Peter Marshall
I was working in production for a radio station group in Kansas City, c. 2005. Just outside my studio door, I heard a very familiar voice. I jumped out of my chair to look into the hallway, and sure enough, it was The Master Of the Hollywood Squares himself! He was there with his son, Pete LaCock Jr., who had played for the Royals and later worked in their front office. Both were to be guests for an hour on our sports station. I chatted with Peter for a bit, told him that I had recently purchased his "Boy Singer" CD, and he autographed my notepad. Not sure, but I think Pete Jr. is still my neighbor.
Steve Harvey
We briefly worked for the same Chicago radio group, so I ran into him in the hallways a couple of times. He was nothing but nice and friendly. I also have a close friend who works on Feud these days, and has nothing negative to say about Steve.
Steve Allen
A true pioneer of television, he was a guest on my Chicago-based radio show for an hour one night in the early 1990s. I was in awe of the legend.
Bill Cosby
(He hosted a GS for a while, didn't he?) Same Chicago station (and around the same time frame) as my interview with Steve Allen, long before the general public knew about his nastiness, Cosby was my radio guest for around 15 minutes, late one night. He seemed warm and friendly.
Jim Hutton (not the actor)
THIS Jim Hutton was a TV personality from the Twin Cities, who had moved to Chicago in the early '60s to host a local "Hangman"-based game show called "The Letter Game". He also helmed the syndicated game, "Everything's Relative". I attended some tapings of "The Letter Game" at NBC's WMAQ-TV facility in Chicago's Merchandise Mart. I was only eight or nine years old when Jim and I talked about my dreams of going into broadcasting when I grew up. He was very encouraging to this kid ... although it's arguable whether I every actually did grow up.
Pat Sajak
At a Wheel taping in Nashville, where I worked at the same radio station that Pat had worked at many years earlier. We chatted for a bit between shows.
Art James
Never met him in person, but had some really nice, long phone conversations with him in his last few years on Earth. Totally lovable man.
There may have been one or two others over my now 50-year career in radio and television, but if there were, I can't think of them right now.
