It was a cool Friday evening in April 1993. I was in the memorial student center (MSC) at Texas A&M in the current periodicals room listening to some music and doing some surveying homework when the student manager announced it was 8PM and they were shutting down.
She swept us all out and I was stuck wondering what to do. I wandered round the building looking for some empty space to crash and do more homework. Usually on Friday nights I would go to Rudder auditorium to see a film sponsored by the film society but this week it was booked for some guest speaker.
From the second floor balcony overlooking the main entrance I noticed several well dressed older people were entering the MSC and guessed that the lecture was over and soon the place would fill up with lots of older rich people. I decided to call it a night and go home. I took a back staircase away from the crowds and figured I could leave by a side door. As I stepped onto the main level I came face to face with her.
Margaret Thatcher stood an arm’s length away from me. She wore a bright blue sequined dress that was nearly as blue as her eyes and was carrying a white handbag. Without missing a beat or seeming surprised at all she said “Good evening, young man.” All I could stammer was a “Howdy Ma’am”.
Her security detail wasn’t as cool though. MI-6, secret service, who knows what they were. All they knew was that a grungy looking man had just stepped out in front of the ex prime minister with a satchel bag under his arm. I saw several hands reach into coat pockets all at once. Luckily they were in a hurry and didn’t bother with me. As quickly as it happened it was over and done.
I was left standing there. The crowds began reaching the spot where I was. I was stuck in a crowd of important people who had probably paid a small fortune to hear this woman speak and none of them had been as close to her as I had. Now I had to figure a way out of there.
This wasn’t the first time that I almost literally ran into someone famous. A year earlier I was late for class. I parked next to the football stadium and was running to get to class on time. I saw an older guy with white hair coming straight at me. He wore overalls and I guessed that he was maybe a groundskeeper or something. He was walking and looking down. All I could think was “Watch where you’re going, jerk!”
He looked up and smiled. It was coach R.C. Slocum possibly the most famous person within 100 miles, and I had nearly knocked him down. He walked on to wherever it was he was going leaving me somewhat amazed by the experience. Then as an afterthought assistant coach Bob Toledo held a door open for me.
Have you ever run into someone rich and/or famous? What was your impression?
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