I just returned from a convention in Indianapolis where I got reacquainted with Rowdy Roddy Piper, former pro wrestler turned actor. Even without his trademark kilt, he is still larger than life (although slightly smaller than me, in reality). He greeted me with a big bear hug and a warm handshake. We talked for several minutes, much to the bewilderment of the 200 or so people waiting in line to meet him. A few years ago, Piper served as one of the celebrity spokespeople for a literacy ad series I ran at the newspaper where I worked. We worked together on a couple of interviews and some promotional work for his book, In the Pit with Piper.  Years before that, Piper had been one of my sports heroes.

A month earlier in Skokie, IL, I participated in the Walk for Hope, a fundraiser benefiting breast cancer awareness. As I walked near the stage, I spotted actress Andrea Evans and her family. I met Andrea’s little girl, Kylie Lynn, for the first time and we caught up with each other until Andrea was called for her ambassador responsibilities. Chicago area native Evans had been the first spokesperson for the literacy ad series and we had done other promotional work together. She had also been the object of a long ago teenage star crush of mine.

Piper and Evans. Two personal favorites of my youth and just two examples of friendships that started in a most unlikely way. I was already overworked (and underpaid) when my boss dumped a literacy program into my lap. Lucky me! A great friend advised me to have fun with it, since I was stuck with it.

Operating with no resources, I decided to start a celebrity ad series to promote the program. I started locally and progressed nationally in my star search. The ad series became one of the paper’s most popular features. It ended with my departure from the company, but my relationships with these people continued.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but getting that extra workload would turn out to be the proudest achievement of my many years at the newspaper and the most rewarding. Thousands of students in Chicago area schools benefitted from the program and I met many wonderful people. I don’t want to sum this up with the “lemons to lemonade” cliche because lemonade is too bland. How about lemons to lemon meringue pie with a big scoop of french vanilla ice cream?

-John Wroblewski, distribution specialist