I MET ANDERSON COOPER LAST NIGHT!

It was Easter Sunday morning and I woke up to John greeting me with a sticky bun the size of my head and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

I sat down at the kitchen table and started to take a bite out of the gooey cinnamon greatness when he said, "I just read that Anderson Cooper (AC) is giving a lecture in Delaware, you should go!"

John was traveling for work that week so I bought one $15 ticket for the event and mapped out the route to the University of Delaware, a mere 55 minutes from our house. 


April 15, 2009


I was an “eager beaver” that afternoon as I arrived two hours early – though my eagerness paid dividends as I found an aisle seat three rows from the front - right in the middle of the grand stand of the school’s basketball stadium.

The two fraternity guys behind me were discussing the extra credit they’d receive for attending and tried to figure out who this "Anderson guy” was. A woman two seats over was quick to point out that I look like Josh Groban - which led to typical Groban fan giggles from the woman I was sitting around.

I sat next to a kind woman named Ellie Green. She also attended the lecture alone and we shared our admiration for AC and she told me she really wanted to give him a hug – she was too cute! 

The auditorium swelled to 1,500-2,000 attendees as he took the stage. He started with the only advice his mother (Gloria Vanderbilt) gave him for choosing a career, “Never wear a suit with pinstripes - it will make you look too thin.”

He told a story about being rejected for a reporter position with ABC News and how he then packed his bags and traveled to war torn countries with a fake press pass to build clips to start his career.

When he was in Bagdad recently, escorted everywhere by a Marine that had bigger biceps than his two "chicken legs” combined, he needed to switch hotels in the middle of the night because the hotel’s security was breached. A week later he learned it was destroyed by a car-bomb.

I raised my hand throughout the question and answer session. Two woman with microphones walked down the two sides of the grand stands - BUT they didn’t head to the center of the audience were I was sitting.

AC said he wanted to take questions from the middle and called on a woman sitting two rows behind me. After he answered her question, he called on me.

"Hi Anderson, I'm Kevin and I'm a big fan of yours. My new friend and I (pointing at Ellie) would really like to get our picture taken with you - just putting it out there." The audience laughed a little, he smiled and said sure.

"My question is, with the recent announcements of gay marriage being legalized in Iowa and Vermont, could you comment on how far the LGBT community has come in receiving equal rights in this country and how far do you think we will be able to come in upcoming years."

He looked right at me when he responded – I respect him even more for doing that – and stated that be believed that 10 or so states will pass gay marriage and that didn’t think the federal government will legalize gay marriage any time soon.

He mentioned a recent story he covered about an adolescent boy in Springfield Massachusetts who committed suicide because he was teased by classmates for being girly. “We have a long road ahead of us on this issue. Thanks for asking that question."

When the lecture ended he motioned for me to come to the front of the stage. I handed my camera to a security guard and called my new friend Ellie over to get in the photo with us. I shook his hand and thanked him.

Anderson Cooper exudes greatness and provides the world unbiased journalism on a daily basis. He doesn't take himself too seriously, has a great sense of humor and looks fabulous in Prada. I’ll never forget this inspiring lecture!