I'm
not sure why I decided to do this page. Basically, I've
heard a number of talk radio shows do a "Brush with
Greatness" theme; the idea being: "When, in
the course of your daily life, have you come into contact
with people who are actors, politicians, household names,
etc?" I have met a lot of well-known or interesting
people at different times in my life. I've met a lot of
politicians (I do voiceovers for a lot of political commercials)
and a lot of musicians that I've really enjoyed and respected.
Many well-known people, however, either made no impression
on me or it just didn't seem worth mentioning. Others
are more or less well-known, but I enjoyed meeting them
or spending time with them, so I've decided to mention
them here. This is just for fun. I hope you get a kick
out of it as well. I'm sure I'll add to it over time as
others come to mind.
Michael
J. Anderson - The "man from another place" in
Twin Peaks, I met Michael J. Anderson several years ago when
he was in Columbus to work on an indie film by Mark Burson.
He and his wife stopped by the company I worked for at the time
and we had a really nice chat. His other appearances include
the X-Files, The Great Land of Small, Mulholland Drive and Port
Charles. Here's
his Internet Movie Database page.
Dyrk
Ashton - I knew Dyrk a bit before he moved to Hollywood and landed
parts in some prominent movies. We had some mutual friends and
I ran into him a lot when he was working on some local indie
film sets. He had a bit part in "Men in Black", where
he was one of the aliens in the headquarters. But he had a much
bigger role in "Jungle Book 2". He's had major roles
in indie films such as "Tiger Edge: Technopunk" and
"First You Live, Then You Die". Dyrk has a very odd
and intense "look" about him, which makes him a natural
for certain kinds of roles. Oh yeah...he also had a role in
"Night of the Living Dead". Here's
his page on the Internet Movie Database and you can find
a couple of his indie films (major roles) here.
Pat
Boone - This was a REALLY long time ago. Pat Boone and his
whole family (wife and daughters Cherry, Lindy, Debby (yes,
the "You Light Up My Life" Debby Boone) and Laury
were performing at the Ohio State Fair. I was there to interview
Pat for a radio station I worked for at the time. We had a great
chat...including speculation about whether or not Archie Griffin
could possibly win the Heisman Trophy for a second year (he
did...in 1975 and 1976). I didn't know a lot about Pat except
that I'd heard some of his music and he was a big name. I found
him extremely personable. Here's a site: PatBoone.com
Cindy
Lentol -
Cindy's not a "big name" yet, but ya never know. She's
in the same business I'm in (voiceovers), but she's very lovely
and spends a fair amount of time in front of the camera as well
(I generally try to avoid cameras!). She and I worked together
many years ago, and then we didn't see each other for years.
We ran into each other at a Christmas party. She's relocated
to the Boston area and has had some really nice success in her
acting career of late, including an appearance on NBC's "Providence"
and a role in the movie "Prozac Nation" with Christina
Ricci and Anne Heche. Here's her web site.
Richard
Lewis - Richard is an Ohio State graduate and he was in town doing
a promo spot of some sort for the University back in the mid-Nineties.
Somehow I ended up holding the boom mike during the shoot. On
his best take, I let the mike dip a little too low and it was
visible on camera. He had a lot of fun blaming me for screwing
him over. Nice guy...fun to work with. He was very popular at
the time, having just come off the series "Anything But
Love" with Jamie Lee Curtis. Check out his official
site.
Jerry
Lucas - I got to chauffeur Jerry around town in about 1980
when the radio station I worked for sponsored one of his memory
seminars. You should have seen him trying to fold his 6'9"
frame into my '78 Chevette!! I also was honored to escort his
lovely ex-wife, Sharalee. She's a gifted singer in her own right.
Jerry is a household name to NBA fans. He's been voted one of
the Top 50 NBA Players of all time. He also was a huge star
at OSU and in the Olympics. He was a champ at every level at
which he played. After retiring from basketball, he ended up
teaching people his memorization techniques. You can find his
web site here.
Barry
McGuire -
I met Barry in 1976 when I was living in the Pittsburgh (PA)
area. I was staying with the Hancherick family there and we
were hosting a concert with Barry at Soldiers and Sailors Hall
in downtown Pittsburgh. Barry hung out with us the night of
the concert at the house where I was staying, and we had some
great conversations about his experiences in the music industry,
speculations about the nature of God's existence and lots of
other fun things. He's an amazing storyteller. If Barry's name
doesn't jump out at you, you'll probably remember the big Sixties
radio hit "Eve of Destruction". He also sang with
the New Christy Minstrels ("Green Green"). He continues
to write and record until recently, although he officially retired
at the beginning of 2003 at the age of about 66. He did some
great albums for kids back in the Eighties as well. Here's his official
web site, which includes a lot of great info about his career.
