LASSIE’S MOM & BEAVER’S MOM

Dick Byrd
It was 1995 and I was attending the Radio-Television News Directors Association convention in Los Angeles, carrying the Habitat For Humanity flag to spread the word that we had and would continue to have video news releases for TV newscasts.

I arrived in the LA Convention Center ballroom early for the noon luncheon.  About 11:30 a.m. I found a seat adjacent to the emergency exit doors (no….I didn’t anticipate an emergency…it just seemed like a good place to sit).  At about 11:45 a.m. I looked up to find that the wait staff for the luncheon had all left the ballroom and I had it to myself.
Suddenly a banging began on one of the emergency exit doors.  I walked to the door, opened it, and found standing their actresses June Lockhart and Barbara Billingsley.  You must understand in those days it wasn’t unusual for Ms. Lockhart to show up at the RTNDA convention.  She had stumbled into one of the group’s fundraising auctions some years before and just kept coming back.  I opened the door wider for the ladies to enter and couldn’t help myself.  I said loudly:  “Great Scott:  Lassie’s Mom and Beaver’s Mom!!!!!”

They both saw the humor in my emotion.  We had a good laugh, I showed them where “backstage” would be, and they walked away making their way to the Green Room.

Without expecting it I had run face-to-face with two of the most recognizable mom’s in television history, and had done it at a television convention. 

Some days you eat the bear and some days the bear eats you.  That day I ate the bear.