I'll apologize now for the length of this post, but I have to share this story in its entirety. It probably won't sound as neat as the occurence itself, but every word is true.
Before DS was born, my wife and I went to WDW each May and then in October to watch the PGA golf tournament and then golf the next week. The day after the tournament in 1999 we went to the Palm/Magnolia pro shop to see if any of the remaining tournament merchandise was on sale. It was about 5:00 or so in the afternoon as we walked toward the pro shop which is adjacent to the locker room. No one was around by that time.
As we were about 10 yards from the locker room a golf cart pulled up and a tall gentleman got off and walked into the locker room carrying a change of clothes. Shocked, I turned to my wife and said that's Dr. J, Julius Erving from the Philly 76ers, who at the time was an executive with the Orlando Magic pro basketball team! I hurried into the pro shop to grab a golf card for him to sign while my wife walked back to the car for the camera.
I came back outside of the pro shop and waited as another golf cart pulled up with a gentlman in an Orlando Magic shirt and a straw golf hat. We were the only people there and as he just sat for a few seconds I realized it was Curly Neal formerly of the Harlem Globetrotters! I walked over and introduced myself and talked about how I used to watch him and the Globetrotters play in my hometown about 25 years earlier. He seemed genuinely appreciative that someone remembered him.
I asked if he could sign the golf card I had and he told me to get in the cart and go to his car in the parking lot where he has pictures he can sign. As we drove to his car, around the corner comes my wife walking with the camera! We stop at Curly's car and I introduce my wife and we chat as he searches in the trunk for a picture. He finds a picture of his classic dribbling from his knees pose and proceeds to sign it, "To my good friends Ron & Nadine, Curly Neal" As he's writing yet another golf cart pulls up. Curly tells the guy to come over and says, "Hey, I'd like you to meet my good friends from Pennsylvania Ron & Nadine." Curly then says, "Ron & Nadine, this is Dennis Newman, voice of the Orlando Magic."
After we all talked for a few minutes Curly asks if we knew Dr. J was in the locker room. He drives Nadine and I back to the locker room in the golf cart where we talk for a minute and say our nice to meet yous and so longs. A few minutes later, sure enough Dr. J emerges and we also meet him and get his autograph.
It all lasted only about 20 minutes, but it was something neat that we'll always remember.
If you actually read this whole thing, thanks for your pateince!