My lucky life
I鈥檓 living a charmed life.
I hadn鈥檛 planned on it.
It鈥檚 just happened this way.
I鈥檇 been a shy, undistinguished, below-average high school student 鈥� with dreams of becoming outgoing, distinguished, and smart.
I found some refuge in broadcasting.
Especially since I managed to encounter people I thought I鈥檇 never meet minus a microphone or a camera.
John Glenn
I first met the ex-Marine, former astronaut, and (at the time) U.S. senator while I was a reporter for WBNS-TV 鈥� the CBS TV station 鈥� in Columbus, Ohio, in 1976.
I鈥檇 interview him when he came back to Columbus from Washington on weekends.
There was one meeting I鈥檝e regretted.
He called an afternoon news conference. A reporter from a competing station 鈥� Terry Jessup 鈥� asked him why he flew all over the world on junkets, instead of taking care of the people he was supposed to serve back home.
The news conference ended, and Sen. Glenn went right for Jessup鈥檚 neck. On that day, Glenn wasn鈥檛 acting as a senator or astronaut. He was a Marine!
Glenn thought Jessup had asked him an unfair question.
He physically pushed Jessup against the wall.
I rushed to try to negotiate a peace deal between them.
While pinning him against the wall, Glenn turned to me and asked if I agreed that the question was unfair.
Sensing my broadcasting career, and worse, my life, flash before me, I blurted out, 鈥淚 understood the question. But I may have asked it a little differently.鈥�
Fortunately, the first man to circumnavigate the Earth released his prey, while he accepted my vague explanation.
I lived to see another day.
Jimmy Carter
I barely escaped with my life intact when I encountered the former governor of Georgia and presidential candidate Jimmy Carter in 1976.
I鈥檇 been assigned to interview him live for the noon news in front of the Ohio Statehouse.
I didn鈥檛 know much about Mr. Carter.
I鈥檇 watched either 鈥淢eet the Press鈥� or 鈥淔ace the Nation鈥� when somebody mentioned that Carter鈥檚 support for the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Bill was only lukewarm.
Side note: I had no idea what the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Bill was; what it was supposed to do, or why Carter鈥檚 support for it was only lukewarm.
I didn鈥檛 care.
When I met Mr. Carter for that interview, he was standing alone (he had a limited campaign staff at the time), and I came only armed with that stupid question.
I stand about 6 feet 1. He鈥檚 about 5 feet 7 inches.
Suddenly I felt like I was looking up at him from the ground.
Because, when I asked him about his supposed 鈥渓ukewarm鈥� support for that blasted bill 鈥� live on TV, with the whole world to see 鈥� he responded like I鈥檇 accused him of being an ax murderer.
I was so humbled by his response, I nearly deflated.
I resolved that the next time I鈥檇 be assigned to cover a presidential candidate I would prepare myself properly.
Too bad.
I never interviewed another presidential candidate.
Ronald Reagan
Nope! I didn鈥檛 interview him. But I was in his presence while I was a reporter in Columbus.
Reagan and the legendary actor Jimmy Stewart were making Reagan鈥檚 presidential campaign swing through the city in 1976.
They had to sit quietly, only a few feet away while I gave an on-camera report for the 6 o鈥檆lock news.
They were up next.
We passed each other in the studio.
For the record: They were both much taller than Jimmy Carter.
Maureen Reagan
While I was a reporter for Entertainment Tonight in the mid-1980s, Ronald Reagan鈥檚 daughter, Maureen, did some reporting for the show.
She seemed to be a very pleasant person.
But having her around presented some people with a problem.
If she walked into a room, the Secret Service would lock the doors so you couldn鈥檛 leave.
If she was already in the room before you walked into it 鈥� you鈥檇 be locked out of it.
I did say she was a nice lady.
The Secret Service, though, wasn鈥檛 nice.
Because that was their job.
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter, and anchor for Entertainment Tonight, and 40-year TV news and newspaper veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.