Author
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Topic: Signing experience: Robert "Hoot" Gibson
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jvertrees Member Posts: 108 From: Crestwood, MO Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 12-26-2009 09:28 PM
Does anyone have any experience with getting Hoot Gibson's autograph? |
dogcrew5369 Member Posts: 760 From: Statesville, NC Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 12-27-2009 02:17 PM
He is one of the very first astronauts I ever got a signed photo from in the mail. Very nice inscription on my photo. |
FullThrottle Member Posts: 93 From: Seattle, WA, USA Registered: Sep 2010
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posted 03-11-2011 06:58 PM
I'm curious if anyone knows Hoot's autograph policy when not at an Astronaut Scholarship Foundation function? I am heading to the Museum of Flight tomorrow to hear him speak, and hoping to add an autograph onto my Space Shuttle pinball machine while I'm at it... I will be patient, polite and friendly when waiting to ask. It wouldn't hurt my feelings if he said no, but am curious how non-ASF signing odds are with Hoot and if anyone has had any luck. Is it rude to ask if Hoot would mind adding his mission STS numbers and then something like "STS-71 Atlantis - First shuttle to dock with Russian Mir space station and date"? I only ask because I don't want to upset the men and women that I really admire and look up to. I would have had Hoot sign something for me at ASF 2010 but I didn't have anything worthwhile to spend the money or effort on. Now that Hoot is 50 miles from my house tomorrow, it makes it much easier to pick up my favorite Space Shuttle collectible and rendezvous it with him. Looking forward to his talk one way or another, haven't had a bad astronaut lecture no matter the subject or speaker!! |
alanh_7 Member Posts: 1259 From: Ajax, Ontario, Canada Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 03-11-2011 08:26 PM
I had a chance to meet Hoot Gibson and his wife Rhea Seddon a few times now. At last years ASF I sat next to him at diner and he was real pleasure. Fun, open and informative. While I cannot pretend to know him, every time I have met him has been a real pleasure.If you get a chance ask him about his Porche. |
Hart Sastrowardoyo Member Posts: 3458 From: Toms River, NJ Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 03-12-2011 07:52 AM
I caught Hoot at an event last November, asking him a few questions for a story I was doing. Because things were in a hurry, I just offered him the pen I had handy to sign my book after we were done. "I've got a Sharpie," he countered, signing a "Robert L. 'Hoot' Gibson". Class act! |
Daugherty54 Member Posts: 621 From: Cabot, Arkansas, USA Registered: Sep 2010
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posted 03-12-2011 09:25 AM
I concur with everyone else. I met him at Marshall Space Flight Center and he seemed to genuinely enjoy meeting us and giving us exactly what we wanted as far as autographs. I had a photo take with him and mailed it to him later and he signed and added a great inscription. He has a great sense of humor! |
FullThrottle Member Posts: 93 From: Seattle, WA, USA Registered: Sep 2010
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posted 03-13-2011 10:56 AM
I wanted to post a follow up to my question. I had a great time listening to Hoot's talk! Very witty and personable, the kind of guy you want to sit down and have a beer with! His excitement and energy level is two notches above the older Apollo guys (understandably) and he held the audience at the edge of their seats until the very end!Autograph, pictures and question policy and attitude... One word: Exceptional I had brought the main artwork glass from my Space Shuttle pinball machine with me hoping to have Hoot put his John Hancock on it. I didn't want to be greedy, but decided to have an 18x18 printed of Mir and Atlantis STS-71 in case he didn't mind doing two signatures. At the last minute I grab my signed Bruce McCandless MMU picture since Hoot took the photo and what the heck, maybe he wouldn't mind adding an inscription next to Bruce's... doesn't hurt to have them with me I figured. After the talk by Gibson they announced autographs in the lobby and everyone flooded out. I patiently stood aside and watched the mayhem... Hoot was an A+ gentleman and very patient with whomever he was interacting with. He engaged in talking with every single person who spent the time to head over to see him. He happily added inscriptions and was very attentive to making everyone's collectibles look perfect! The guys in charge of the line announced a three item limit, WOW, just what I happened to have brought! I went with easy basic inscriptions since he provided all his attention free of charge to any and all visitors, and I didn't