My Celebrity Encounters with Major League Baseball, Singer Songwriters, Hollywood and Beyond

Major League Baseball Great Johnny Bench

My first brush with celebrity was back in the '60s when I met Johnny Bench at a YMCA Day Camp in Green Lane, Pennsylvania. Green Lane was a sleepy little town, beyond the outskirts of Philadelphia, hardly the place to find celebrity. Its gentle, rolling hills, farmland and babbling brooks made it a favorite with kids and families wanting to escape the heat of the big city. Johnny Bench was a Major League Baseball player with the Cincinnati Reds, a Hall of Fame catcher and winner of 10 Gold Glove Awards, two Most Valuable Player Awards and Rookie of the Year Award during his incredible, 17-year career in the National League. (1) In the 1960s, his career had only begun with the Reds but Johnny Bench was already drawing national attention as a baseball standout. In town for either a match up with the Philadelphia Phillies or visit with family, Johnny Bench's pit stop at our lovely little YMCA Day Camp made for a special moment the kids will never forget. Johnny Bench smiled, told funny stories, signed a few balls and other items we had. He made it seem like any one of us could aim for the Major Leagues. He stood out but, at the same time, fit right in with campers and their families, unlike so many of out-of-control celebrities and professional ball players we hear about today. Johnny Bench later dated one of the camp counselors. Or, so we were told.

Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys

My second brush with celebrity was when Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys (Bob Kimmel, Kenny Edwards and Linda Ronstadt) played for one magical night in the gymnasium of my school in Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania. (2) At the time, I was in 4^th grade and genuinely content to peek at the band from the back of the room and around the chaperones, mostly Sisters of Mercy and a few parents who were standing like posts, ready and alert in case someone rioted. It was early and I was told that the band was playing at the Gwynedd Mercy Academy high school dance that same night. I remember thinking it was so unfair that I wouldn't get to hear them play their hit single, Different Drum. But, I did get to hear Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys warm up and that was more than enough for me. I still wonder how it was that celebrity found our little school that day, but there's absolutely no doubt in my mind that Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys' appearance inspired my passion for folk and folk rock music that continues to this day.

Mod Squad's Peggy Lipton and Music Great Quincy Jones

My third brush with celebrity and fame proved to be a charm. No kid in the crowd this time, I had an honest-to-goodness, up-close-and-personal encounter with jazz musician Quincy Jones and Mod Squad actress Peggy Lipton in an elevator at the elegant Sutton Place Hotel in Toronto, Canada where my family was taking its annual, summer vacation. Now, an elevator encounter may sound b-o-r-i-n-g and rather mundane to some. But, in this case, the elevator broke down and the three of us (that's right, no one else was on the elevator) found ourselves riding up and down for what seemed to be an eternity. We talked about our good luck and current predicament. We talked about the weather. We may have talked about what I was doing in Canada, who knows? What we didn't talk about was Peggy Lipton's hit show Mod Squad (3) or the legendary Quincy Jones' music career. (4) I never gave them my name. They never offered theirs. I never asked for an autograph. The certainly didn't ask for mine. I remember thinking how pretty Peggy Lipton was in person and how cool she looked in those great, 1960s outfits that have never quite come back in style. I remember thinking that Quincy Jones was down-to-earth and friendly. For being stuck in an elevator, they both made it seem like it was the most natural thing in the world, so much so that I was secretly hoping the elevator would stay broken so I could hang out with these two cool cats just a little bit longer.

I remember how they looked at each other with those adoring, knowing eyes. Peggy Lipton, in particular, had these great big, brown eyes that made you wonder what she was thinking. Lipton brought that same look to Julie Barnes, her television character on Mod Squad. Not quite sad. Not quite happy. Cool and rather detached. Even in an elevator. She has that look. Like Mona Lisa in a mini skirt. Thoughts raced through my mind. Peggy Lipton probably has an incredibly exciting life. She probably knows all kinds of Hollywood movie stars. She and Quincy Jones probably hang out with some pretty cool artists and musicians. That day, how I wished I could trade places with Peggy Lipton. For just one moment. How silly, in retrospect.

I remember it was like we were suspended in time and that this celebrity encounter, for some strange reason, was meant to be. I remember when the elevator finally stopped and the doors opened. I ran up flight after flight of stairs, all the way back to my parents' rooms just to tell my brother and anyone else who would listen what I had experienced. We ran back, of course, so that my brother could catch a glimpse of Peggy Lipton and Quincy Jones, too. But, it was too late. They disappeared as quickly as they arrived in our lives on that hot, improbable, summer day in Toronto.

My Celebrity Encounters: Where Are They Now?

MLB great Johnny Bench fills his post-MLB days with speaking engagements, Baseball Memorabilia shows and other public appearances. (5) Linda Ronstadt continues to tour around the world. Linda Ronstadt was named Artistic Director for the 2010 San Jose Mariachi and Mexican Heritage Festival, and continues to wow audiences with her songs and songbook. (6) Peggy Lipton found a second career in music but continues to act, guest starring in Twin Peaks, among other movies and recurring television roles. Lipton wrote her autobiography in 2005, confessing to affairs with Elvis and, even, Paul McCartney (before he was married to his beloved Linda.) Rashida Jones, Lipton's daughter with Quincy Jones, has found success in her recurring role in NBC's smash hit comedy series, The Office. (7) Her father, musician, composer, producer, conductor and arranger Quincy Jones penned his autobiography in 2001 which is also available as an Audio Book. Quincy Jones shows no sign of slowing down and continues to collaborate with musicians and artists around the world. Quincy Jones won high praise as the producer of Michael Jackson's Thriller which has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. Quincy Jones also produced and conducted We Are the World, the 1985 platininum hit single recorded for African Famine Relief, a song that was recently re-recorded by new artists to support earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. (8)

SOURCES

(1) Baseball Hall of Fame - Johnny Bench
http://baseballhall.org/hof/bench-johnny

(2) Music Biz Advice - Linda Ronstadt
www.musicbizadvice.com/linda_ronstadt.htm

(3) Peggy Lipton. Breathing Out, St. Martin's Press, 2005
www.amazon.com/Breathing-Out-Peggy-Lipton/dp/0312324138

(4) Quincy Jones. Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones. Harlem Moon, 2002.
www.amazon.com/Q-Autobiography-Quincy-Jones/dp/0767905105/ref=pd_sim_b_1

(5) Appearances by Johnny Bench in Official Website of Johnny Bench
www.johnnybench.com/appearances.php

(6) Biography of Linda Ronstadt in Linda Ronstadt Fan Site
www.ronstadt-linda.com

(7) Celebrities - Peggy Lipton in TV Guide
www.tvguide.com/celebrities/peggy-lipton/169689

(8) About Quincy Jones in Official Website of Quincy Jones
www.quincyjones.com/about-2/about

MLB & CELEBRITY RESOURCES

Official Website for MLB Johnny Bench
www.johnnybench.com

Yahoo Movies - Peggy Lipton
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800085705

Yahoo Movies - Quincy Jones
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800017890

Baseball Hall of Fame
http://baseballhall.org

TMZ
www.tmz.com