One thing that isn't written up in the press very much is The Joe Vaughan Fan Club. This is a unique fan club, where the initiator (me) is a fan of every one of the members. This makes it different from any other fan club.
I first thought about such a club when I was attending a graduation session at a large university. Elaine and I were seated among 10,000 or more people in the audience. At a quiet moment during the ceremony, a voice rang out: "Hey Joe Vaughan!". I was being recognized by a member of a Toastmasters Club that I had connections to.
Later, as I was waiting in a long line at the Men's room, a voice rang out from two balconies up: "Hey Joe Vaughan!" It was another fellow Toastmasters member.
Later, while on the lawn, taking pictures of the Graduate and her Mother, another "Hey Joe Vaughan!" rang out from somewhere. It was a lady from the Social Security Administration.
As I pondered over these outbursts.. other incidences came up.. for instance, on a cruise to the Caribbean, while Elaine and I stood at a railing overlooking the beautiful sea, watching a full moon, I heard that "Hey Joe Vaughan!" again.. it was a group of friends on the railing of the next deck up.. later that night, waiting for supper in the dining room it happened again with different people and again while walking through the ship.
So.. to counteract this activity, I formed the Joe Vaughan Fan Club.. but it was not to humor me, but to honor those good folks who felt the need to make their presence known to me in many places.
I now have about 1,000 members around the country.. and we even have a MyFamily.com website. We also have a club cap and pencils inscribed appropriately. Someday, when the market goes back up and I get flush again, I will treat all these members to a steamed crab feast.
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