ELUDING FAME

Imagine the guilt my mother laid on me when I was a five-year-old and she asked how I felt upon meeting Mickey Mantle and I confessed that I wanted to be famous someday, like he was; and she replied, "Maybe you will," spoken in her always calm, quiet voice, "but there are more important things in life than being famous. You should aspire to be a good person. Fame is fleeting. Character lasts."

With mentoring from the television professionals at a small-market station, the author learned to ...