Local Boy Makes Good
My hometown doesn’t have a lot of celebrities. I remember Henry Thomas was a big deal when ET came out because he was from San Antonio. Carol Burnett was born here, and Joan Crawford, James Roday from Psych, Summer Glau from The Sarah Connor Chrionicles and the girl who plays Tiffy on The Unit, but not many others you would have heard of. Oh, and Eva Longoria is married to a Spur, but that doesn’t really count.
So I was really excited to learn, after I got hooked on Supernatural, that Jared Padalecki is from San Antonio. Even cooler, he grew up less than 5 miles from where I grew up, and attended a rival high school, James Madison High. (He graduated after I’d already been teaching 10 years, but we won’t talk about that.) When I’d take my son to his friend’s house, I’d drive by Madison, along the same route Jared must have come to school.
Every year my mom and I go to a crafts fair there, and I think, wow, Jared walked these halls. (There’s no recognition of his success or anything, though.) My dh and ds know me too well, because they mock me.
He grew up in the neighborhood behind the Eckerds where I used to work. I wonder if young Jared ever came in with his parents. 
According to Wikipedia, his mom teaches journalism at a different local high school. I wonder if she’s gotten tons of email from fans, because I just found her school email. My son is in journalism, and I wanted him to look up Mrs. P at some of the journalism events he’s gone to, but he won’t. Bad boy.
One of the members of my writing chapter SARA worked with Jared when he was in drama. She taught at a different high school but apparently the drama community in NEISD is close-knit, because she said he’d greet her with effusiveness when he’d see her.
Apparently Jared still has affection for San Antonio because during filming of Friday the 13th in Austin, he’d come visit his folks. And I know he and Jensen had some good natured rivalry when the Spurs and Mavericks were in the playoffs last year.
I don’t imagine I’ll ever run into Jared in my hometown, but having the connection makes me want his success even more.
5 comments:
Not a lot of celebrities, huh? My hometown area has none that I'm aware of, except Tim Daggett, and I'm not sure he counts. :)
I'm envious, Mary! Because even if it's unlikely you'll run into him, there's a chance, and that's more than most of us have!
>>My son is in journalism, and I wanted him to look up Mrs. P at some of the journalism events he’s gone to<<
LOL--you, stalker!
I'm jealous that you guys even have hometowns to share with celebrities.
Tanya, She Who Moved a Lot
I know exactly how you feel. Jensen grew up in Richardson as did I. We didn't go to the same high school but my school played his school in sports. Just knowing he is breathing the same air as me when he is home laying on his mom's couch makes me happy.
I did worry this would come across a little stalkerish :) I'm glad you don't think it's too creepy.
LOL, phouse! Yup, exactly!
Natalie, my city's pretty good-sized, so it makes sense we'd have someone every now and then. I think Eva Longoria's TV husband from Desperate Housewives is from here, too.
This morning as I was getting ready for work, I had a flash in my head of Jensen on his mom's couch in old grey sweats, a faded Q102 T-shirt, bare feet and bedhead. What a way to start off the day!
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