About a year ago, I blogged about my chance meeting with Henry Winkler at Bill Clinton's inauguration in 1993. The short version is that I was waiting for the parade to roll by, when my college roommate and I noticed a circle of people huddling around someone walking down the street. We elbowed our way in to see that it was Henry Winkler.
When I got in front of him, I could think of nothing better to say, "Mr. Winkler, sir, may I shake your hand?"
He replied, warmly, "It's good to see you."
That story has become legend among my friends and coworkers. And today I had my shot at redemption.
Because of our involvement in the Bronze the Fonz project -- we designed the Web site -- I was lucky enough to be invited to the V.I.P. reception at The Pfister. I dragged along my reluctant and extremely pregnant wife, and we arrived just as the "Happy Days" motorcade rolled up.
Visit Milwaukee's Dave Fantle, who has led this entire effort and served as Winkler's handler today, stopped to say hello. Next thing we knew, we were riding up the elevator with the Fonz.
Of course, Winkler was far more interested in my wife's belly than me, and he promptly gave it a rub and said it'll be a Virgo. "Now we know the baby will be cool," said Velia, not even offended that this stranger gave her a squeeze.
I told Winkler that we designed the statue's promo site, and he gave my arm a friendly rub but didn't really say much. People all over the place were fawning over him, and for a change, I didn't feel like sticking my foot in my mouth by blabbering incessantly.
When we got to the seventh floor, our mutual friend Gino Salamone was there, waiting. He snapped a photo of the three of us, and I took my shot:
"It's good to see you," I said to Winkler in almost the same tone as he uttered those words 15 years ago.
Of course, I spaced out on the opportunity to tell Winkler how much I liked him on "Arrested Development." The best I could do was to thank him for coming to Milwaukee, and that we all appreciated seeing him.
Good, but not great, Tarnoff.
That out of the way and ready to take things up a notch, my business partner Jeff and I quickly made a bee line to Erin Moran. The caption for that photo practically wrote itself on the spot: Chatches love Joanie.
Inside the room, I watched many of Milwaukee's movers and shakers get giddy with excitement. However, most forgot their cameras.
That meant person after person asked me to snap their photos. Wauwatosa's Mayor Jill Didier asked. State Fair's Randy Prasse asked. East Town's Kate Borders asked. The County Parks' Sue Black asked -- three times.
And I was more than happy to oblige.
It's not like "Happy Days" was my favorite show or anything -- though I think I had a Fonzie action figure. But in a way, to see the whole cast (minus Ron Howard, Al Molinaro and Scott Baio) felt really special. All of the cast was extremely friendly and accommodating, though it must've felt like shell-shock to be swarmed by this many people -- 25 years after the show went off the air.
Garry Marshall and Winkler said a few words (see below: Winkler was really craving the tiny Reuben sandwiches, apparently) before the "kids," as Marshall called the cast, sat down to sign lithographs.
Debate over public art aside, this has to be one of the funnier days I've experienced in Milwaukee in a long time.
Yeah, I also heard that some little thing called the Marquette Interchange opened for business today.
But that's not what Milwaukee was talking about today. See for yourself in this gallery of photos from the event.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
