Claim to Fame ------Anyone
I made many trips to NYC with Westy. I believe General MacArthur was his Mentor. Use to take Westy to see General Bradley at 1 Wall street. He was Bulova watch guy but never saw him there. Did see him at the Point.
Never saw General MacArthur till one day he came outside with Westy. I believe it was called Carnegie (sp) House Apartments. It was on the west side of Central Park. He and Westy had a few words while i held the door open. General MacArthur looked up at the sky and dropped his head and found my name tag. He said to me "Beautiful day M-----" I replied " Yes Sir Gorgeous". I believe this was around time they gave General MacArthur the Sylvanus Thayer Award or before Westy was about to leave for Presidio to learn Vietnamese.
I suppose I was the only E-4 in the US Army hauling all those Stars around at the time. Took Wernher von Braun on a tour of West Point one day before lecture to Cadets at Ordinance Lab. There is much, much more but you fellows/ladies will think I am bragging for sure.
Would you like to share a moment of Fame with the rest of us? Try to be honest and bragging is ok.------Ray
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I was pretty young, guessing around 10 or 11 or so but I was out front watering plants at our families retail greenhouse business when this car pulls into the driveway. Out of the car, this lady steps out and walks over to me. She asks for directions to the TV station that was a couple miles up the hill from us. I gave here the directions and she thanked me kindly with a nice smile and left.
As I went back to work I just kept thinking I knew that lady! I suddenly realized who she was. Vivian Vance from the old I Love Lucy Show!! I later read she was in town doing a play at the Cherry County Playhouse.
Nope! Nothing I have ever witnessed even comes close to the interesting stuff some of you folks have experienced!
I'm just a lowly sparrow hanging out with EAGLES!! ☺️
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Yep, the weather was Gorgeous that day but you better believe President Truman did not think Gen. Mac was Gorgeous. No love lost between those two. 😀 --------------Ray
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4205raymond: 30311118545179/comments/
Yep, the weather was Gorgeous that day but you better believe President Truman did not think Gen. Mac was Gorgeous. No love lost between those two. 😀 --------------Ray
Ray, no Offense Sir, (but) You may just indeed be Older than Dirt. (My Brother.) 🤔
Still wanna give you a big hug. 👍😁
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Wow! You must be real smart. Good for you.
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When I worked for the local Chevrolet dealer I was the assistant parts manager. Then the parts manager left for a better job and I was promoted to parts manager. I was the youngest parts manager in the Cincinnati region. I left after 7 years and didn't miss it one bit.
Joe
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I used to teach part time in the Criminal Justice department of a small college in Northern Illinois. A highlight to each semester was trip to either the St. Charles Juvenile Reception Center or Stateville Correctional Center. On the last trip I took to Stateville, I observed Richard Speck walking towards our group. I greeted him and he responded back to me. He asked what we were doing there etc. It was a short and slightly eerie conversation
A few less dark interactions with famous people include Ernie Banks, Stan Musial, Fergie Jenkins, Joe Torre, Ron Santo and several other lesser known Cubs and Cardinals. In the good old days before pro athletes charged for an autograph, there were the Cub and Cardinal Caravans each year in Peoria Illinois. We were lucky enough to get tickets several times in the late 60's and early 70's... Nice meal and then you could interact with the players, get an autograph, a picture with them and actually talk with them.... Not like that anymore
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Frank, speaking of Criminal Justice. Right now in this Socialist state of NY I am working with my daughter and lawyer on will/trust. If I did not have a direct descendant would need to make up list for lawyer in duplicate with make, model, caliber/gauge, serial#, valuation. One list to NY State Criminal Justice System in Albany and one to Orange County Surrogates Court. I have a Concealed Carry Unrestricted Permit with one pistol. If my daughter does not sell the pistol to a permit carrier within10 days of my death, she can be convicted of a felony and go to prison. Does not matter that daughter is a direct descendant on pistol.
If you are just starting out the process is like pouring molasses and you must pay $450 for the two stage class of 16hrs and 2hrs of live fire.
I have nothing to hide. Never even had a parking ticket in 80 years. God help us all. -----------------------------Ray
PS: Oh yes, they back pedaled on permit. Has to be renewed every 5 years with State Police.
