The History Book Club discussion

Have you had a chance encounter with someone famous? Met an individual who in the course of a conversation you realized had been a part of a famous (or even not-so-famous) event that you could call a "brush with history"? Have you visited a seemingly normal place that you then found out had a unique history? Were you an unknowing or even unwilling participant in something that became newsworthy?

This is your thread to share those moments which seemed innocuous at the time, but you later realized would be something that you would not soon forget. This is your brush with history thread.

This thread and idea came from group member Craig.

I am lucky enough to have been a neighbor of our state's only living WWII Medal of Honor winner, Woody Williams. He received the nation's highest honor on Iwo Jima. A humble man, he did not talk about his war experiences but he still is active in veterans' affairs and I am proud to know him.

I also was in a social group in a restaurant in DC, which included Aaron Brown, the former CNN newsman, who covered the 9/11 events from a rooftop with the burning towers behind him. He said "oh Lord" when the first tower fell and he said that he came very close to uttering an expletive.

I used to know Paul Leeper slightly. He was one of the police officers who caught the Watergate burglars. He was the head of security at The American University when I went there back in the 80's. His role is discussed in "Watergate: The Corruption of American Politics and the Fall of Richard Nixon."

by Fred Emery

I was on my very first assignment in the Foreign Service at the U.S. Embassy in London when Pan Am 103 crashed in Lockerbie, Scotland. Working in American Citizen Services with the families of the victims is as close a brush with history as I hope I ever have.

Living and/or working in Washington, DC I've had any number of brushes with politicans and journalists, some closer then others. I've also been involved, to some extent, in three presidential inaugurations and I was at the U.S. Holocaust Museum right after the shooting there in 2009 and I know the security guard who shot James von Brunn.

Lots of brushes, but only brushes so far.

Mike you will have to tell us more about the three presidential inaugurations.

Bea wrote: "I was on my very first assignment in the Foreign Service at the U.S. Embassy in London when Pan Am 103 crashed in Lockerbie, Scotland. Working in American Citizen Services with the families of the..."

Very interesting Bea, are you an attorney as well. Foreign Service - that is interesting.

Unfortunately, my part was not very exciting, mostly standing around securing different sites, although I did have a small role in planning for Obama's. I also worked Bush's second and Clinton's first. I hopefully only have one more to do.

When I was in grade 5, Jean Chretien came to visit our school while passing through to some big political thing because it was the only French language school in that part of Canada. He became the Prime Minister a decade or two later. The funny bit was that he signed beer mats for us. The local brewery had just released a new flavour.
All my other encounters are musicians or actors involved in replicating history.

I was lucky enough to have met and had a dinner conservation a few years ago with Alexander Butterfield, the "whistle-blower" during the Watergate Senate Hearings. When asked during the hearings about the existence of a taping system in the Oval Office, Butterfield, a deputy assistant to President Nixon, told the committee about the taping system and that was the beginning of the end for Nixon.

Butterfield was just the nicest gentleman, and it turned out he and I had something in common as we had both gone to UCLA (he was there well before I was though!) In fact, Butterfield told me that's how he got the White House job (HR Haldeman had also gone to UCLA and knew Butterfield there) and he shared some great stories about President Nixon, working in the White House, and even some interesting gossip about Martha Mitchell.

Bea wrote: "I was on my very first assignment in the Foreign Service at the U.S. Embassy in London when Pan Am 103 crashed in Lockerbie, Scotland. Working in American Citizen Services with the families of the..."

I worked as a trial attorney for eight years before I joined the Foreign Service. I worked for 21 years as a Foreign Service Officer. My foreign assignments were in London, U.K.; Montevideo, Uruguay; Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea; and Helsinki, Finland. I also worked at the State Department, mostly on international economic issues. My last job was on the Canada Desk covering transboundary environmental issues.

