Sentence:  I was about to say that I had known the Celebrity from the time he wore kilts. But I see I will have to amend that, because he was not a celebrity then, nor, indeed, did he <WSD>achieve</WSD> fame until some time after I left New York for the West. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To obtain, or gain (a desired result, objective etc.), as the result of exertion; to succeed in gaining; to win. (from 14th c.)