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4205raymond: 30311118545179/comments/
Frank, speaking of Criminal Justice. Right now in this Socialist state of NY I am working with my daughter and lawyer on will/trust. If I did not have a direct descendant would need to make up list for lawyer in duplicate with make, model, caliber/gauge, serial#, valuation. One list to NY State Criminal Justice System in Albany and one to Orange County Surrogates Court. I have a Concealed Carry Unrestricted Permit with one pistol. If my daughter does not sell the pistol to a permit carrier in 10 days she can be convicted of a felony and go to prison. Does not matter that daughter is a direct descendant on pistol.
If you are just starting out the process is like pouring molasses and you must pay $450 for the two stage class of 16hrs and 2hrs of live fire.
I have nothing to hide. Never even had a parking ticket in 80 years. God help us all. -----------------------------Ray
PS: Oh yes, they back pedaled on permit. Has to be renew every 5 years with State Police.
That is just madness.........I lived in Illinois for 50 years... They are going around the bend too....
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I was on "60 Minutes" for less than 60 seconds.
I was quoted speaking about Gunbroker in either Time or Newsweek, I forget which.
I once shook hands with Senator Phil Gramm. And Barry Manilow. And John Schneider. And Bill Engvall. And Crystal Gayle. And Billy Bob Thornton. And Barry Corbin. And Roy Clark. Not all at the same time.
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I did forget one....New Years Eve, I979, I was part of B. J. Thomas' security detail in Chicago, IL during a concert. He was a nice enough guy. Signed an autograph for me. It was in a small venue with approximately 4500 attending.
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Almost forgot . Classmate in college was Senator Jessie Helms 's son . Got to meet the senator when he gave our commencement address.
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I did attend a very small venue dinner theater show in Royal Oak Michigan with my wife and a few friends featuring Chris Kristofferson back in the early 80's. During a break, Chris came over and sat at our table and had a Coke with us. He was very down to earth and cordial. He also bought us all a round and dedicated a song for us when he got back up on stage.
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I don't know any famous people but I know a few infamous ones.
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My wife has the best claim to fame. Youngest grandson asked her how old she was. She told him, and he said "No fair!". When she asked him why no fair, he replied, "You saw Jesus."
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I stayed in a Holiday Inn once.
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nunn, I suppose one of my claims might be that I was NOT on 60 Minutes. Two days after the Challenger explosion, 60 minutes showed up at our remote Utah plant (where the boosters were made) and Mike Wallace stuck a mic in my face and asked how it feels to murder seven astronauts. I replied "How does it feel to lie to millions of people on television?"
Oddly, that never made it to air.
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All y'all lucky buzzards can say you know me.
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"How does it feel to murder seven astronauts." What a fool.
I gave Mike Wallace more credit than to make a remark like that.
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Less a claim of fame..............more a case of determination.
In 1975 we started The Tornado Alley Racquetball Tournament. By the mid 80's it was the largest privately run racquetball tournament in the country. After about 20 tries, I finally won the Men's "B" division in February of 2000. I received many congrats from friends/competitors.........as most of them knew that 50 years earlier I was born with Cerebral Palsy......and that 33 years earlier I had lost my lower right leg, when it was mostly torn off in a grain auger accident. Whatdaya gonna do........I pressed on.
Over these many years, I've spoken to the media a little bit..........but mostly to younger amputees.
There's been other "stuff"........but I'll let those sleeping dogs lie.
Oh.........one time in my late 20's......I did actually get to play some "cutthroat" racquetball with Michael Martin Murphy(he was in town for a concert). Shorter than I had imagined.......but a good guy.
I do have one claim to fame.......and much more than I deserve.........my wife and kids.
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I am a plant nut and I met one of the Rothschilds at a meeting of the American Rhododendron Society some years ago. He was the feathered speaker at the meeting. He served in the British army during WWII.
Among other things he was taken off the beach at Dunkirk. There were 400 men on the boat he was on and only 6 rifles. He wound up serving in southern Europe and in south east Asia. Since I don't know anything about banking most of our conversations concerned plants and WWII. A most interesting man.
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Rocky Raab: 30311118545179/comments/30311346164507
nunn, I suppose one of my claims might be that I was NOT on 60 Minutes. Two days after the Challenger explosion, 60 minutes showed up at our remote Utah plant (where the boosters were made) and Mike Wallace stuck a mic in my face and asked how it feels to murder seven astronauts. I replied "How does it feel to lie to millions of people on television?"
Oddly, that never made it to air.
How is it that you did not also plant a fist on the end of his nose?
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Or a Boot in his ***^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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