Getting your money's worth.

With the sad news of Ernie Harwell’s passing, I thought about the time I had the pleasure of meeting him. As we all know, when people die they become all of the good things about them and none of the bad. I think Ernie was an exception, because he was truly a nice man. He lived a wonderful life, doing a job he loved, living his life well and by golly making it to 92 years old. Like I heard a reporter say…”he got his money’s worth” out of life. Isn’t that what it’s all about, getting your money’s worth. I think that might be a good way to approach everything! Eeekk out every little bit of everything! Is there ever too much of a good thing?  Good lesson for the day.


I just met Ernie a couple of years ago. I have a great little gig that I have had the joy of doing for the past dozen years or so. I inherited it from my mom who had done it since about 1967. When she died unexpectedly, I was given the opportunity to take over for her, which I was happy to do. I became in charge of transportation for Downriver Town Hall. This entitled me to pick up stars, authors, singers, dancers, motivational speakers, comedians, and a variety of other people who came in for the lecture series. I have met so many people this way and it has really been a fun time over the years. You think about living your simple little existence in a small community and not meeting up with the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, or the entertainment world, but I have had that opportunity and when I think about it, it has been pretty special.  My “job” is to pick up the speakers at their local hotel and drive them to the lecture hall and entertain them for about an hour before they have to go on. I am their “personal assistant” for the day. Then it’s back to the airport for their flight home. It’s a one on one for a couple of hours that has brought me to meeting up with some very famous people. I have had coffee and donuts with Larry Hagman. As a huge fan of Dallas, I was really looking forward to chit chatting with him. I told my kids I was going to pick up JR Ewing and they had absolutely no idea who I was talking about! I said are you kidding me! Larry Hagman? And then the light bulb went off and they said oh you mean Major Nelson! Ahhh, Nick at night! Funny how the generations relate to different people. In person, he was JR Ewing to the core.

Here are a few of the people this small town girl has met- Peter Falk – very rude and I threatened not to drive him back to the airport, I was ready to tell him he better be nice to me or else it was a long walk. I was convinced to take him back and in the end I had to go into the terminal and up to the desk and check him in. I walked him to the security gates, helped him on with his coat, loaded him up with his bags, put his ticket in his hand,  turned him around and pointed him in the right direction and he actually turned back and said thank you and gave me a hug. I later found out he had the early stages of Alzheimer’s and I hope that was the reason for his grouchiness.

Rita Moreno was another Diva. We kicked her to the curb at the airport and said “See ya”. Most were charming and kind, we just had a few that were a challenge. Nancy Grace was a quiet sweet woman. Put her in front of a camera and POW…what a change. I took Arlene Dahl to visit my psychic and she was impressed.  Vicki Lawrence, Shirley Jones, John Davidson, Judith Miller, Bob Eubanks (the nicest), Marcia Wallace, Sparky Anderson (what a ladies’ man ), Bill Bonds, Morton Dean, Carol Higgens Clark, Vincent Bugliosi, Dr. Will Miller (my favorite!) Jamie Farr, Heloise, White House Chefs, CIA Directors, FBI agents, Assistants to the Royal Family – Dickie Arbiter, Phyllis Diller, Dennis Weaver, Peter Strauss, Valerie Hemmingway, Michelle Malkin, and the list goes on. So for living a quiet little life, I have had an unique opportunity to rub elbows with the rich and famous and to meet the charming Ernie Harwell.