Mr. T

In my public relations class this week, we had wrestler/actor Mr.T as a guest speaker. I admit when our professor announced our surprise guest, I was unsure of exactly who Mr. T was. I knew the name and I recognized his signature look from photographs I've seen but why he was famous was very vague to me. It surprised me that a person could just be known, but I could still be so unaware of why or what I knew him for. But, as he talked about his life and how he got to where he is today, I became familiar with his wrestling and acting careers. Surprisingly, I was incredibly touched by him as a person and by what he talked about. When I looked him up online when I got home after class, a lot of the media represent him as a very tough and rough guy. But, in person, he was an incredibly humble and nice person (and also a self-proclaimed "old-fashioned mama's boy"). He is an example of someone who really puts his celebrity to good use by doing a handful of charity work for ill children and the homeless. I was touched by his determination and perseverance to help those that have less than he does. I thought it was notable when he said that he didn't publicly talk about his charity work through tabloids or press releases because he thought that once you did that, it was like you want people to know that you are a good person. For him, he said that it was enough to just do the work and to know that he maybe made someone's day a bit happier. After he spoke, I was left really satisfied and happy that there are stars out there who are completely selfless and who use their celebrity to help others and to make a difference.