To many to list, I was in the US Navy Presidential Honor Guard Unit for 2.5 years, coincidentally enough
@trouttimes step son was also in that unit with me. I met many notable dignitaries and heads of state and military in that time. It was part and parcel of the job.
I also worked at House of Blues at Downtown Disney as an electrician for the stage department in the early 00’s. I met lots of musicians, but only one stands out. Jim Heath (Reverend Horton Heat). In general I don’t pay any more attention to celebrities than I do anyone else, they are just people trying to do their jobs, as was I. It wasn’t in anyone’s best interest to bother them.
Before they went on stage, Jim walked up to me a started chatting with me, as friendly as could be. I told him I was a big RHH fan and was glad to be working the show and was headed out to the floor since I was finished. We talked shop and guitars for a bit and he started to go out on stage, he asked if I’d like to come backstage afterwards. I said I’d love to, I went back and had a couple of beers with band and chatted for a while.
Fast forward about three years, I’m walking around the Deep Ellum neighborhood of Dallas where Jim Lives and often busks. I see him on a corner playing for a very large crowd and wander over to watch. He finishes up his song and tells the crowd he’s gonna take quick break. He puts his guitar down walks straight up to me and grabs my hand and starts shaking it, he says “hey sparky how’s it going, you’re a long way from Florida.” I was shocked, he didn’t just think he recognized me from somewhere, he knew exactly who I was and where he had met me once three years ago.
I do have ongoing friendships with a few notable modern SciFi/Fantasy writers and their families due to some things my wife has been involved in over the years but nothing I really care to discuss publicly.
