Vaclav Havel

I once had a chance to sit in on a news conference with Vaclav Havel.  I had listened to his speech at Stanford and was assigned to write an article on it for the student newspaper.  I was overawed by the occasion, though, and didn't actually ask any questions at the news conference.  I remember him being personally pretty unassuming, and that his speech was about democratic ideals.  I think the questions the other reporters asked intimidated me more than Mr. Havel did.  I wrote my story around the speech.  I wish I could find a copy of it, but the Daily doesn't keep its archives online.  Probably for the better.  Here's an obituary from the LA Times instead: Vaclav Havel, Czech leader of '89 'Velvet Revolution,' dead at 75.