I attend several s-f things, and have had the grand privilege to not only meet some of the greats in the field, but to have become actual friends with some of them. We need a glyph here to show me staggering around in wonder and awe.
I actually got to see the eclipse with one of the big names in the field. I will only say that she's a recent Grand Master and is the most down to earth person I've ever known. I'd already met this person at several s-f cons, and when the discussion of viewing the eclipse came up, and I learned where she'd be, I was able to say, Oh, my, I'll be there. And I was. I'm trying to be discrete here, because the s-f person I watched the eclipse with really is a big deal in the field, and I don't want to be cashing in on this. I will also say that this person is totally not involved, and does not ever cash in on her celebrity. That said, I got to see the eclipse with her and a couple of members of her family. While I (and lots of other s-f fans) recognize and revere her, she has no sense of self importance. We watched the eclipse in Nebraska, at a small park in a small town on the line of totality. She wandered around talking to lots of people, and it was clear to me that no one recognized her. OMFG!
The very first time I saw her at an s-f con, I of course recognized her, as I'd seen her author photo many times. I was star-struck. She was herself, an ordinary person who happened to write s-f.
During the two days we spent together for the eclipse, I asked her if she was often recognized. She said, No. Not outside of the cons. And she liked it that way. She got to be a normal person, as I saw during the eclipse, when she went around, chatting with many people. none of whom had a clue who she was.
And yes, I'm being deliberately vague here.
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