PCBEEUSA - Freedom on the Web

In my lifetime, I have met a number of famous and important people.  Political figures, from congressmen to Chicago’s Mayor Daley; legends, like James Earl Jones; and several stars from Star Trek and Dr. Who, from James Doohan (Mr. Scott) to Tom Baker (Dr. Who # 4, the most famous of them all).  I also had a chance to meet Joan Higgenbotham, a young lady from Chicago who was a Space Shuttle astronaut. (See my celebrity page: www.groupendeavors.com/steve )

Today I trumped them all.  I shook hands with Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin.  The second man to set foot on the moon.

And it almost didn’t happen.

I was taking advantage of a rare chance to sleep late when my dear wife came into the bedroom and told me that she had just heard on TV that “Buzz” Aldrin was going to be at the Adler Planetarium at 11:30 this morning.  I lay there debating.  Probably going to be hundreds if not thousands of people there.  At best, I might get to sit in the back of some auditorium while he spoke.  Was it worth the hassle?

An hour later I was up and dressed and gulping down breakfast.  This was, after all, “Buzz” Aldrin.  If I could get within 150 feet of him, I could get a good picture.

I took the Red Line subway to Roosevelt Road and got on the east bound Roosevelt bus.  Little did I know that the Roosevelt bus no longer went to the Planetarium.  Had to walk three blocks to get to a bus that did go there.

I arrived at the Adler, and got in line to buy an admission ticket.  $19.  Well, it was, after all, “Buzz” Aldrin.

I asked an attendant what ticket I would have to buy to see Mr. Aldrin.  She directed me to a special exhibit on Apollo, that had a big sign saying that it was closed until later in the day.  I asked a lady there who asked me if I was with the press.  I said no.  She told me that Mr. Aldrin would be making a brief appearance at the entrance to the exhibit in about 30 minutes.

So I went outside, walked around a bit and took some pictures.

Then it occurred to me, he probably was not there yet.  If I waited around I might get a shot of him before he entered the building.  I saw a couple of “important” looking people waiting out front, so I waited with them.

Soon, a black SUV pulled up and “Buzz” stepped out.  I got a quick shot of him getting out of the car.  As he was escorted to the side entrance I called his name from about 50 feet away.  Guess he didn’t hear me.

Inside, I was again told that he would be making an appearance soon.  So I waited.  An older Planetarium employee told me to be patient, that Mr. Aldrin would be there in 10 or 15 minutes.

“I’ve already waited 40 years,” I said. “A few more minutes certainly won’t hurt me.”

I mentioned that I was surprised that there were so few people here to see the astronaut.  Just me and a few people from the press.  He said that it was not supposed to have been announced on TV.  A couple of stations mistakenly released the information.  It was not supposed to be a public event.  Lucky me!

I was waiting patiently when a lady with a camera walked up to me and asked if this was where “Buzz” Aldrin was going to be.

“That’s what they tell me!” I said.

We chatted as we waited.  Her name was Denise, and she was a junior high astronomy schoolteacher visiting from California.  It was her first time at the Adler.   She had overheard someone say that Aldrin would be there.

For about 10 minutes we talked about Apollo 11 (she was a little impressed that I had watched it live as a teen), and astronomy (we mildly disagreed on whether Pluto should be considered a planet).

Suddenly, one of the ladies from the Planetarium approached us.  She acknowledged how long we had been patiently waiting.  She said that we would be allowed into the exhibit while Mr. Aldrin was there to take some pictures!

“Just don’t tell anybody else!” she said.

Lucky us!  Denise and I each agreed to e-mail whatever pictures we got to each other.

We saw “Buzz” enter the exhibit and take the reporters on a tour.

After a few minutes the lady came out again and told us to follow her.  As we walked through the museum, Denise and I decided that, if we could get a picture with “Buzz,” we take it together, with her camera, and she’d e-mail a copy to me.

We were hustled off to a doorway and asked to wait.  I suggested to Denise that we look as much like VIPs as possible (I was wearing my Johnson Space Center T-shirt, so I pretty much looked like a tourist anyway).

Then, he appeared.  We both tried to take pictures, but people were just hustling about too much, trying to get him out.

Then I remembered something my wife always told me.  You won’t get if you don’t ask.

“Mr. Aldrin?  If I may?”  I said as I held out my hand.

He turned, smiled slightly and shook my hand.

Denise tried to get the picture of it, but it was not to be.

After it was over, we had someone take a picture of the two of us and we parted ways.

I was halfway home when it actually hit me.  I had shaken hands with one of the most famous people who ever lived.  The second man to set foot on the moon.  An Apollo 11 astronaut.

That was cool!

Every baby boomer in America is remembering Walter Cronkite.  He was there when Kennedy was assassinated, when King was assassinated and when Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon.

I was, and always have been a big fan of the space program.  I would be late for school on the morning when there was a launch.  Walter Cronkite seemed to be a much a part of the space program as any astronaut; he was always there.  I will never forget his reaction when we landed on the moon.