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Wish You Were Here: Brush with Fame

Wish You Were Here: Brush with Fame

You never know whom you’ll meet on campus. Alumni share stories of encounters with celebrities at UW–Madison.

January 06, 2021

Wish You Were Here >

You never know whom you might meet at UW–Madison. On any given day, on or near campus, you could run into Zach Braff or Rodney Dangerfield or Joan Baez or Jawaharlal Nehru. (Okay, maybe not most days. Typically, you just see students you don’t know or that professor who gave you a C in chemistry, and whom you wish you could forget.) A university like the UW attracts the famous and near famous, and celebrity-spotting adds spice to Badger memories.

We want to hear about the famous person you saw when you were a student. Did you catch U2 in concert at Camp Randall — or spot them unloading the touring bus? Did you hear Barack Obama speak on Bascom Hill? Did you sit in on a lecture with author Lorrie Moore?

Send us your suggestions. (Include memories and photos, please!) We’ll add them to this scrapbook.

GABRIELLE LI, AN UNDERGRADUATE IN THE POSSE PROGRAM, SMILES AS ATTORNEY BRYAN STEVENSON, AUTHOR OF “JUST MERCY,” AUTOGRAPHS BOOKS AFTER SPEAKING TO MORE THAN 150 STUDENTS GATHERED FROM SEVERAL FIRST-YEAR INTEREST GROUPS, THE HONORS PROGRAM, AND UNIVERSITY HOUSING FOR A LUNCHEON EVENT AT THE GORDON DINING AND EVENT CENTER ON OCTOBER 26, 2015. STEVENSON'S BOOK ABOUT RACIAL INEQUALITY AND THE NEED FOR JUSTICE-SYSTEM REFORM WAS THE 2015–16 SELECTION FOR GO BIG READ, UW–MADISON’S COMMON-READING PROGRAM. (PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER/UW–MADISON)

DEAF ACTIVIST, ACTOR, AND MODEL NYLE DIMARCO POSES FOR A PICTURE WITH GUESTS FROM THE WISCONSIN SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF FOLLOWING DIMARCO’S QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION WITH AN INVITED AUDIENCE OF NEARLY 200 HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS — MANY DEAF, BLIND, AND/OR HARD OF HEARING — AT TRIPP COMMONS IN THE MEMORIAL UNION ON JANUARY 30, 2018. SPONSORED BY UW–MADISON'S DISTINGUISHED LECTURE SERIES AND THE MCBURNEY DISABILITY RESOURCE CENTER, THE COMMUNITY-OUTREACH EVENT OCCURRED A FEW HOURS BEFORE DIMARCO’S PUBLIC LECTURE THAT SAME EVENING AT SHANNON HALL. (PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER/UW–MADISON)

MEMBERS OF THE BLACK HISTORY MONTH PLANNING COMMITTEE PRESENT GUEST SPEAKER NIKI GIOVANNI WITH A COMMEMORATIVE COMMITTEE T-SHIRT FOLLOWING GIOVANNI'S TALK AT THE GORDON DINING AND EVENT CENTER ON FEBRUARY 15, 2017. GIOVANNI, WORLD-RENOWNED POET, WRITER, COMMENTATOR, ACTIVIST, AND EDUCATOR, GAVE THE KEYNOTE SPEECH AS PART OF UW–MADISON'S CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH. (PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER/UW–MADISON)

STUDENTS AND FACULTY IN THE UW’S SOCIOLOGY DEPARTMENT GATHER IN THE SEWELL SOCIAL SCIENCE BUILDING TO HEAR SOCIOLOGIST MATTHEW DESMOND, AUTHOR OF THE 2016–17 GO BIG READ WORK “EVICTED: POVERTY AND PROFIT IN THE AMERICAN CITY,” SPEAK ON NOVEMBER 2, 2016. GO BIG READ, A COMMON-READING PROGRAM, IS DESIGNED TO ENGAGE STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF, AND THE COMMUNITY IN A SHARED, ACADEMICALLY FOCUSED READING EXPERIENCE. (PHOTO BY BRYCE RICHTER/UW–MADISON)

JOHN F. KENNEDY SHAKES HANDS WITH AN UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN DURING A CAMPAIGN STOP. A YOUNG GIRL STANDS NEARBY, CA. 1958–60. (UW ARCHIVES, S08113)

GABRIELLE LI, AN UNDERGRADUATE IN THE POSSE PROGRAM, SMILES AS ATTORNEY BRYAN STEVENSON, AUTHOR OF “JUST MERCY,” AUTOGRAPHS BOOKS AFTER SPEAKING TO MORE THAN 150 STUDENTS GATHERED FROM SEVERAL FIRST-YEAR INTEREST GROUPS, THE HONORS PROGRAM, AND UNIVERSITY HOUSING FOR A LUNCHEON EVENT AT THE GORDON DINING AND EVENT CENTER ON OCTOBER 26, 2015. STEVENSON'S BOOK ABOUT RACIAL INEQUALITY AND THE NEED FOR JUSTICE-SYSTEM REFORM WAS THE 2015–16 SELECTION FOR GO BIG READ, UW–MADISON’S COMMON-READING PROGRAM. (PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER/UW–MADISON)

