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Hometown

Park City, UT

Joie de VIVre

My family, home, friends, anything outdoors, especially solitary hikes.

VIV Moment

I was living in New Orleans, controller of a hospital and getting my MBA in the evenings. My parents were temporarily living in Houston while my father was on the heart-transplant waiting list. When they found a match for my dad, I went to Houston to stay with him for two weeks. He seemed to be on his way to recovery, so I flew home on a Sunday morning.

Very early Monday morning, I received a call that my dad had suddenly died. I went to the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport to catch the first flight back to Houston. I was on the phone with my mom, crying, and letting her know when I would land. When I hung up the phone, I was overcome with grief. I stood there crying until a man in a baseball cap patted me on the shoulder and asked if I was alright. I explained what had happened and thanked him for his concern.

Then I realized it was Kevin Costner. This all happened right after Dances with Wolves and Robin Hood, when he was the “it” guy in Hollywood. I remember saying to him, “You’re Kevin Costner,” which made him laugh as he agreed with me. He sat down and waited with me until my plane arrived, then walked me to the gate. He told me he would be back in the summer to shoot JFK, and that I should come by the set.

The following months were very difficult. Summer arrived in the south and so did the film crew. By accident, I was downtown dropping off a package one afternoon and I saw a film crew shooting a scene in the park. I drove around a couple of times until I got up the nerve to stop, not knowing what I would say. I went up to the first security person I saw and asked him to let Kevin know it was the “crying girl” from the airport. Kevin looked over at me, smiled widely, and waved me over. He sat me in his chair and asked me to wait until he finished that particular scene.

In the meantime, he sent over a lovely, tall, tanned man to “keep me company.” That person is now my husband (there’s a whole story there, too), and to this day, Kevin takes credit for introducing us. He is also the honorary godfather of our son, Brett. I will never forget the relief his simple act gave me on that morning in the airport, and the joy his introduction has continued to deliver.

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