I am not one of those star struck people...celebrities, politicians, etc. they are all ordinary people to me. They get up up in the AM with bad breath, put on pants like we all do and live a life.

I am a longtime resident of Westport, CT. We have more than our share of celebs. One I went to high school with. I'll let him remain nameless, but to me, he'll always be that shy, quiet guy on the football/basketball bus headed to away games (I was a cheerleader). Yet today, to the rest of the sports-oriented TV viewing audience, he is personable, outgoing (go figure!?) and well respected. But I digress.

My hometown's biggest personality has always been Paul Newman. He is iconic. All generations know him. Or they have at least eaten some of his spaghetti sauce. Having been here for many years I have had a few fleeting encounters with him. And while I am not star struck he has always made me smile.

I was a young woman in the early 80s and he and Mrs. Newman entered the Laura Ashley store where I was working. She had a terrier on a leash in the store. That was unusual then, dogs in stores weren't trendy or accepted. But they trotted him in and he was extremely well behaved. And we let the Newman's shop like any other clients...a nice greeting and then they were allowed all the time and space they needed. It was late in the day and since I was in mgmt. I was doing clerical work in the backroom. On the way out, Mr. Newman popped his head in the office door, looked at me and said, "Don't they let you out for air?" and I chuckled and replied that they didn't.

Two summers ago I was dining al fresco at a restaurant in Fairfield, CT (the next town over). We were adjacent to the art indy theater. And the Newman's came wandering out from an evening at the movies. Not a world premier, just the local theater where they could watch a film like Mr. and Mrs. Anybody.

My mom saw him once at the local executive gifts store. As he wandered around looking for the right gift, my mom told me she would stay 20 paces behind and wander over to see what merchandise had previously caught his eye. And she would lift it and examine it as well. Moms are funny beasts.

My all-time favorite Paul Newman story is one in which I wasn't involved. But I have told the story several times. Mr. Newman was driving down the road and his car broke down. He wandered up the driveway to my in-laws (who also live in Westport) and asked if he could borrow the phone to call a garage (this was WAY before cell phones). My father in-law had been in the driveway and gestured to one of the cars there saying, "Take that one...the keys are under the seat". Mr. Newman hesitated at first but got in the car and drove off. My mother in-law had been watching the exchange from the upstairs window and came running down to see what had happened. My father-in-law had NO IDEA the man was Paul Newman. He was just offering a car and a ride to a neighbor in need!! My mother-in-law proceeded to call friends/family to say that if they saw her car driving around town, that she wasn't in it, but that Paul Newman was!! The car was returned, of course.

When I think of Paul Newman I think of his body of work (how can the bicycle scenes in Butch Cassidy not make you smile?), his philanthropic deeds and his blue eyes. But mostly I think of him as a lovely man, a neighbor and I will miss seeing him around town. Godspeed Mr. Newman. And my condolences to Mrs. Woodward and the whole Newman family.