Jacqueline
Torres - Jacqueline is a very lovely lady who I met because the company
I worked for hired her as the spokesperson for an educational
game show for one of their clients. She spent a lot of time
at the place where I worked, and was well-liked and respected.
She had a featured role in the Fox series "F/X" in
the mid-Nineties, and can sometimes be seen in the role of a
reporter on "The West Wing". I also saw her playing
the role of a bereaved Mexican mother who stole a child in a
"Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman" made-for-TV movie. I most
recently ran into Jacqueline in Oct. 2002 at a picnic. Here's her page on IMDB.
Michael
J. Anderson - The "man from another place" in
Twin Peaks, I met Michael J. Anderson several years ago when
he was in Columbus to work on an indie film by Mark Burson.
He and his wife stopped by the company I worked for at the time
and we had a really nice chat. His other appearances include
the X-Files, The Great Land of Small, Mulholland Drive and Port
Charles. 
Dyrk
Ashton - I knew Dyrk a bit before he moved to Hollywood and landed
parts in some prominent movies. We had some mutual friends and
I ran into him a lot when he was working on some local indie
film sets. He had a bit part in "Men in Black", where
he was one of the aliens in the headquarters. But he had a much
bigger role in "Jungle Book 2". He's had major roles
in indie films such as "Tiger Edge: Technopunk" and
"First You Live, Then You Die". Dyrk has a very odd
and intense "look" about him, which makes him a natural
for certain kinds of roles. Oh yeah...he also had a role in
"Night of the Living Dead". 
Pat
Boone - This was a REALLY long time ago. Pat Boone and his
whole family (wife and daughters Cherry, Lindy, Debby (yes,
the "You Light Up My Life" Debby Boone) and Laury
were performing at the Ohio State Fair. I was there to interview
Pat for a radio station I worked for at the time. We had a great
chat...including speculation about whether or not Archie Griffin
could possibly win the Heisman Trophy for a second year (he
did...in 1975 and 1976). I didn't know a lot about Pat except
that I'd heard some of his music and he was a big name. I found
him extremely personable. Here's a site: 
Cindy
Lentol -
Cindy's not a "big name" yet, but ya never know. She's
in the same business I'm in (voiceovers), but she's very lovely
and spends a fair amount of time in front of the camera as well
(I generally try to avoid cameras!). She and I worked together
many years ago, and then we didn't see each other for years.
We ran into each other at a Christmas party. She's relocated
to the Boston area and has had some really nice success in her
acting career of late, including an appearance on NBC's "Providence"
and a role in the movie "Prozac Nation" with Christina
Ricci and Anne Heche. 
Richard
Lewis - Richard is an Ohio State graduate and he was in town doing
a promo spot of some sort for the University back in the mid-Nineties.
Somehow I ended up holding the boom mike during the shoot. On
his best take, I let the mike dip a little too low and it was
visible on camera. He had a lot of fun blaming me for screwing
him over. Nice guy...fun to work with. He was very popular at
the time, having just come off the series "Anything But
Love" with Jamie Lee Curtis. Check out his 
Jerry
Lucas - I got to chauffeur Jerry around town in about 1980
when the radio station I worked for sponsored one of his memory
seminars. You should have seen him trying to fold his 6'9"
frame into my '78 Chevette!! I also was honored to escort his
lovely ex-wife, Sharalee. She's a gifted singer in her own right.
Jerry is a household name to NBA fans. He's been voted one of
the Top 50 NBA Players of all time. He also was a huge star
at OSU and in the Olympics. He was a champ at every level at
which he played. After retiring from basketball, he ended up
teaching people his memorization techniques. You can find his
web site 
Barry
McGuire -
I met Barry in 1976 when I was living in the Pittsburgh (PA)
area. I was staying with the Hancherick family there and we
were hosting a concert with Barry at Soldiers and Sailors Hall
in downtown Pittsburgh. Barry hung out with us the night of
the concert at the house where I was staying, and we had some
great conversations about his experiences in the music industry,
speculations about the nature of God's existence and lots of
other fun things. He's an amazing storyteller. If Barry's name
doesn't jump out at you, you'll probably remember the big Sixties
radio hit "Eve of Destruction". He also sang with
the New Christy Minstrels ("Green Green"). He continues
to write and record until recently, although he officially retired
at the beginning of 2003 at the age of about 66. He did some
great albums for kids back in the Eighties as well. Here's his 
Jacqueline
Torres - Jacqueline is a very lovely lady who I met because the company
I worked for hired her as the spokesperson for an educational
game show for one of their clients. She spent a lot of time
at the place where I worked, and was well-liked and respected.
She had a featured role in the Fox series "F/X" in
the mid-Nineties, and can sometimes be seen in the role of a
reporter on "The West Wing". I also saw her playing
the role of a bereaved Mexican mother who stole a child in a
"Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman" made-for-TV movie. I most
recently ran into Jacqueline in Oct. 2002 at a picnic.