autograph. - Janice B.
Pat Boone - While I was working in a book store in the St. Louis airport I looked out onto the concourse one day and noticed a guy in very WHITE loafers. As I looked up, he looked at me and I knew it was Pat Boone. As he was giving me his autograph, I told him that it was the shoes that did it. He said it happens to him all the time. Very nice man. - JAK
Robert Kennedy - In the spring of 1962, when I was 12, my mother, my brother, two of my brother's friends, and I were seeing the sights in Washington, DC. Among the places we went was the old FBI building, where we were part of a tour group. Completing the tour, we left the building en masse, and the door was courteously held open by a man in a suit who wanted to enter but couldn't until the tour group had cleared out of the way. As we went a bit further down the sidewalk, my mother said to me, "Do you realize who was holding the door for us? That is Attorney General Robert Kennedy." I have to admit that at age 12 I was not particularly impressed. But how times have changed -- it is inconceivable that today the nation's Attorney General would be holding a door open for a crowd of tourists, with no security detail around him. - TRP
John Wayne - I worked as a PA on the set of "Rio Lobo" in 1970 around February at the Old Tuscon Studios. I met Mr. Wayne one night while he was filming a scene. We talked about where I was from at the time and he said he knew quite a bit about Buffalo, NY, and the Roswell Cancer Clinic since he had had a lung removed there. Til this day most people when you tell them a story about meeting John Wayne don't believe you. I am still in the movie business so they believe me most of the time. - Limo Tom
Warren Moon - I am from Vancouver, Canada. On the Thanksgiving long weekend, my friends and I went down to Seattle to shop. I walked by a store in one of the local malls and Warren Moon was in there. I couldn`t believe my eyes. I went in the store and asked if he was Warren Moon. He said yes and he shook my hands. Warrren Moon is one of the few players that have won both the Super Bowl and the Grey Cup [the equivalent in Canada]. - Dixon C. [Editor's note: Although Warren Moon was on a number of Grey Cup winning teams he never won the Super Bowl]
Mr. Rogers - Back in the early 1970s my parents took my brother and me to the Old Hartford Civic Center to see Mr Fred Rogers. I got to sing his signature song "Won't You Be My Neighbor" with him. It was the most thrilling moment of my life as a child. And he was so friendly. - Beth C.
Lucille Ball, Ronald Reagan - It was in the '80s at Pope AFB in North Carolina. Bob Hope was doing his show back then to celebrate the Air Force's 40th birthday. His guest stars were President Reagan, Barbara Mandrell, Brook Shields and Emmanuel Lewis, along with Lucy Ball. I got the terrible task of directing traffic coming in for the rehearsal and taping of the show, and in NC with the sun and heat, I was sunburned, hot and tired. A limo pulled in and, seeing them all day and knowing I could not see in, I did not pay much attention to it. About 5 minutes later it was back. Out came Lucille Ball with bottles of water for me and my friends. She stopped and chatted as she passed them out. Not only was I starstruck, but I will never forget how nice she smelled. I told her how I love her shows, but not so much the "Here's Lucy" show. She laughed and said that it was not her favorite either. I asked her how Mr. Mooney was and she laughed and said he was as grouchy and lovable as always. And then she hugged me and I got a photo with her. - - I also met President Reagan but it was only for a moment. I was a medic in the Air Force and after parking cars I went back to the clinic to work when in came about 10 guys (Secret Service) and a minute later in came President Reagan and Nancy. They chatted for a minute as they were waiting for his own doctor to do something. As luck would have it, no one had a camera, but he did sign my Air Force hat. He said if anyone had a problem with it to tell them to call him. We laughed and he moved on. - Kent
Bob Crane - I delivered newspapers when I was a teenager in the 1960s in Waterbury, Connecticut. One of my customers told me to drop by the following Saturday to meet her son. It was Bob Crane and his show was still on TV. He was very gracious and gave me an autographed photo of himself. - L. Ferrari
Robin Williams - I own a video production company. One of our main sources of income is weddings. A few years ago we were taping a wedding on Amelia Island in Florida. We were told that Robin Williams would be a guest as he was a cousin of the groom and we were not to fuss over him. This resort is very protective of stars that visit. He mingled with the guests and everyone treated him like any other guest. Then when the opportunity was given to toast the couple, Robin did a hilarious off-the-cuff monologue. It was great and I got the whole thing on tape from right in front of him. - Bob Z.
John Denver - I was not a big fan of John Denver as my mother used to wake us up early on Saturday mornings playing his music really loud. In the late 1980s he played in Fredericton, New Brunswick. My mother waited in line for a long while to get his autograph for me. When she finally reached the table, she said, "This is for my daughter - she hates your music." She said he looked confused. Poor man. I've grown to tolerate and even like some of his music and I'm happy he signed the poster for me. - Kirsten
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