This trip occurred in May of 2001. I was travelling back to Nashville from Oklahoma City. There were changes to my itinerary which ended up routing me through Atlanta even though I wasn’t originally scheduled to go there. But this was a better alternative than not getting home when I had planned. It’s no surprise to see celebrities when travelling through airports, especially when you go through larger, busier cities. This trip resulted in the most celebrity encounters that any trip.
There are many intersections in the Atlanta airport. I was wandering around, looking for a place to eat when I saw some familiar faces at one of these intersections. First, I noticed baseball manager Sparky Anderson. Then I noticed he was talking to CBS sports commentator Dick Stockton. Sparky Anderson was the manager of the Cincinnati Reds in the 1970’s when they were known as the “Big Red Machine”. This was the main time in my life that I followed major league baseball, and the Reds were my team. It appeared that Sparky and Dick were travelling together. I didn’t feel compelled to interrupt their conversation, so I went on to find a place to eat.
Later that day, I boarded a plane bound for Nashville. There were a couple of people seated in first class that I saw board the plane after I had already settled in. First was professional golfer Nancy Lopez. After this trip I read that the LPGA Women’s Open was in Atlanta that week and she had failed to qualify. I had always liked her and was excited to be on a plane with her, even though she would get off well before me.
The other celebrity that got on the plane was actor Hal Holbrook. He was married to Dixie Carter who was from McLemoresville, Tennessee, not that far from my home so I was not that surprised to see him traveling through Nashville. I remember strolling through the airport near him after we got off the plane.