ENCOUNTERS will feature brief reflections on people whose paths I’ve crossed in a life in journalism
What makes an encounter memorable? I recall, as a child, hearing my mother talk about having interviewed Carl Sandburg for the Daily Texan. Decades later, she still seemed awed by it.
Certainly, fame matters. My father used to tell me what a remarkable thing it was that I was “a contemporary” of some major figure or other – Toscanini, say, or Einstein. Neither he nor I had ever met them, but simply to have lived at the same time felt noteworthy to him.
What feels noteworthy to me now, so many decades later, is how many remarkable people my travels and my work in journalism have brought me into contact with. Many were famous; others were memorable for different reasons.
My list is predictably rich with journalists, but it also includes political figures, poets, musicians, artists and academics. Some in particular stay with me because of surprising things they said or did -- or didn’t say or do.
This is a finite series. I plan to publish one or two a week for the next several months. My hope is that you’ll find something intriguing here—and perhaps be prompted to reflect on your own encounters.
Thanks for joining me.
You were wonderful on Cathie so really worth following, xox A
Really like this framing. The idea that somtimes its not fame but the surprising thing someone did or didn't say that makes an encounter stick is interesting. I've had similar experinces where I remember a brief interaction with someone relatively unknown more vividly than meeting someone famous, just because of one unexpected moment.