Bonnie Shell's Life Stories

What famous people have you met and how did you meet them?

Many years ago, my friend Marge and I were in Las Vegas. We were going down to the casino from our room, and as the elevator opened, there stood Johnny Carson. None of us said anything, but I was surprised to see how short he was.

At this hotel, we also passed Martha Rae, an old-time comedian. She also did not acknowledge us; she kept walking down the hall with her head down.

When I was waiting for John after a Knights of Columbus Convention in a hotel in Milwaukee, I saw Mark Harmon checking in.

John and I went to Chicago a few years ago to a book signing and met the author Sarah Paretsky, one of my favorite writers.

One other celebrity I met was Bonnie Hunt. She is the niece of my husband's uncle. We met her at her aunt's funeral. She is a lovely and down-to-earth person. We talked to her briefly, and she told us she always wanted to be an actress but was glad she took her father's advice and went to nursing school. It helped to pay the bills when she did not have an acting job.