While I was fortunate enough to obtain his autograph, my biggest regret was that I never got a chance to profile or interview Slayton. Having been denied a Mercury flight due to a heart murmur, then becoming head of the Astronaut Office and watching the people you train fly, then successfully fighting and winning a chance to fly in space, aboard the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project that would have been a fascinating story. It's also one that I wanted to do for the longest time, and I've accomplished that goal. I've gotten about 250 in the first category, about 150 in the second, many of them framed because they just didn't fit into my album. It's a chance to associate with that person or that person's work you admired.
Every autograph tells a story, too.
Character actor John Schuck took a break from signing, wandered over to my table and flipped through my binder. It's hard to decide which ones are my favorites. This one, of Melissa Joan Hart is among them. That's basically why I like it. My particular interest is in the space shuttle era, particularly with regards to the shuttle Challenger.