You really have to love this job. One day, you record a news event, the next day it becomes history. You see the tragic and the lighthearted and share the foibles of the human condition.

Such was the day when I was covering then-candidate Paul "Pete" McCloskey of California. You may not remember him. He ran for president in 1972. During one of his campaign stops at Franklin Savings Bank, his entourage included actor Paul Newman.

For a few fascinating minutes, I was alone with Newman and passed the time of day like it was some kind of normal. Though he was smaller than I expected, somehow he filled the room. And yes, his eyes were really as blue as you see on the screen.

During the speeches, I saw a young woman pick up an ashtray and slip it into her purse. Following the event, I asked her (as politely as possible) why she had stolen bank property. "He touched it," she said.

Who? McCloskey? No. Paul Newman!

I'll bet she still has that ashtray after all these years.

Ken Williams