THE DAY I MET....Vol.1

I"ve been lucky enough to met a few famous people in my life, from sports stars to entertainment celebrities to politicians. Here"s a sampling ...

PRESIDENT OBAMA- I shook hands with President Obama in 2008 at a rally at Great Valley High School. He was still a Senator, running against Hillary Clinton. One of the perks of being in a wheelchair was the event organizers put me upfront with other disabled folks. I had a clear view, as did my family. I wasn"t sure if Mr. Obama would shake hands with anyone near the stage, but I was hoping he would.

I"ll never forget the Secret Service agents looking everyone over before the event, even around my wheelchair. I could understand, with the crazy stuff going on in the world, even back in 2008.

There was a lot of excitement in the gym when Mr. Obama finally came out ( he was late-his motorcade was tied up in traffic). He gave one of his rousing speeches as he was so famous for, especially during that campaign. I had seen him on TV-of course he wasn"t president yet-but he was still famous and it was hard to believe he was actually standing there behind the podium so close.

The 30- minute or so speech ended and it at first seemed like Mr. Obama was going to exit the stage, already backlogged with his schedule, his aides seemingly encouraging him to wave, smile and leave.Instead he did start shaking hands and greeting people along the semi-circle of the stage. It was happening so fast...the noise of the cheering crowd, the loud music, the lights..and very quickly he was coming to me.

As he swiftly shook hands and kept moving, I saw the Secret Service guys hustling him along as they carefully eyed the people he greeted, especially watching their hands.

The gentleman to the right of me greeted the soon-to-be president first. He was a young guy in a wheelchair. His hands were gnarled and twisted from some deformity. He wore an Obama button.

What happened next was something I"ll never forget.

When Mr. Obama faced this young man, he instantly noticed his hands. Knowing the young man could not physically shake hands, Mr. Obama reached out and touched the supporter on his left shoulder, smiling and thanking him for coming.

This impressed me a great deal. Not only did Mr. Obama notice the situation quickly, he didn"t just pass by with only a verbal greeting. He realized that human touch is a very important thing, so he reached out to the man. The Secret Service may not have been crazy about the idea, but Mr. Obama did the right thing, and I"m sure gave this guy a lifelong memory.

Suddenly, there was Senator Obama right square in front of me, flashing his broad smile, shaking my hand, saying , "Thanks for the support".

Just like that, it was over, even before I could say anything in return. He moved on until he shook all hands near the stage, and eventually exited into history.

HARRY KALAS & RICHIE ASHBURN-

I met both beloved Phillies announcers in the 1980s. First, Richie. Believe it or not, it wasn"t at the ballpark. I was at a 76ers game. Back then, the Sixers had a promotion that on certain nights before a home game, they had a local sports celebrity sit on the concourse and sign free autographs. I knew Richie was going to be there that night. I was a fan of his - too young to remember his Hall-of -Fame playing days, but loved his announcing.

My brother and I approached him. He was sitting at a little booth on the concourse of the old Spectrum. Hardly anyone was there, as we were one of the first fans let inside the gates.

He was wearing a cap and smoking his pipe. I said hello, shook hands, and asked him to autograph my Sixers program. He did so, and we briefly chatted about the Phillies before we moved on. He was a nice guy, quiet and again, seeing an icon in front of you, so close, seemed unreal.

I met Harry in the late 80s. My brother arranged for us to view an inning behind home plate in the tunnel  where the grounds crew came out. I"ll never forget the view of being right behind the catcher at Veterans Stadium, the massive stadium all in form and above me.

Harry was walking through the catacombs of the vet between innings, headed to who knows where. He stopped when he saw our small party and said hello, dressed nattily in a cream-color summer jacket with his trademark white shoes. Again, a really nice guy.

The Phillie Phantic also passed thru during our time behind home plate. I would meet him numerous times after that. He was crazy as ever.

More to come....