10 People I Would Meet

Happy Monday readers! Hope you all are having a wonderful first week of June! I've had a VERY busy week and am just not getting some free time for another blog post. Tonight's topic is: 10 People I Would Meet. Now these ten people can be living or dead. I chose this topic because I got the idea off another trending topic on Twitter the other night. You may be asking: where is #50ThingsILove? Well... That post is proving to be much more difficult than I anticipated! So, I have put it on the back burner for the time being. As I said, tonight's ten people can be living or dead and from all walks of life. I would like to point out that this is isn't full of celebrities. I have way too many influential celebrities and I plan on making that a post in and of itself. This list is solely people I want to meet and my reasons for wanting to meet them. Without further adieu, here we go:

1) Dr. Hawley Crippen. Many of you probably have absolutely no idea who this is. Well, crash course version: he was a doctor that supposedly killed his Broadway star wife. He was convicted and hanged back in 1910. His case was very unique because it was the first ever case to ever involve forensic evidence (although it has proved to be controversial) and also he was the first person to ever be captured via wireless communications (he was arrested while on board a ship crossing the Atlantic, coming to America). Although this seems boring, back a few years ago, the University of Michigan reviewed his case and all the scientific evidence that was given and declared the evidence incorrect. Dr. Crippen could have very well been an innocent man, and was hung for something he may not have done. By all accounts, Hawley Crippen was an amazing doctor and a great man. Why do I care? Well, I have done a lot of research on this topic and the story is truly fascinating. I was first drawn to this topic years ago in a book I read for school about Forensic Anthropology (long before CSI and Bones made it popular) and every since I have been very deeply interested in his story. There is a great PBS documentary out there about him and I will include a link to watch it here. Dr. Crippen and his story have also proved to be very influential to me, it was partially his story that drew me first to a career in Law and now to a career in Anthropology. It is truly amazing what science can do. It is a goal for me to one day visit his resting site in England to pay my respects. Regardless of whether he is guilty or not, I find this story to be great. I would love to meet him face to face and learn more about his story. Seeing as his story has played such an important role in my life, I have often expressed interest in someday naming my son Hawley in his memory. A little morbid, I know, but without the influence of this man's story, my life could be taking a very different approach now. This link will take you to the PBS documentary that I wrote about! Enjoy!

2) Gregory Maguire. As anyone who knows about my love of all things Oz will tell you, Gregory Maguire is probably my favorite author of all time. He currently is the "only name in Ozian Literature these days". I know what you may be thinking, my favorite author? What about... any other mainstream author out there? Or even Mr. L. Frank Baum himself, creator of the Land of Oz over 100 years ago? Well, to anyone who has sat down and had the pleasure of enjoying one of Maguire's novels, that would not be a question. Gregory Maguire is author of the popular Wicked Years Series, the most popular of which being Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which served as inspiration for the Tony Award winning and record smashing musical Wicked. Mr. Maguire's books are full of inspiring quotes and are a definite page turner. My whole life I have been obsessed with that land "over the rainbow", yet most books and novels in the Ozian Canon are geared towards children. Maguire saw that and completely turned the Oz we all know and love on its head and created a very complex society with more than just Munchkins and Witches. A land of political unrest, raging wars, and suppression of entire groups of people and creatures: this Oz is not one for the faint of heart. Best of all, Maguire and his characters are easy to relate to. Oz isn't the only feat that Maguire has tackled, he has also spun many fairy tales such as Snow White, Cinderella, and Rumpelstiltskin into complex and adult novels. In my opinion Gregory Maguire is the best author today and definitely deserves any and all accolades he has coming his way. I have read that nowadays he is a professor at a college on the East coast and I would find it probably the greatest honor in my life to meet my favorite author in the flesh. I can only imagine what conversations we could have. I would love to pick up the Oz Canon where he left off and continue to write myself.

