KHAAAAAN!!! (Leonard Nimoy died)

Marius Delphus said:

I met Leonard Nimoy once, at a management conference in 1995. I was part of the backstage crew. This was the era of the telecom wars, and the audience was full of telecom managers and executives. He showed up backstage only to find that the speech scheduled to precede his was running long and was full of dire predictions about the next few years in the industry.

He chatted briefly with some of us, mostly answering questions about Star Trek, none of which thrilled him, and then I told him I'd seen an episode of "Outer Limits" directed by his son Adam. (I think I only tuned in because he was in it, but still.) That seemed to improve his mood, and he talked animatedly about Adam's career.

At length he became restless. He asked whether we had a long hook with which to drag the current presenter off the stage. "He's killing my audience."

"Don't worry," I said. His presence was actually meant to be a surprise for the audience. "Once they find out it's you, standing ovation."

Finally it was his turn to go out on stage, introduced by a movie clip from Star Trek II, I think. Standing ovation. When the applause died down, he said, "I've been listening backstage; from the sound of things, you guys are under attack by the Klingons." Brought down the house.

The backstage chief, once he could stop laughing long enough to speak, said, "That man just earned whatever we're paying him."

The speech he gave was one about overcoming long odds and staying focused and determined. He referred to his tender years in Boston, and he mentioned having driven a cab in L.A. while he was trying to get his feet under him as an actor. One story he told was about pulling up at the airport and having, as his fare, a young fellow named John F. Kennedy, whom Nimoy recognized but who had yet to become a national figure. Nimoy mentioned that he was from Boston, and Kennedy asked him what he was doing in L.A.

"'Well, sir,' I said, and there I was driving my yellow cab, 'I'm an actor.' And John F. Kennedy said to me, 'Well, you just keep at it, son. There's always room for one more good one.' You can imagine how that affected me."

The speech ended soon after that to another standing ovation, and there were photos and autographs to go around, but I'll always treasure the one *I* got, which was before all that, and which was on stationery specially printed for the event, and which I had signed over to the missus for reasons I won't relate here.

I believe Leonard Nimoy was not merely a great actor, director, and all that; I believe he was a great person. He certainly was nice to a backstage crew at a management event when he had an opportunity to be otherwise. Thanks for the memories, Mr. Nimoy.

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