The other "brush with history" I had in London was when John Major, then newly-appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer, came and spoke to a country team meeting I attended. I clearly remember him saying that there was no way Britain would ever abandon the pound - many years before the euro was introduced. Major's rise was truly meteoric. If he wasn't Prime Minister by the time I left London, he became PM shortly thereafter.

That's great that some of you have been able to hear foreign leaders address you or your classmates. They obviously have left an impression with you.

Good for you Bea, I thought I recognized a legal mind with your Foreign Service background and what an interesting brush with history. Obviously you got to travel and meet many interesting people.

Now I'm wondering, what constitutes a brush with history? A moment that made the headlines? An encounter with a celebrity? Kissing the Blarney Stone? Aren't we all walking through history, all the time? Brushing by future headlines . . . .

How totally fascinating, Bea! I suppose seeing and meeting the players kind of adds some life and reality to the headlines.

On Friday, November 22, 1963, as a rookie Fort Worth Police officer I stood in the stairwell one floor below President John F. Kennedy's suite in the Texas Hotel as a guard. At about 9am that morning I watched him enter into a limousine and leave to fly 30 miles to Dallas, Tex. I went home to sleep before going to work that night.
A little after 12:30 pm. Central Standard Time, my wife called and woke me up to tell me to turn on the television. That was when I learned that the President had been Killed. I got little sleep that day.
On November 24, 1963 Lee Harvey Oswald kennedys killer was shot and killed by Jack Ruby. A few days latter Oswald was buried at Rosehill Cemetery in east Fort Worth, only His mother and wife were at the burial. My beat at that time was east Fort Worth, and was sent to the cemetery to guard the burial. My self and two reporters acted as his pall bares on that day.

Sarg,

Those are amazing stories! Having read a little (just a little) about Oswald, I've always wondered what kind of woman his mother was as some of the stories depict Marguerite (the mom) as being very domineering over young Lee Harvey. And Marina Oswald was a beautiful woman. (doesn't she still live somewhere near Fort Worth?) To be present at that burial service and have that kind of role in it is remarkable. Not to mention being one of the last to help protect President Kennedy. Wow.

Hi Sarg, I'm with Craig, that was a fascinating brush with history, being on the periphery of one of the most tragic incidents of the last century. And to be pressed into service as a pallbearer for Oswald as well!

Incidentally, I've checked out your great photos on Flickr; I particularly liked your photographic tour of the Texas Ranger museum.

Jim wrote: "Hi Sarg, I'm with Craig, that was a fascinating brush with history, being on the periphery of one of the most tragic incidents of the last century. And to be pressed into service as a pallbearer f..."

For Jim and creig:
Another interesting thing about Oswald was that someone stole his gravestone shortly after he was buried. They were many threats to dig him up or to blow up his grave and different things like that. The powers that be decided to put a guard on his grave , and I had the midnight shift where his graveyard was so I was assigned a rookie ( I had been a police officer just 2 years my self so for me to call someone a rookie was a joke but I had just got out of the navy and was about 25years old) My rookie was a very young 21 year old six months Police officer. I would take him to the grave about Midnight and let him sit in a old police car and watch the unmarked grave. every time I would go by to check on him he would be back up at the entrance to the graveyard under a street-lite. Some just dont like a graveyard at midnigh

Craig wrote: "Sarg,

Those are amazing stories! Having read a little (just a little) about Oswald, I've always wondered what kind of woman his mother was as some of the stories depict Marguerite (the mom) as be..."

Last I had heard many years ago that Marina had remaried and was living in Dallas , TX
His mother was very plane woman as far is I could tell Lee had a brother and you dont hear much about him I only saw him once.

Sarg, you've rekindled my interest in the whole Kennedy business. I thought Marina had written a book on the subject, but I see no trace of it on goodreads. There aren't too many people left who would have had even a peripheral involvement with the assassination.

sarg wrote: "On Friday, November 22, 1963, as a rookie Fort Worth Police officer I stood in the stairwell one floor below President John F. Kennedy's suite in the Texas Hotel as a guard. At about 9am that morni..."

