People I've met along the way

In July, 1984, I went to Los Angeles to attend the American Home Economics annual meeting as a delegate from NC. I took some extra time to tour Disneyland, Universal Studios, Knotts Berry Farm and some other sights. It was Donald Duck's 50th birthday and also mine in 1984. I had my photo made with Donald for James. Right away he wanted to go to the "real" Disneyworld. He had been to the one in Florida but knew there was one in Calif. long before there was on in FL. Later we took him to Disneyland and that is another story for another time.

On a VIP tour of Universal Studios, we were taken "behind the scenes" and got to see things and people the public doesn't normally get to see. We were traveling in a trolley when we stopped for traffic and guess who was walking to the studio right beside our trolley. None other than Arnold (from Different Strokes TV show) and his pal Michael Jackson. They were on their way for Arnold to tape one of his programs. I had seen Arnold on his TV show but I had no idea who this Michael Jackson fellow was. That is until I showed James this photo, and he said, "Michael Jackson!"This was before he became well known. We were told by our tour leader that Michael and Arnold were best friends.

While living in Haleyville in 1986, I was a Chairperson of a national committee and attended the Amer. Home Economics annual meeting in Kansas City, KS. Senator Nancy Kassebaum sat at our table at a luncheon one day. I had lived in Kansas in the 1950's and enjoyed talking to her. She was at the meeting to speak on behalf of the Equal Rights Admendment. She was the first woman to be elected to the US Senate without succeeding her husband into the job. She was a Kansas Republican Senator for three terms. She told me that her father, Kansas Gov. Alfred Langdon, ran for Pres. against Franklin Roosevelt and was badly beaten. He was proud of her for winning her senate seat. After graduating from college and working awhile at Hallmark as a receptionist, she stayed at home and lived on their farm and raised her children. Then she decided to enter politics and she separated from her husband and left Kansas and took the kids to Washington, DC. I was fascinated with her ambition. I have followed her political life with great interest since that day. She later married Howard Baker and is now Nancy Langdon Kassebaum Baker. She left the senate in 1997. She is only 2 years older than I.