want to be 'that' guy. I had my 18x18 MIR print signed in silver Sharpie, he signed my MMU pic next to Bruce and gave me the "NASA photo by Hooter" with a laugh. Then I pulled the beautiful glass Space Shuttle pinball part out and he signed it in a silver paint pen. Came out awesome! He asked if I wanted a picture, YES SIR! We were commenting and joking about how crappy my Sharpie came out on the 18x18 (faded not solid). After standing aside and putting my stuff back away I decided that the silver did look light and would only be worse down the road. I waited until the line died down and got back in with my silver paint pen. Hoot was more than willing to go over the Sharpie with the paint pen and traced his signature, making sure it looked great when he was done! Now, here's the amazing part! Hoot was done, running late, packed up and leaving. As they're heading out the door there is a family who missed meeting Gibson and didn't get autographs. INSTEAD of bolting out the door like anyone else would do, Hoot turned around, went back inside and happily obliged the family and the few stragglers that didn't get their minute or two with him. I couldn't believe it! Then, when they didn't have a nice picture or item he opens up his briefcase and pulls out a few 8x10's and personalizes all of them for the kids and the father! Even after he was 15 minutes late to leave he patiently talked with every last person and made sure everyone went home enjoying the experience. |
Hart Sastrowardoyo Member Posts: 3458 From: Toms River, NJ Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 01-05-2013 11:17 AM
Got a great, great response from Gibson, who signed my 61C crew pic as well as a photo of him and Seddon holding their baby Paul.I sent him a letter telling him what I didn't when I interviewed him for an article on Challenger's 25th anniversary: Thanks for a great presentation in 1988 or 1989 in Cooperstown, and I enclosed a photo of him then. Gibson also enclosed a photo of his own: him and three STS-71 crew members in front of Atlantis, which I've identified as Dunbar, Precourt and Harbaugh. (Don't know where Baker when it was taken.) |
gareth89 Member Posts: 510 From: Ireland Registered: May 2014
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posted 06-15-2022 07:20 PM
Is there currently a way to contact Hoot (and Rhea) to possibly obtain their autographs? |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 49194 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 06-15-2022 07:25 PM
You could try inquiring with Rhea through her website. She is also active on Facebook. |
gareth89 Member Posts: 510 From: Ireland Registered: May 2014
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posted 06-16-2022 05:36 AM
Thanks Robert I’ll give it a try. |
p51 Member Posts: 1751 From: Olympia, WA Registered: Sep 2011
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posted 06-16-2022 04:17 PM
Like many of you, I've met more than a few astronauts in my time. Hoot is, far and clear, the most open and available of all the ones I've ever met in person. I was lucky enough to spend the better part of a week with him at Space Camp a few years ago, and I didn't press him for autographs as I'd gotten one a year or two before. I did ask if he'd autograph one of the postcards of the shot he took of Bruce McCandless in the MMU, signed for a good pal of mine. He didn't hesitate a millisecond, even inscribing it with my friend's name and wrote, "photo by Hooter" before his name. We even had a discussion about how he felt about astronauts making big money on their signatures and told a very entertaining story about a little girl who couldn't afford an autograph from Buzz Aldrin, so Hoot told Aldrin that she was related to Hoot, so she could get one for free (if I remember correctly, Hoot said Aldrin asked him later if they girl really WAS related to him or if Hoot had gotten over on him). I tell people often that among all the high-profile people I've met in my lifetime, Hoot is at the top of the list of those who have earned the right to be as obnoxious as he wants to be (as Chuck Yeager always was), but he didn't go that route at all. Not only is he one of the most accomplished pilots of all time, he's one the friendliest people I've ever known. Heck, one morning at Huntsville, he was having breakfast with myself and a few others, and he offered to take our empty trays to the trash! THAT has always been the measure of the man in my mind, in how he interacts with the public. |
gareth89 Member Posts: 510 From: Ireland Registered: May 2014
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posted 10-04-2022 05:18 PM
I’ve tried multiple times to make contact with Rhea through her website but it’s failed. I’m not on LinkedIn or Facebook, would anyone be able to send me a link that I might be able to make contact with? Thanks folks! |