3) Stan Lee. Of course Stan Lee had to make the list. In case any of you do not know (I honestly do not know how someone could NOT know), Stan Lee is the founder and creator of Marvel Comics. I am probably the biggest comic book and Marvel Universe fan you will ever meet. I can tell you about 90% of the characters, who they are, what they do, anything you want to know. This man is definitely an idol of mine. Also at age 89, he is STILL alive and kicking. Although is no longer writes, he remains very active within the Marvel Universe he created by overseeing all cinematic works on his characters. Anyone who has seen a Marvel movie can attest to the fact that they are amazing (except for that 2003 version of The Hulk, but that's a different story). Anyways, Stan lee definitely has it going on and I would love to pick his brain and hear some of his amazing stories.

4) Joseph Kennedy. Note that this says Joseph Kennedy and not John F. Kennedy. Joseph Kennedy was the father of JFK who had quite the story of his own. I am not going to bore anyone with the details of his life, but he is definitely an important person in American history. Without his influence, American politics would be nothing like they are today. He is also patriarch to probably the closest thing we have to a "Royal" family in America. That in itself would be reason enough to want to get to know him. Anyone with free time should definitely check out "The Kennedy's" Miniseries that was broadcast through the History Channel a few years ago. It definitely opened my eyes to some things. Great Era of American History.

5) Stephen Schwartz (Composer), Stephen Sondheim, Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rogers, or Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. These men are all excellent play writers, lyricists, directors, producers, composers and just about the best things to happen to the world of Theatre in its history without a doubt. Between the five of them they have been responsible for nearly every single play or musical I have ever had the pleasure to enjoy. Wicked, Phantom, West Side Story, Jesus Christ Superstar, Oklahoma, and and endless amount of others have all been created in some way thanks to these men. Although some are West End and some are Broadway, there is no doubt in my mind that if these 5 men were to have ever been in the same room, the world would have never been the same. Their creation would have been something of legend. I know many of you reading this are not fans of Theatre, but honestly: you do not know what you are missing.

6) Queen Elizabeth II. This one should be a no brainer, who DOESN'T want to meet the Queen of England? Coming from a kid who will have his name in lights and a crowd surrounding him one day, knowing the Queen would probably be a good resource! Haha! In all seriousness, although the Royal family may not have any reigning power these days, their influence is immense. I remember a few years ago when the President presented the Queen with a Gold-Plated Nintendo Wii for her birthday. Honestly, who does that? I deserve a Gold Wii... Crazy! And again, at the ripe old age of 86, she still finds time to do her work and still wear those crazy hats on her head. That will definitely be what I remember this queen for. She has been through a lot in her life time, wars, struggles, and great successes, yet she still represents her people well. This is why she has made the list. Click here to check out that Gold-Plated Wii the Queen received!

7) Roger Ebert. The acclaimed movie critic. The first person to win the Pulitzer Prize for movie reviewing. He has been knowing for his reviews since the 1960s. He is revered world-wide for his opinions. It is him that movie directors aim to please. That is a pretty huge deal! This man has probably seen just about every movie I can think of. In fact, he gets paid to watch movies, how cool is that? As a film history buff myself, I find myself reading his notes a lot of times when doing personal research. In 2002 Ebert was diagnosed with crippling Thyroid cancer which has left his speech riddled. He has yet to stop writing though. I remember when I saw his interview on Oprah a few years ago and I found it to be truly inspiring. Never give up on your dreams! Click this link to see the 60 Minutes interview with Roger Ebert. Truly Inspiring! Just another reason to hate cancer, what a horrible thing to happen to a person!

8) Yuri Gargarin. The first man to ever venture into the great unknown. The first man to enter Space. Although today this is not a big deal at all, I can only imagine what this man experienced when he orbited the Earth for the first time back in 1961. Little was known about space, what was there, what wasn't there. not only did he survive his trip, he came back to Earth and continued to work with the Russian Space Agency to develop technology to better suit Space travel. Although this signified a huge leap for Russia in the Space Race, we bested them by landing on the mood a decade later. Take that Russia! Honestly though, this man could not have been calm during his trip and I bet he had some amazing stories. Although he dies in 1968, I would have loved to meet him (although learning Russian for a single conversation may have proved difficult). He was truly a trailblazer. I first learned of Mr. Gargarin and his story when I had the great pleasure of attending Space Camp many years ago. It was a once in a lifetime experience and I have carried the knowledge I learned that week with me my entire life. I wish I could go again now that I am older and could better understand it all.