DEAF ACTIVIST, ACTOR, AND MODEL NYLE DIMARCO POSES FOR A PICTURE WITH GUESTS FROM THE WISCONSIN SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF FOLLOWING DIMARCO’S QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION WITH AN INVITED AUDIENCE OF NEARLY 200 HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS — MANY DEAF, BLIND, AND/OR HARD OF HEARING — AT TRIPP COMMONS IN THE MEMORIAL UNION ON JANUARY 30, 2018. SPONSORED BY UW–MADISON'S DISTINGUISHED LECTURE SERIES AND THE MCBURNEY DISABILITY RESOURCE CENTER, THE COMMUNITY-OUTREACH EVENT OCCURRED A FEW HOURS BEFORE DIMARCO’S PUBLIC LECTURE THAT SAME EVENING AT SHANNON HALL. (PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER/UW–MADISON)

MEMBERS OF THE BLACK HISTORY MONTH PLANNING COMMITTEE PRESENT GUEST SPEAKER NIKI GIOVANNI WITH A COMMEMORATIVE COMMITTEE T-SHIRT FOLLOWING GIOVANNI'S TALK AT THE GORDON DINING AND EVENT CENTER ON FEBRUARY 15, 2017. GIOVANNI, WORLD-RENOWNED POET, WRITER, COMMENTATOR, ACTIVIST, AND EDUCATOR, GAVE THE KEYNOTE SPEECH AS PART OF UW–MADISON'S CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH. (PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER/UW–MADISON)

STUDENTS AND FACULTY IN THE UW’S SOCIOLOGY DEPARTMENT GATHER IN THE SEWELL SOCIAL SCIENCE BUILDING TO HEAR SOCIOLOGIST MATTHEW DESMOND, AUTHOR OF THE 2016–17 GO BIG READ WORK “EVICTED: POVERTY AND PROFIT IN THE AMERICAN CITY,” SPEAK ON NOVEMBER 2, 2016. GO BIG READ, A COMMON-READING PROGRAM, IS DESIGNED TO ENGAGE STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF, AND THE COMMUNITY IN A SHARED, ACADEMICALLY FOCUSED READING EXPERIENCE. (PHOTO BY BRYCE RICHTER/UW–MADISON)

GABRIELLE LI, AN UNDERGRADUATE IN THE POSSE PROGRAM, SMILES AS ATTORNEY BRYAN STEVENSON, AUTHOR OF “JUST MERCY,” AUTOGRAPHS BOOKS AFTER SPEAKING TO MORE THAN 150 STUDENTS GATHERED FROM SEVERAL FIRST-YEAR INTEREST GROUPS, THE HONORS PROGRAM, AND UNIVERSITY HOUSING FOR A LUNCHEON EVENT AT THE GORDON DINING AND EVENT CENTER ON OCTOBER 26, 2015. STEVENSON'S BOOK ABOUT RACIAL INEQUALITY AND THE NEED FOR JUSTICE-SYSTEM REFORM WAS THE 2015–16 SELECTION FOR GO BIG READ, UW–MADISON’S COMMON-READING PROGRAM. (PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER/UW–MADISON)

DEAF ACTIVIST, ACTOR, AND MODEL NYLE DIMARCO POSES FOR A PICTURE WITH GUESTS FROM THE WISCONSIN SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF FOLLOWING DIMARCO’S QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION WITH AN INVITED AUDIENCE OF NEARLY 200 HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS — MANY DEAF, BLIND, AND/OR HARD OF HEARING — AT TRIPP COMMONS IN THE MEMORIAL UNION ON JANUARY 30, 2018. SPONSORED BY UW–MADISON'S DISTINGUISHED LECTURE SERIES AND THE MCBURNEY DISABILITY RESOURCE CENTER, THE COMMUNITY-OUTREACH EVENT OCCURRED A FEW HOURS BEFORE DIMARCO’S PUBLIC LECTURE THAT SAME EVENING AT SHANNON HALL. (PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER/UW–MADISON)

MEMBERS OF THE BLACK HISTORY MONTH PLANNING COMMITTEE PRESENT GUEST SPEAKER NIKI GIOVANNI WITH A COMMEMORATIVE COMMITTEE T-SHIRT FOLLOWING GIOVANNI'S TALK AT THE GORDON DINING AND EVENT CENTER ON FEBRUARY 15, 2017. GIOVANNI, WORLD-RENOWNED POET, WRITER, COMMENTATOR, ACTIVIST, AND EDUCATOR, GAVE THE KEYNOTE SPEECH AS PART OF UW–MADISON'S CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH. (PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER/UW–MADISON)

STUDENTS AND FACULTY IN THE UW’S SOCIOLOGY DEPARTMENT GATHER IN THE SEWELL SOCIAL SCIENCE BUILDING TO HEAR SOCIOLOGIST MATTHEW DESMOND, AUTHOR OF THE 2016–17 GO BIG READ WORK “EVICTED: POVERTY AND PROFIT IN THE AMERICAN CITY,” SPEAK ON NOVEMBER 2, 2016. GO BIG READ, A COMMON-READING PROGRAM, IS DESIGNED TO ENGAGE STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF, AND THE COMMUNITY IN A SHARED, ACADEMICALLY FOCUSED READING EXPERIENCE. (PHOTO BY BRYCE RICHTER/UW–MADISON)

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