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| Le Var Burton |
I came so close to meeting a childhood hero!!!
I was introduced to Le Var Burton on the television show Star Trek: The Next Generation when I
was ten years old. Mr. Burton played the beloved character Lieutenant Geordi La
Forge whose disability had not stopped him from succeeding in his career. This show
solidified my love for science fiction and provided me plenty of positive role
models.
It was not until a few years later that I realized Burton’s
role as the host of the television show Reading
Rainbow on PBS. I still remember the episode where he visited the Old
Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts (a hands-on living museum) to find out how
people lived in the early 1800’s (Season 2, Episode 3:
Ox-Cart Man). I was captivated with the things I saw on
this show, excited to know that reading could take me to any place and time. Years
later, I was glad to see that my nephew loved the show as much as I had.
It was a great pleasure to know that Mr. Burton was going to
be at the Los Angeles Times Book Festival this year. Unfortunately, I missed the special
reading at the opening of the festival and the line to take a photo with the
actor/director/producer/author. However, I was able to take a photo of him
during his interview at the PBS booth. I wish I could have had the opportunity
to share with him how much of an impact his work had on my life. Without
watching him on Star Trek, I would not have watched him on Reading Rainbow. And
I might not have found my love for books as early as I did. Thank you Mr.
Burton!
Needless to say, it was a great beginning to the
two-day book fair.
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