9) Amerigo Vespucci. This man was the true discoverer of America. Screw off Christopher Columbus. This man had it going on. Not only did he discover the American continents before Columbus, he was the first to propose and prove, that America was NOT the West Indies and that this New World was, in fact, new and not just a newly discovered part of the Asian continent. I don't know why I want to meet him, I just know that he deserves some credit and a high five from Ethan "Awesome Sauce" Gregory may be the best that I can do. Although, explaining the concept of a high five to a fifteenth century Italian explorer may be more trouble than its worth. At any rate, there you have it folks, Amerigo Vespucci.

10) Pope John Paul II. Finally we have made it to number ten. As many of you know, I am not of the Catholic faith and frankly am very confused with Catholicism. I have done studies and taken a class on the subject and I do find the mysterious allure of the Catholic religion to be very interesting and I am drawn to it. The single most mysterious position to have in the world in the one of the Pope. Honestly, what does any of us know about the Pope? Very little. What does he do? How do his schedules look? What's with the ring? And the hat for that mater. Does he really get to talk to God? What secrets of the world does he possess? Why can't we know the secrets of if the Pope and what goes on in Vatican City? Honestly, these questions have puzzled me for years. If I could do anything in the world it was be to shadow the Pope for a few days. Sure he prays and stuff, but I want to know of his personal life. Such a great honor that would be. I could probably write a book about the Pope and one day I would love to meet the Pope. But that doesn't answer why I have selected John Paul II. Of all the Pope in history, he seems to have been the coolest. The most down to Earth and popular among the people. And I hear he was a Madonna fan, good to know right? Who doesn't love to rock out to the Big Mo? Haha! His charity record is extremely impressive and from what I have read, he had the most interesting life story. Its a good feeling to know that a man so close to God can still be keeping it real here on Earth. Even though he passed on a few years ago, I would have loved to meet him back in the day. I bet he had some stories to tell. And who knows, maybe he would have let he wear the hat and take the Popemobile for a loop!

Well, there you have my top ten. Although my list was a whole bunch longer I had to narrow it down so this post wasn't forever and three days long. I feel like there are a few more who just missed the cut and should be recognized in a short paragraph though. People who barely missed the list include:

11) Pope Gregory XIII. The man responsible for enacting the Gregorian Calendar. The 12 month, 365 day calendar that we have been using for four hundred years. It seems to be working out much better than any other method. Changing the calendar is a pretty big deal, can you inagine having that kind of power? I sure cant. Also, the man shares my name! I am sure the family name was influenced by a Pope Gregory at some point in history and if it was this one, I would definitely be honored to share!

12) Ub Iwerks. The true creator of Mickey Mouse. He is the one that gave the idea to Walt Disney, who never credited him for the creation. For all of you who consider yourself Disney fans, you should definitely check out the documentary The Hand Behind The Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story, your mind will be blown, no doubt. I would love to have had a conversation with this man, again, it would have been amazing. He seriously deserves a handshake (and a check from Walt Disney)! Click here for information about the documentary I mentioned!

13) Steven Spielberg. One of the greatest movie directors of all time. End of story. What an honor it would be to meet this man. Hands down, no information needed. He has definitely secured himself a place on the shelves of history!

By no means is this list in ANY particular order, nor is it a complete list of everyone I would like to meet throughout history. These are people who I have found to be of particular interest and that I would find it to be a great pleasure to meet. At any rate, to have any of these names in my personal Rolodex would be a great accomplishment for any small town guy with big dreams like me!

Hope you guys enjoyed another insight into the mind of Ethan "Awesome Sauce" Gregory! I look forward to your responses and thoughts on the subjects I have posted! As always, Happy Readings and thanks for taking the time to read it guys!