*1958, age 1: Parents bought their first house in Falls Church, VA from Colonel Cole, General Doolittle's co-pilot for the Tokyo raid.
*1962-3, age 5-6: Saw President Kennedy at Andrews AFB. Was part of crowd welcoming him; he passed about 10 feet away accompanied by a pretty stewardess, of course!
*1965?, age 8: Shook President Johnson's hand at a White House gathering. I remember this HUGE hand coming down to gently shake my little hand.
*1969, age 12: Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia...before an afternoon game between the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies, I got to go down on the field and meet future Cubs' Hall-of-Famer Ernie Banks, since we were both first basemen. Nice guy. I have a ball signed that day by Banks, Leo Durocher, Billy Williams, and Ron Santo.
*1970?, age 13: Met South Vietnamese Vice President Nguyen Cao Ky at a taping of "Meet the Press". We shook hands after the show, and he said he thought my F-111 tie clasp was pretty cool. Its wings actually would swing back and forth, just like the real thing.
*1974, age 17: Accompanied Japanese son of family friend to Austin, TX to visit his god-father, LBJ advisor, Walt Rostow. Had lunch with "Lady Bird" Johnson at the LBJ Ranch (this was after President Johnson's death). She drove us and Rostow's Yalie daughter around the ranch in her Cadillac, followed by two Secret Service agents in another car. I asked her how many acres she had, and she said, "Not very many, only about 10,000." Texans, they think differently, don't they? Rostow's daughter and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes.
*1974, age 17: Saw President Nixon at a Washington, DC hotel lobby. He was there to show his support for famine relief in Africa. A bunch of high school kids visiting Washington were tipped off that he would be there and started singing "God Bless American" as he came through, shaking their hands. This was during Watergate and he probably really needed the positive vibes. In person, he didn't look so good. Very drained and haggard.
*1979-80, age 23-24: Egyptian President Anwar Sadat drove by some friends and me while we stood on a street corner in the Georgetown section of Washington. There was no traffic around, and his limo drove by slowly and made a turn about 15 feet away. His window was down and he was right there; we waved and yelled "Hello President Sadat!", and he waved back and smiled. He had almost no security with him; within a year or two he would be assasinated in Egypt.
*early '80s, mid 20's: Stood next to Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas in a men's room at some Washington reception. It could have been an awkward moment, but I told him I had recently read one of his books, and had enjoyed it very much.
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There are many more, but with less well-known people. These are some of the more interesting encounters.
MRPLUTO
