A gentle giant of a man, a larger-than-life icon
Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to meet or come across impressive figures from the world of politics, business, journalism, media, sport and entertainment.
There’s virtually no photographic evidence of these meetings. It’s never been important to me to prove I was somewhere, met someone, or said something witty and/or relevant. The only camera I need is my visual memory.
Naturally, there are some images I wish I had. One may surprise you: André the Giant, my favourite pro wrestler while growing up.
I saw him in person on two occasions. The first was in Toronto in 1978. He was going to wrestle then-American Wrestling Association world champion Nick Bockwinkel and was walking near the Eaton Centre. I said something to the effect of, “Hi, André!” and he waved back with a huge smile on his face.