It was Mim who gave the best piece of advice before I headed down to Washington, D.C. on my senior class trip. "If you see a famous person in a room, position yourself as near the doorway as possible. As he is leaving, he will naturally see you & is more likely to shake your hand than if you're standing in some line."
That was how I came to meet Teddy Kennedy (a thrill, in spite of my being a staunch Republican). Saw him milling around with a group, took up a strategic position in the wide doorway, was rewarded with a direct beam of that famous Kennedy smile, a handshake & quick, "Good to see ya."
I was still in high school - 1969? - when Mim & I went to hear Bill Buckley speak at Beaver (now Arcadia) College, not far from Bryn Athyn . After his talk, it was our mission to meet him. We shadowed him from a distance, first going this way, then that. Which exit was he taking??
Mim finally threw in the towel, saying, "Forget it - not going to happen," and we headed for the exit that most people were using, metal stairs going down the outside of the building.
As I headed down the steps, keeping an eye on my feet because of utter terror of heights (even just two floors), realized there was a pair of very expensive men's shoes behind me. Back then, Beaver was a women's college.
Hmmmmm.... What would Mim do with such an opportunity, I wondered to myself.
At the bottom step, just as I reached terra firma, I - oops - ever so slightly stumbled. And what is a gentleman to do but take my arm to steady me?
"Oh, thank you, Mr. Buckley," I fluttered, "My parent gave me The Jeweler's Eye for Christmas."
Will always remember the flash of his equally famous smile & pitch perfect reply - "Discerning parents."
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