I have shaken hands with Hubert Humphrey and George McGovern (at different times -- as well as some Minnesota politicians you wouldn't care about.)

I once ran into Senator Paul Wellstone in my favorite bookstore. We exchanged a few words about the books we were buying.

The owner of this bookstore, when he was in high school, went to a Jewish summer camp with Bob Dylan.

I have visited in the home of my state senator, who once shook hands with Groucho Marx! (He has the photo on his wall.)

The funeral director who directed my father-in-law's funeral once dated Tammy Faye Bakker, before she married Jim Bakker.

My cousin was literally a face in the crowd in the movie, "A Face in the Crowd." She lives in Piggott, Arkansas, where it was filmed.

In high school, my best friend's biology lab partner was Sue Diller, daughter of Phyllis Diller.

Another friend's older brother was a high school classmate of Dick Gephardt.

In college, I lived in the same house with a guy whose cat ran away and was found by Muriel Humphrey, wife of Hubert Humphrey.