Our family lived in Maine from 1993 – 1997 and the area we lived in was ripe with chance meetings of fate, because so many celebs and power people vacation or retire there. Here’s just one example. More will follow and fans of the old TV comedy, Green Acres, will want to check out this post.
Most people who flew out of our area to the rest of the United States and the world would leave on the 6AM flight out of Bangor International Airport. It was a large plane, flying to Logan International in Boston, where connections were made with the rest of civilization.
On one such flight, we had landed at Logan and were deplaning. I was doing the ol’ sideways shuffle up the aisle to exit the plane and there was one person left in First Class, getting his stuff together. He was stooped down and when I was at his aisle, he stood up and turned directly in my direction. I came face to face with a man who, at one time, was one of the most powerful men in the entire world – Caspar Weinberger. I quickly looked to my left and the captain of the airplane was standing at the cockpit door… he gave me a smile and the “yeah, it’s him” nod. I turned back to Cap, our eyes met again, we said nothing and I turned and exited the airplane. 
I was pretty excited to be a foot away from such a monumental figure in world history, but nobody else seemed that impressed. Maybe you’re not real excited either, but this is just a teaser — many more will follow. How about you? Have you ever had an unexpected collision with a major power broker or member of the glitterati?
Hey Bo,
Casper W. …that’s cool!
Not so unexpected, but I shook hands with President Nixon. I also got to chat briefly with George Wallace (before his assassination attempt) in his Montgomery, Alabama office after the ’68 election.
On a Washington D.C. field trip I (we) had a meeting with Barry Goldwater in his Senate office, then we went on to meet with a Supreme Court Justice (I’d have to look up his name) at the Supreme Court.
I also got to wait on Senator John Tower once in Dallas.
Mike
Gee, Mike. I didn’t know you were so politically connected!
I got one, actually an airplane run-in also. Coming back from Cabo San Lucas guess who I ran into, the last person in the world you would expect to see on an airplane coming back from Cabo. I tell you I must have been the only one to ever get this once in a million chance of seeing this ultra huge superific superstar. So, there I was walking on the plane (slow motion for effect) and I turned, he was sitting there….it was….SAMMY HAGGAR!!! Just try and top that one, oh yeah, thats what I thought.
Awesome!!!
“IIII can’t drive…. FIFTY-FIIIIVE!”
I was trying to be sacrastic because how many people do you know saw Samm-o (as I call him, because were buds now) on the plane to Mexico?
Well, duh… you don’t have to go Xanga on us… didn’t you see the word “awesome” in the comment? Doesn’t that just scream the pinky / forefinger metal salute?