Thanks for sharing, Sarg, wow. What a way to enter to start your career. Famous people's tombstones seem to be a favorite for vandalism or vigils...

Jim wrote: "Sarg, you've rekindled my interest in the whole Kennedy business. I thought Marina had written a book on the subject, but I see no trace of it on goodreads. There aren't too many people left who wo..."

I read and he is now publishing a book on the Kennedy Assination. His " killing Lincoln" was interesting so I hope his Kennedy book will be as interesting.

Good to know, Sarg, and I'm glad you liked the book. I haven't read it yet.

Don't forget to add an author photo (if there is one) and the author link when you cite a book:

Bill O'Reilly

My dad's a trucker, and he once met a guy whose friend was apparently General George Patton's Jeep driver during WWII. Lots of the General's infamously proficient profanity, he tells me...

Sarg - some very interesting stories and brushes with history; Jerome - interesting.

There are more who have had a brush with history than are telling us. Most of us have lived in some unusual times. Some don't think that their brush with history would be exciting but it is. How many have lived through WWII, Korea, Viet Nam. Hurricane Katrina, and on and on. Those are interesting times and I would like to hear about them. I cant imagine what Living through some of the California Earth Quakes would be like.

For sure Sarg. I think some folks just never think that their brush with history is important and of course we would all like to hear from everyone. Your accounts were fascinating.

I was in 2 WTC when the plane hit on 9/11.

That was the 2nd building hit.

God bless you and glad you are safe. A terrible day.

Thanks!

I actually wrote an essay about it. Since it's not copyright, can I re-post it here?

Peter - has it been published anywhere - even in your local newspaper - if so - as sad as that day was - it would be considered self promotion.

Peter wrote: "I was in 2 WTC when the plane hit on 9/11.

That was the 2nd building hit."
Cool but you can tell us in your on words here what it was like and how you felt.

Good point sarg.

OK....

Sept 11, 2001 was a beautiful early fall day. My son had just started school.

As usual, I got to work early (around 7:30) (I am an early bird. I worked for NDRI in 2 World Trade Center, on the 16th floor. If you recall, 2 WTC was the second building hit on 9/11. NDRI stands for National Development and Research Institutes. We did work into drug abuse, HIV, AIDS and other things, and I worked as a statistician.

On 9/11 I was sitting in my cubicle. I had just ordered some breakfast to be delivered, and was going through e-mails and planning my day. Then I heard a loud thump. It sounded like someone had dropped a ream of paper on the 17th floor. But that wasn't what it was. This was 9/11. And someone had crashed a plane into 1 WTC, right across the way from us. But I didn't know.

Then someone yelled "The other building is on fire". Several of us early birds rushed to the window, and, sure enough, it was on fire. Rumors started. Soon, we knew it was a plane. But rumors were saying 747 or a small plane or all sorts of things. A few minutes later, our office administrator came through, telling us all to evacuate. Like a good computer user, I had backed up my files a few days before 9/11, I did that each Friday. I had the backup disk in my back pack. And I left my backpack in my cubicle.

We walked down the stairs; everything was pretty calm at that point; no one was running or anything. When we got to the first floor, or maybe the basement, I felt the building shake slightly.

No one I saw got hurt. We all got to the outside of the building and we were staring up at the spectacle of the World Trade Center burning. Rumors were flying about everything. What caused the fire, who might have done it, what sort of plane, was it terrorism and so on. No one thought about the building collapsing, certainly I didn't. But I thought that falling from that height could kill me, so I ran and found a subway (some lines were still running) and got home that way. On 9/11 I watched the buildings collapse while sitting on my couch, like millions of other people.

Meanwhile, my wife was wondering about me and where I was. It turned out that she was the last in our family to find out I was OK. All that happened to me was that I had glass in my hair. I didn't lose my job. But we lost a lot of work, and I lost some irreplaceable objects.

