philnic:
AH HA! None of us need to be stupid anymore! Unlike Ray Bradbury who had to run to the corner library and throw himself into the abounding mounds of literature with joyous abandon, we in the 21st century Have...GOOGLE:

Isla st. Clair
http://www.speakingvolumes.co.uk/speakingvolumes/isla.htm
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Neil Kinnock
http://www.politicos.co.uk/item.jsp?ID=2494
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Christopher Biggins
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/talent/b/biggins_christopher.shtml
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Jeremy Beadle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Beadle
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Frank Carson
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/talent/c/carson_frank.shtml

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patrask:
Your decription of your father, and your own time in the post office, is a 'novel' of some sorts waiting to be written. Your comment about watching movies and having different ideas because of the person you actually met at the post office, is a tantalizing story. Tho just a glittering nugget of a first idea, thinking upon it casually in the upcoming months may dig out a host of insightful scenarios just crying out. And, as Bradbury often explains, you have these collisions of ideas that come forth... some, like rabbits, have to be caught quickly, others...you need to wait until they show their bright and shining faces, and let them come forth and teach you their mighty gifts...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Nard Kordell,

Nard,

Now that was fast! Say I need to speak to you about art. What beautiful pieces! I, too, am an abstract painter, but work with a sponge and palette knife and acrylic paints. I think I have an idea of what you do to create your beauties, but I am not 100% sure.

I have your phone number around here somewhere.
Perhaps we can chat on the phone?

Well, the first sort of famous person I met was Giovanni Costigan. Anyone heard of him? If not: http://www.washington.edu/research/showcase/1934a.html

He gave a talk in a Unitarian Church near our home in the town where we then lived. My mom went to hear him and invited him to dinner. I was about a year old, sleeping in my crib, and he called me an "absolute angel," or was it "utterly angelic"?

Some 36 years later my mom and I drove to that town to hear Les Barker speak in that very same church! Anyone heard of him?

And philnic, I wonder how many people in England would be familiar with Walter Cronkite or Johnny Carson? Not that I've met them, either, but I have a letter dictated by Cronkite and am distantly related by marriage to Carson.

Nard, congrats on correctly identifying the "celebrities" I named. I read the links you provided, and was amused to be reminded that Jeremy Beadle was once voted the third most unpopular person in the world - by the British public. And yet no one beyond these shores has heard of him. Probably.

dandelion, I think about half of the British public would recognise the names of Cronkite and Johhny Carson, but very few would know their faces, or what they were famous for. I know a fair bit about both of them, but only because I am a TV nut.

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philnic: That particular link of Jeremy Beadle, the 'Wikipedia', was so interesting that I keyed-in Bradbury's name, and...there are things there I didn't know. The links are fascinating. I wasn't aware that there is an 'asteroid' named for Ray. Somehow I missed in all the readings that his grandfather was a newspaper publisher. Here's the link, and check out the sub-links provided at that website:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Bradbury
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Well, I suppose I'll contribute to the name-dropping party! I've met MANY jazz musicians, being one myself. I even spent an afternoon, including shopping, with Dizzy Gillespie! I met Vincent Price, Red Skelton, Frank Capra (got my picture taken with him!), Gloria Swanson, and even Ray Bradbury!!!

Well, me too I guess. I don’t know any of these people personally, (just, “How are you today?” or “Nice to meet you.” type of thing) -- except for the last guy:

Richard Nixon, Richard Chamberlain, Tommy Smothers, Maxene Andrews, Victor Borge, Haley Mills, Jimmy Stewart. And Jimmy Stewart’s Barber.

Braling II,
Price, Skelton and Capra? Wow!

All right, when I was in High School, I was at LAX (LA International Airport) fooling around with a friend. We were literally running through the airport and I ran into Robert Redford! Nearly knocked him down. He was very gracious about it. Had a laugh. What was surprising is that you see some of these hollywood stars in person (or unposed photos) and they're not that impressive. I was shocked at how good looking he was in real life.

My other encounter is Ansel Adams let me shoot a roll of film of him signing books.

Mr. Dark, you must have run into Redford before I did. He came to my college and this girl wrote a really mean article about him in the school paper. Said his legs were skinny and his face craggy. I saw him only at a distance. Also Leonard Nimoy at the same college, much closer. My friend asked him a question.

Nard, I'd beware believing everything posted in Wikipedia. Up until recently they let practically anyone post practically anything about practically anybody and may not have got all the bugs out yet. http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2005-11...wikipedia-edit_x.htm

dandelion: Are you inferring there is NO asteroid named after Ray Bradbury? I suppose you are going to tell me there is a crater on the moon named after YOU! (ha!)

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As a matter of fact....