Dinner Party

Nate’s 9: People I would invite over for Dinner (Past or Present)

                This became quite the hot topic at work last week when I was considering new blog topics to write in the New Year. The conversation was fun and entertaining; there is clearly no limit to the amount of great historical figures this world has ever seen.  There are also a number of great people living in the present that would be very hard to keep off of any list as well.  I know my list is ever changing, but as of right now, here are the 9 great people that I would love to sit down and have a steak and a beer with.

#9. Warren Buffett – It just shocks me how someone with such a ridiculous amount of money can live so parsimoniously in today’s society.  Warren at last count was still the 3^rd richest man in the world, and was well into the billions of dollars.  Yet, he still lives in his same house in Omaha, Nebraska and also drives himself around which I think is absolutely incredible.  I would like for him to be at dinner so I can praise his commitment to self-discipline and also ask him why he donated $85 billion of his fortune to charities and the like.  Astounding.

#8. George Jung – I am just fascinated by this man’s life.  For those of you that don’t know him, he is the individual that self-proclaimed his contribution of 60% of America’s cocaine use during the 1970’s.  Johnny Depp is cast as George in the movie “Blow”, one of my favorite films of all-time.  I would just like to ask George what living that lifestyle was like, and whether he had any regrets or wishes to do things differently knowing what he knows now.  I’d also like to know what his relationship with Pablo was like and if he ever thought his life was in danger while in his presence.  That Medellin Cartel was something else. 

#7. Princess Diana – Someone who died way too soon, and now knowing what I know, I believe she would have been one of the great figures of the 21^st century. I know that she had her problems with the marriage and the royal family’s ideals on how to raise a family, but she always held her dignity, and for someone that was pushed into the world spotlight so young, she did a great job receiving the sympathy and gaining the support of the masses.  I would love to have her at dinner to get her thoughts on royalty, family and whether or not she would have enjoyed being queen consort when Charles rose to the throne.

#6. Jackie Robinson – For many reasons beyond sports, but for his abilities on the field as well. I think he is probably the most influential American athlete of all-time.  I cannot begin to imagine what his life was like, and even though “42” was an exquisite film, I’m sure there were many realities that Hollywood decided to withhold from the viewing public.  I would like to have Jackie over for dinner to show him how his impact on baseball has changed the entire sporting landscape over the last 75 years, and to ask him his views on what things were like during the turbulent times of the 1940’s and 1950’s.

#5. Joe Paterno – I can’t visualize what Joe Paterno must have gone through during the last couple of months of his life.  For everything that happened at that University, it still bothers me how he was pushed out and ostracized from the program even though he did what was required of a football coach.  I would like to believe that I would’ve done more under those circumstances as I’m sure that we all would, but we’ll never know what he was thinking and whether or not he believed he could’ve done more.  For me though, he still warrants a seat at my party for being one of the greatest coaches of the sport and a great person for the University, a school that he put on the map for top football success.

#4. Vince Lombardi – The greatest coach in all of sports in my humble opinion.  He took a dormant franchise that went 1-10-1 the year before he got there, and proceeded to win 7 games out of 12 in his first season, and then win 5 NFL championships in his next 9 seasons there.  He did it in a town that no one really wants to go to, and without him, the Packers franchise might not be in Green Bay to this day.  I would like to sit him next to Joe Pa, and after all the other guests went home for the evening, we could sit and talk football until the wee hours of the next morning.  Or the one after that.

#3. Nelson Mandela – I think the person that everyone else would want to sit with would be Madiba.  This man for me was one of the last walking hero’s on our planet. He was beyond daily human thought; he changed the way people thought about the natural cultural and social norms of life.  To serve in prison for 27 years… and then to persevere and help take down apartheid and bring human rights to all in South Africa… To become President of a nation that didn’t allow for any minority power before his ascendancy… his seat at this party is well-deserved.

#2. John Lennon – My twin. I’ve always felt a connection to John’s work as a musician and as a writer, and I don’t condemn him his political views and activism during Vietnam.  His talents as a musician are well-documented, and I think he is one of the all-time greats.  But it is not for that with which I invite him to my party.  Anyone that has so much belief in peace and love is someone that I can very much believe in.  Just like Lennon said, “All you need is Love”. 

#1. Honest Abe – “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt.” Ha, one of my favorite quotes of all-time and that it was spoken by a vampire hunter… just kidding.  I haven’t even seen the film.  But Abraham Lincoln is one of the few people in life whose name just brings up respect and awe.  I find it impressive that such a recluse and introverted individual could leave such a large footprint in the history of this great country.  They say he was awkward at speeches.  He received no support from any of the southern states after his first election into the government office.  He worked his own campaigns and got little support from the Republican Party.  But he dominated.  And I mean dominated.  He introduced two new amendments that changed our country drastically.  He changed the economic system of our country and sent it into the innovative ideals that still hold true today.  He introduced reconciliatory plans to reconstruct the south that did happen albeit after his death.  I don’t think anyone has done so much with so little, and he is the easiest selection of all to invite to my little dinner party.