New York City has a reputation for being a rude place; in my opinion, we're not so much rude as busy. But on 9/11, and the days after, the city was transformed. Everyone not only cared about everyone, but everyone let it show. It was a kinder and gentler city in those first post-9/11 days. It was a city in shock, but we showed our shock by caring; by slowing down; by being kind.

The worst after effects of 9/11, for me, were seeing what was done to us by our own government - unnecessary wars, civil rights eroded.

Thank you Peter, for sharing what must be very painful to put into words.

Great story something that will be with you for all you life. I don't know how you felt but when I would get in a dangerous situation Like yours I wouldn't feel fear until it was all over and I was safe. I agree with you if our government (intelligence, ICE, Border enforcement, and FBI) Had of done there job this mite not have happened. My Grandson lost his left foot in Afghanistan with the 82nd airborn so my family has paid some dues for this.

Thank you Peter for sharing this with us.

Thanks Peter for sharing. That thump and view of smoke must have been very scary.

Sarg, hope your grandson is doing well.

As my wife and I were in route to visit our son in Louisville Ky. and to See the Perryville Civil war reenactment we decided to stop in Memphis, Tn. and visit Elvis's Graceland and this brought to mind my second encounter with historic people of Wealth and fame.
In the early sixty as a Police officer I was working an off duty job at a Country music show and the intro band was with Elvis Presley. The place where the show was held had a break room that security used for bathroom and coffee breaks. My self and another two officers were there and in walks Elvis with a dozen dough-nuts that he bought for the Police. He stade and talked with us until we had to go back out and police the crowd leaving the concert. He was not as famous at that time as he became later in his carrier, and I learned that he loved the Military and police officers all his singing carrier.

Wow sarg - another interesting story. The blue suede shoe man himself.

Bentley wrote: "Wow sarg - another interesting story. The blue suede shoe man himself."
PS Elvis is really dead I saw his grave sorry about that.

Darn, I thought he was working at a Dairy Queen in Ames,Iowa.
Great story, Sarg.

Me too - only kidding (smile)

You got to attend Oswald's funeral and also meet Elvis at another time? That's a double date with fame that I imagine few can match. Any Marilyn Monroe stories you can share with us?

Which does remind me of the vignette that I remember from my college days at UCLA that this little run-down white bungalow two houses away from where I was living had been one of the childhood homes of Marilyn. I think the people who lived there (literally it was a tiny bungalow-type of a home on a street now surrounded by apartment buildings and renovated homes that were worth 5x as much as this shack was probably worth) had no idea they lived in a house filled with history.

Cool, Craig, I'm fascinated how cities/towns change over time.

Do you know if the home is on a historical register?

Cool Craig and Bryan as I said earlier there are lots of our members that have lived with history and it is interesting to hear about it. I stooped at a rest stop in Tennessee on my way home this week and my wife started a conversation with a a gentleman who told us about living near Mt St Helen's when it erupted. It was interesting to hear his story about it.

I was privileged to meet Alan Sutton, the last survivor of the Swordfish raid on Taranto two years before he died. He lived an extraordinary life. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obitu...

I met him during the darkest period if my life. Meeting such an unassuming, wonderfully resolute gentleman who was clearly not going to let anything defeat him stiffened my own resolve and helped me get through the following weeks.

1964 during Bobby Kennedy's campaign for the senate he landed by helicopter in a ball field in our town. He was on a stage in front of the backstop. I was 11 ,after his speech me and a couple friends who had climbed up on the backstop dropped down right in front of him and shook his hand.

My dad was a Marine in WWII he fought at the Battle of Palau. He is now 90 years old and doing well. He can't remember exactly but he was either a part of the 3rd or 5th wave in.
I don't know the technical terms but he carried the telephone pack and made it to the airport on the island. One story he tells is he was hiding behind some barrels when a Jeep drove by and stopped. He swears he made eye contact with them but then they just drove on.

He usually ends his stories asking me Where on Earth were they hiding? They started bombing the beach before daylight and didn't stop until after the sun came up. He is still puzzled and amazed by it today.