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Donny, Tori, and Lou: Encounters with Famous People and What They Taught Me
A little bit of grace goes a long way.
In the late winter of 1982 I met my first famous person.
I was barely thirteen, and lived with my parents and two younger sisters in New Jersey, just across from the city near the George Washington Bridge. My whole family belonged to the Mormon church, and as members of the “priesthood” my father and I had the responsibility of visiting members of our congregation in their homes during the month. It was kind of a spiritual “wellness check”.
But as we drove on that particular winter night, we were extra dressed up, and extra excited. As it happened, Donny Osmond was working on a Broadway revival of “Little Johnny Jones”, set to open March 22nd. During his planned residency in the show, he and his family were staying in our “ward” — the area covered by our particular church building.
And my Dad and I were the ones who drew the lucky straw to get to go “home teach” Donny and his family.
(I have some vague memories that my Dad was, in fact, in charge of assigning the members of the priesthood to visit the various families, which may have had something to do with this privilege. If so, I prefer to think of it as a version of “if you want it done right, do it…
