Dubious Claims to Fame

The Name-Dropper Files: My Dubious Claims to Fame

The following is true. Although my connections to these famous people, places, and events are extremely tenuous, I am including them anyway. You can't stop me! HAHAHAHA!

My wife is descended from the powerful Hofheinz family of New Braunfels. She is a distant cousin of Fred Hofheinz, former Mayor of Houston, who was responsible for construction of the Astrodome.
My grandmother, Clara Belknap, was the first person to receive a music degree from Oklahoma University in the early 1900's. I'm not sure if anyone else has gotten one since then...
My father served under General George Patton in World War II (although he never actually met or saw him). Patton went on to be portrayed by George C. Scott in the movie "Patton", which my father made us sit through at the drive-in.
In November, 1963, I saw John F. Kennedy in Fort Worth, on his way to his fateful trip to Dallas. Since I was only seven months old, however, it didn't make much of an impression on me. (Besides, we were Republicans.)
In the early '70's I met Jethro Pugh, the Dallas Cowboy lineman on whom many blamed their loss in the Ice Bowl championship game, at an autograph session in a local K-Mart.
My father once shook hands with John Glenn when he was running for President (Glenn, that is; my father never ran for president), when they bumped into each other in the Texas Capitol building. Also, former Texas Governor Mark White once looked at my father as if trying to remember whether he needed to acknowledge his existence, then decided he didn't.
I worked on the grill at McDonald's with Kenneth Harvey, a disgruntled high school football player who had quit the team in favor of a burger-flipping career. He went on to play college ball, and is now an All-Pro linebacker for the Washington Redskins.
My brother Fred is manager of historic Scholtz's Garten, the oldest beer garden in Texas and hang-out for local politicians. He once met Bill Clinton there when he was campaigning for President in 1992. (Clinton, that is; I'm pretty sure my brother didn't run that year.)
My former business partner, Laura Grosvenor, is distantly related by marriage to Gilbert Grosvenor, National Geographic President.
I once worked with Woody Harrelson's cousin.
In my present job at Metrowerks, I often send promotional "goodies" to prospective customers, business partners, and media people. I once sent some T-shirts to White House conspirator/radio talk show host G. Gordon Liddy. Although I didn't handle them personally, we have also sent stuff to computer biz pioneers Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.
and last but not least...
I once saw fabulously talented Vanilla Ice on television.

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