Author: Bill Thompson

Alan Shepard

Bill Thompson

Alan Shepard was one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts, you know, the guys with “the right stuff.”

Just a few years later, Shepard became the oldest man ever to walk on the surface of the moon.

Shepard was a key player in NASA’s Apollo space program, which put us on the moon in 1969.

And in 1994, Shepard, along with fellow astronaut Deke Slaytonnand two veteran journalists, co-authored a book about that mission to the moon Their book was called Moon Shot.

Sadly, Slayton died before the book was released. But I had the chance to meet and interview the great Alan Shepard .

So here now, from 1994, Alan Shepard.

Alan Shepard died in 1998. He was 74.

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Paul Dickson

Bill Thompson

Tomorrow night is major league baseball’s All-Star game.

Did you ever consider how many words and phrases in our everyday language have their origins in baseball?

We all know what it means, for example, to be giving a big presentation and be a big success at it- they say you hit a home run.

Or if it fell flat, you struck out.

Those are just two of the thousands of baseball terms and slang that writer Paul Dickson found when he put together his definitive book called The Dickson Baseball Dictionary.

It’s been out for over 30 years, but it’s still the definitive book on the subject.

Paul and I go way back, and when we talked in 1989 about The Dickson Baseball Dctionary it was one of our several interviews over the years.

So here now, from 1989, Paul Dickson.

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Martha Stewart

Bill Thompson
Photo by Gage Skidmore

Well many of us went to barbecues, reunions, or other big holiday events for the 4th of July.

And if you hosted such an event, you probably realized how much planning and effort goes into it.
Maybe you could have used a little professional advice…

There may literally be no one in America who is better known for her expertise in entertaining than Martha Stewart.

For more than 40 years, Stuart has been dispensing advice on cooking and decorating and entertaining guests. Best-selling books, a magazine, and a television show have helped push her to the forefront.

I’ve interviewed her several times, including this conversation we had in 1994 when she published a book called Martha Stewart’s Menus For Entertaining.

So here now, from 1994, Martha Stewart.

Martha Stewart will be 82 next month . She lives in New York.

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Andrew Grove

Bill Thompson
Photo by World Economic Forum

It was a young immigrant from Europe who came to the United States nearly 70 years ago who helped create and promote technology that would literally transform the world.

His name was Andrew Grove. A Hungarian by birth, he fled the Hungarian revolution in 1956 to come to the US.

In 1968, he joined the newly formed company called Intel, and eventually became its third CEO. His leadership propelled Intel to the forefront of the fledgling industry.

And in 1997 Andy Grove was Time Magazine’s Man of the Year for his influence in advancing the power and potential of the microchip.

In 2001, Grove wrote his autobiography, a book he called Swimming Across. And that’s when I have the chance to talk with him for a few minutes .

So here now, from 2001, Andy Grove.

Andrew Grove died in 2016 at age 79.

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Simon Winchester

Bill Thompson
Photo by Wes Washington

On Independence Day, the Fourth of July, most of the attention is paid to the men who founded the United States of America, and rightfully so.

The actual process of uniting the states didn’t end with the Declaration of Independence. Indeed, it was just beginning.

Actually creating a single nation out of multiple independent states required an infrastructure in addition to a political statement. And that has taken more than two centuries.

In his 2013 book The Men Who United the States, journalists Simon Winchester took a deeper dive into the stories of innovations as diverse as the telegraph, the interstate highway system, and the internet.

And perhaps the irony Is that Winchester was born in the very nation from whom we declared our independence.

So here now, from 2013, Simon Winchester.

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Lillian Vernon

Bill Thompson

Today we’d probably call it a “side hustle.”

Photo by Annie Watt

But that term had not yet been invented in 1951, when Lillian Vernon started a small mail order business from her kitchen table.

At that time she sold personalized purses and belts,targeting young women like her with ads in Seventeen magazine.

Born in Germany, she and her family fled to America in 1933, and she became an American citizen a few years later. As a 24-year-old housewife she started her business like so many do today, to bring in a few extra bucks.

And the business began to grow, eventually becoming one of the nations first and foremost direct mail retailers. You’ve probably gotten a Lillian Vernon catalog in the mail at some point over the years.

I met her in 1996 when Vernon wote a book called An Eye for Winners. So here now, from 1996, LillianVernon.

Lillian Vernon died in 2015. She was 88.

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CeCe winans

Bill Thompson
Photo by Pastorflex

There are many people who say CeCe winans is one of the greatest gospel artists of all time.

She made her mark early on, as a member of the Wimans Family singing group. While still a teenager, she signed on with the PTL Club TV show run by Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker.

And before long, she and older brother BeBe became stars.

Alongside BeBe, and later as a solo artist. CeCe Winans racked up 15 Grammy awards, 31 GMA Dove awards, and countless other accolades.

She was also Whitney Houston’s best friend, and sang two songs at Houston’s funeral.

In 1999, Winans wrote the first of her three books, a memoir called On A Positive Note. And that’s when I met her and talked with her. So here now, from 1999, CeCe winans.

CeCe winans is 58 now. She llives near Nashville.

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Buffalo Bob Smith

Bill Thompson

To those of us of a certain age, there is only one answer to this question:

Hey kids, what time is it?

That is how millions of youngsters greeted the opening of the howdy Doody show, which actually ran from 1947 until 1960.

A young radio broadcaster named Bob Smith, from Buffalo, New York, created the Howdy Doody character on the radio, then moved to television when young audiences demanded to actually see Howdy.

Buffalo Bob, Howdy, and a cast of other characters — including a young Bob Keeshan, later known as Captain Kangaroo — enthralled millions of youngsters and defined the early days of television.

Howdy Doody was actually one of the first shows broadcasting color.

Finally, in 1990, after years of hearing people tell him,”you should write a book,” Smith finally wrote one, calling it Howdy And Me.

And that’s when I had a chance to meet him and talk with him. So here now, from 1990, Buffalo Bob Smith.

Buffalo Bob Smith died in 1998. He was 80 years old.

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E Lynn Harris

Bill Thompson

Our recognition of Pride Month continues, with a look back at an interview with one of the most prominent African American and LGBTQ authors of contemporary literature.

E. Lynn Harris quit his job as a computer salesman in 1990 to begin a full-time writing career. His first novel, invisible life, won widespread acclaim. He followed up with Just As I Am, and that was when I firstmet and interviewed him. We subsequently had several interviews.

In fact, over the next two decades, Harris had 10 consecutive New York times. Best-selling books.

So here now, from 1995, E Lynn Harris.

E Lynn Harris died in 2009. He was 54.

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James O’Keefe

Bill Thompson
Photo by Gage Skidmore

Since its founding in 2010, a conservative organization known as Project Veritas has stirred controversy, raised many ethical concerns, and has been sued, sometimes successfully, by its targets.

Those targets have included Planned Parenthood, ACORN, CNN, and the Washington Post.

Its founder was then-26-year-old James O’Keefe. His secretly recorded and heavily edited videos were embraced by many conservatives eager to expose what they saw as liberal or leftist misdeeds.

I got a few minutes with him in 2013 while he was promoting his book called Breakthrough: Our Guerilla War to Expose Fraud and Save Democracy.

But just so we are clear, you should not infer from the nature of my questions in this interview that I endorsed Project Veritas or its methods.

So here now, from 2013, James O’Keefe.

James O’Keefe will be 39 next week. He sttepped down as chairman of Project Veritas last February admi controversy over finances and management style.

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